SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -
The noon mass at St. John the Baptist in Savannah takes place daily. But Thursday's mass was specially titled and paid tribute to Pope Benedict.
Bishop Hartmayer announced the celebration mass - called Thanksgiving Mass just this week and people responded. On any given day, about 50 people attend mass. On Thursday, 300 parishioners attended.
Hartmayer said he wanted to pay tribute to the man who gave his life to the church.
"It's a day of mixed emotions for me personally because it was Pope Benedict that made me bishop of Savannah, but I'm also glad for the church because the church is seeing change is possible," he said. "It's the first time in 700 years the pope has retired, so it's a wonderful historic moment for the church."
During the mass, they laid out the decades of work that the pope did for the church - not just his eight years as head of the Catholic church.
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