Church bells welcomed parishioners to the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Brownsville Tuesday as they came to a special mass in honor of Pope Francis.

Francis died on Monday at the age of 88 following a stroke.

Inside the cathedral, every pew was filled as people celebrated the life of a man known for his humility and big heart.

READ MORE: Valley residents bid farewell to Pope Francis

The special mass was led by Bishop Daniel Flores, who said the impact the pope had on people in the Rio Grande Valley was the desire to help one another

“Because there's a great generosity here, and… people maybe sometimes were getting discouraged — and yet people have this hope in the sense that we can do better,” Flores said.

Bishop Flores said in the 12 years Pope Francis led the Catholic Church, he had several opportunities to meet with him. Moments he said he now looks back on fondly.  

“The holy father would say he would write me letters sometimes to say that he was very much aware of how the local community was very generous in helping the immigrant community,” Flores said.

Flores said his message to the people on the passing of the pope was that the pope wasn't ashamed to show his health was failing 

The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville will host a second mass in honor of Pope Francis at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle. The mass is set for Wednesday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m.

The mass will be streamed on KRGV’s Facebook page.

Watch the video above for the full story.