Dressed in all black, Karolina Naziemiec folded her hands in prayer and remembered the three occasions she saw the pope upon his visits to Poland, their native country.

"I feel sadness and loss," said Naziemiec, 28, as funeral services for John Paul II were broadcast on Polish television at the church, where the pope visited nearly three decades ago. "We've lost a great person, a great pope. I think every Polish person has a special connection to him. ... He was really a pope for the people."

Thousands of people came to Our Lady of the Bright Mount, a Polish Catholic church near downtown Los Angeles, to say goodbye to the pope who left behind an enduring memory. Hundreds stayed early Friday to watch the funeral.

The pope celebrated mass at the church during his visit in 1976, two years before he was elected to the papacy. The throne where he sat is still kept in the church office and now bears the papal coat of arms. Displays outside the church are adorned with his images and words, including pictures and newspaper clippings both in English and Polish.

Inside, the funeral service at Vatican City was projected live on to a large screen at the altar.

Church member Marek Zietara, 39, of Los Angeles, brought his family to watch the pope's funeral with members of the Polish community.

Zietara said he has at least one regret: "I should have found time to see him in real life," he said. "That's something that I missed in my life."

The pope was unlike any others before him, because he reached such a wide audience worldwide, Zietara said.

"I don't think anyone – kings, queens, musicians, they will never have so many people watching them. ... People want to spend the last moments with him," he said.