The funeral for a Catholic priest shot during a series of incidents in St. Paul on May 9 was held Monday.
Father Gilbert Dasna died as a result of gunshot wounds, an autopsy concluded Thursday.
Police believe that John Carlos Quadros was responsible for the death.
Quadros was also believed to be behind a series of events that lead to a shootout with police that night.
A spokesperson for the church said that about 500 people were expected to come to the service at the Cathedral, which was held at 2 p.m. Monday.
“People remember him for his trust in God,” Pierre Lamoureux said.
“That is how he was. He simply accepted the person in front of him and drew a lot of people to him that way.”
A school gymnasium in the community was made available to the church in case the Cathedral became too crowded.
“The community has come together really to grieve and to heal from the death of our friend.
“It is going to take a long time. It is going to be a journey to heal. Violence is a very hard thing to come to terms with.”
Lamoureux also acknowledged the family of Quadros was grieving as well.
“We reach out to them in support of their grief as well. That is an important part of the message that Father Dasna would have us communicate. That in all things we have to forgive and as the saying goes, where the rubber hits the road for Christians is to forgive.”
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has been handling the investigation into Quadros death and police action that night.
With files from Amanda Anderson
UPDATE (23/05/14): The ASIRT investigation determined the gunman, identified as John Quadros, took his own life during the incident.
