"They know about him as the head of the church," Saroja Arputhasamy said.

"Now we can explain more," added her husband.

Around the state yesterday, many of Hawai'i's churchgoing Roman Catholics heard words of comfort as well as words of mourning during the fulfillment of their Sunday obligation to attend service.

Pastors throughout the Diocese of Honolulu had been given suggestions of prayers for their fallen leader to start church, and chose to use their homily, or sermon, to expound on the greatness of the man who led the world's 1 billion Catholics, including an estimated 233,000 Catholics in Hawai'i.

After first praising John Paul for his remarkable reign, the Rev. Philip Chircop began the midmorning service with the prayer: "Now may you rejoice in heaven."

The visiting Jesuit remembered the day John Paul II first appeared on the Vatican balcony and addressed the masses with the words: "Burst open the doors for Christ."

"We have someone to watch and learn from," Chircop told the packed church. "He chose to open doors."

Michael and Leia Twigg-Smith, who live part of the year in Italy, had stayed up late the night before, trying to absorb the news and reflecting on the death of the pope. In the morning, when their three children awakened and saw the headlines in the paper, it afforded them the opportunity to further their understanding of their church.

Since their grandfather, David, is near the pope's age, the boys had a frame of reference.

How did they explain the pope's role to sons Aidan, 3; Evan, 7; and Ryan, 9? Leia Twigg-Smith chose to keep it simple: "We told (them) he's like the king of the church."

In Kalihi Valley, at Our Lady Of The Mount, more than 300 churchgoers bowed their heads yesterday to honor John Paul. On a rainy and windy morning, the sun sneaked through enough to warm the white concrete church.

The pews were filled and roving packs of children played freely, occasionally quieted by adults.

The Rev. Spa Silva, who is visiting from Samoa while the Rev. Steve Nguyen is on vacation, told the people that the pope's passing means that God will send another good shepherd to lead the flock.

"It's sad we lost someone so influential in my faith, as a Catholic. It affects my faith in the sense that it builds my faith, it adds on," said Silva as he greeted parishioners after the service. "Because of my faith I will continue to believe that we are not being abandoned."

Pamata Liua, a 46-year-old city refuse collector, said the pope touched a lot of lives and reached out to members of all faiths.

"We lose one of the true leaders and I hope we get one just like him," he said. "He touched a lot of lives, not only Catholic, but other believers, too."

Gogo Ui, a 45-year-old landscaper, said while saddened by the loss, he is glad that John Paul's physical suffering is over.

"I feel bad and sad but it's good because of all the sickness inside he had," Ui said. "At least he rests in peace."

Sacred Heart parishioner Tom Broderick still carries with him the rosary he received from the pope years ago.

"We really had an opportunity of a lifetime," Broderick said. "Above all people, he'd be the one anyone from any denomination would like to meet. ... You could tell he was more than an ordinary person. He was holy."