I was honored and humbled to be among the thousands of mourners inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral this morning for the funeral Mass of Det. Steven McDonald. The police office, who was paralyzed in a 1986 shooting became a symbol of forgiveness and compassion, inspiring so many.

There was not an empty seat in St. Pat’s, and I was invited to sit in the Press section (where I was in some heady company). We all took copious notes for our respective articles, and television news segments. My upcoming article will be part of Kates-Boylston’s popular series “Funerals of the Famous.”