Archbishop William E. Lori was shocked and saddened to learn of Pope Francis’ death in a text message Monday morning. In a special Mass hours later, Lori encouraged Baltimore-area parishioners to learn from Francis’ legacy by embodying light and hope through service to those in the margins.

“One of the best ways we can honor Pope Francis’ memory is to rededicate ourselves … to the service of the poor and the marginalized in our communities,” Lori said. “We are to be at once a beacon of hope and field hospital for the wounded.”

Hundreds of Catholics filled the pews of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in North Baltimore to memorialize Francis, the first Latin American and Jesuit pontiff, who died early Monday of a stroke and subsequent heart failure. Francis, who was hospitalized earlier this year with double pneumonia, died hours after making a brief appearance on Easter Sunday to bless the crowds at St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

Catrice Greer, a member of the church, said she, too, was saddened to learn of the pope’s passing on Facebook.

“Given the current climate and changes politically, he was the constant,” Greer said. “He’s the embodiment of living Christianity. He lives what we preach.”

Though sorrowful about the pope’s death and the state of the world, Greer believes all will be well with the selection of Francis’ successor.

Alison Hegarty, a youth minister at the Church of the Resurrection in Ellicott City, also attended the special Mass at the Baltimore cathedral. She believes it will be a good teaching moment for her students to understand why they have a pope and how they are selected.

“There’s a mix of fear and hope. I’ve just been praying a lot about asking the Holy Spirit to guide how they are choosing the next pope,” Hegarty said.

Hegarty said she has experienced a range of emotions since learning of Francis’ death, but she said Lori’s message highlighting Francis’ compassion was empowering.

Francis, 88, who was born in Argentina and was the son of Italian immigrants, died at his residence within the Vatican Monday morning. Church doctors said he had suffered a stroke and gone into a coma.

Across Maryland, Catholics are remembering “the people’s pope” for his humility and his care for the poor and marginalized, even while acknowledging his controversial stances on some issues of the day. He strived to make the church more inclusive, approving church blessings for same-sex couples, while putting a greater focus on issues such as poverty, the plight of refugees and climate change.

Lori spoke for about 10 minutes at Monday night’s Mass, where a portrait of Francis was draped in black as a symbol of mourning.

“I wanted to give voice to what many parishioners are feeling. I’ve talked to parishioners throughout the day, and they told me they felt as though they lost a father, a leader,” Lori told reporters afterward.

Earlier Monday, about 100 parishioners of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Columbia paused for a moment of silence during a noon Mass at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center. A framed picture of Pope Francis stood at the altar.

When the Rev. Mel Portula began his homily, a cellphone rang. Without missing a beat, Portula said, “Might be Pope Francis calling,” as laughter filled the room.

Pope Francis approached the Catholic faith as a pastor first and foremost, Portula said, through writings including his papal letter Laudato Si’ that addressed climate change and other environmental issues.

“I became a big fan,” Portula said. “He is not afraid to confront difficult issues and even divisive issues and allow the church to actually have conversations.”

Francis demonstrated mercy, too, Portula added, by visiting Rome’s Regina Coeli prison every Holy Thursday and washing the feet of those incarcerated. Still, Portula recognized, not every Catholic agreed with the pope’s leadership style.

“[He] had maybe angered some of the conservatives in the church or even disappointed many progressives that he was not strong enough to change a lot of things,” Portula said. “Pope Francis was not really a miracle worker, as too many would have expected, but there’s no doubt that we know most Catholics, many Catholics, loved this pope.”

Portula invited congregants to speak about how Pope Francis had touched their lives. In 2015, Ophelia Stephens visited the Vatican and sang to the pope with the church’s choir. She called the trip an honor and a blessing.

Others mourned the pope while still recognizing their conflicted feelings about him.

Michele Hayes was leaving noon Mass at Christ the King Church in Towson and returning to her job as the library director at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. She said she sent out a text to her prayer group promising to pray for Francis. In practice, though, she called his leadership “a mixed bag.”

“I think most people would say that. But he is still the pope,” she said.

Added Henry Hupka: “He’s our leader, whether he’s doing everything that everybody likes or not. It’s hard to please everybody. He’s got to please God.”

Their Anglican parish of Christ the King joined the Roman Catholic Church, but is not part of the archdiocese. Its longtime pastor, the Rev. Ed Meeks, is married, with children and grandchildren, and the church tends to be conservative. Meeks said he appreciated Pope Francis’ efforts to spread peace and call out world leaders for not doing enough to feed the hungry and end wars. But he and his congregation did not always embrace the pope’s modernization of church doctrines on issues such as climate change.

Meeks is hoping that Francis’ successor will clear up some of the confusion.

“There’s no question he was controversial, and I’m not sure how history will judge all of that. But again, now that he’s gone, our primary responsibility is to pray for him,” Meeks said.

In central Baltimore, Phillip Clark found himself back in the pews Monday, at the Basilica of the Assumption, to pray for the pope. Clark had left the Catholic Church because of its stance toward women and queer people, but he felt the church was still a major part of his life and his spirituality.

“Even if he didn’t necessarily change doctrines, he changed minds and he changed a lot of attitudes, especially around queer people,” Clark said. “He just did a lot of things to try and reform the church, so I would love to see the next pope continue that.”

When asked about a priest who was gay, Francis famously said, “Who am I to judge?”

Dozens of people trickled into America’s first basilica in Baltimore to pay their respects. The Rev. Gregory Rapisarda’s sermon was mournful but provided direction for Catholics. The retired priest commended the pope, calling him “tenacious” and a pontiff who “wanted to get out to see the people.”

“He pierced the peace,” Rapisarda told the congregation.

Deacon Jose Rivera climbed a ladder to hang the black mourning drapes over the doors of the Baltimore cathedral. Rivera had watched the pope on TV blessing the crowds in St. Peter’s Square in Rome on Easter Sunday, a moment of celebration on the church’s holiest day, which marks Jesus’ resurrection. He was surprised to awaken to the news that Francis had died.

Hanging the drapes was not entirely sad for Rivera.

“It’s sweet, also, because we know that he will go enjoy the presence of God in heaven,” he said.

Francis will be forever remembered for his commitment to represent those without a voice before those with power, said the Rev. Ako Walker of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Highlandtown, often considered the spiritual center of Catholic Latinos in Baltimore.

“He was a game-changer, someone who related well with the people and certainly as the first Latino pope. Latinos felt by and large a certain joy by having one of their own,” Walker said. “He will be sorely missed.”

Reporters Daniel Zawodny and Tim Prudente contributed to this article.