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Thousands turn out in Washington for Kennedy-Bessette memorial

Basilica priest &  mass
The Mass honoring Kennedy, his wife and sister-in-law was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

 ALSO:
At candlelight service for Lauren Bessette, mourners also pray for sister, Kennedy

Investigators to examine wreckage of Kennedy plane

Click here for more related stories

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 SPECIAL:
Remembering John F. Kennedy Jr.

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July 25, 1999
Web posted at: 6:28 p.m. EDT (2228 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The huge Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the nation's capital was filled to overflowing Sunday for a Mass in memory of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Lauren Bessette.

Bishop William E. Lori, auxiliary bishop of Washington, described young Kennedy as a man of "easy grace and elegance," who was "a symbol of a generation coming into its own."

Church spokesmen said 4,500 people filled the church, which Lori called an unusually large gathering.

The bishop said the nation will mourn well into the future the loss of Kennedy and the Bessette sisters, "lives that were bright with promise and embedded in our national conscience."

Kennedy, his wife, Carolyn, and her sister Lauren were killed July 17 in a private plane crash off Martha's Vineyard.

"With easy grace and understated elegance," Kennedy "wore the mantle of his unique heritage," Lori said.

Lori praised Kennedy as gifted, charitable and humble, despite the media glare that followed him wherever he went.

Lori added that Carolyn and Lauren, "while not completely in the spotlight, were women of accomplishment in their own right, and their passing is mourned not only by those who knew them, but by millions of people the world over."

Celebrating the Mass in their honor, Lori prayed "eternal life" for Kennedy and the Bessettes.

Mayor Anthony Williams and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington's delegate to Congress, attended the Mass.



RELATED STORIES:
NTSB: JFK Jr.'s plane shows no in-flight break-up or fire
July 30, 1999
At candlelight service for Lauren Bessette, mourners also pray for sister, Kennedy
July 25, 1999
Investigators to examine wreckage of Kennedy plane
July 26, 1999
Thousands turn out in Washington for Kennedy-Bessette memorial
July 25, 1999
Wreckage of Kennedy plane delivered to Cape Cod
July 24, 1999
Ted Kennedy pays tribute to his nephew
July 23, 1999
JFK Jr. remembered as legend with sense of humor
July 23, 1999
Memorial service attendees
July 23, 1999
Husband of '1,000 days' and 'perfect soul-mate' memorialized
July 23, 1999
Seeing the century through values and ambitions of Kennedys
July 22, 1999

RELATED SITES:
Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, MA, Cape Cod's Daily Newspaper
U.S. Navy assists in search for for JFK plane
National Transportation Safety Board
The New Piper Aircraft, Inc. "Saratoga II TC"
  • The New Piper Aircraft, Inc. "Piper Press Releases"
United States Coast Guard
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • NOAA ship Whiting joins the Rude in search for Kennedy plane
  • NOAA Ship RUDE
  • Side Scan Sonar and Multibeam Sonar
Condolence Page of John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce
  • Martha's Vineyard Beaches
  • Aquinnah Town Government
Massachusetts Community Profiles - Gay Head (Aquinnah)
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