WASHINGTON — Cardinal James A. Hickey, the retired archbishop of Washington who died Oct. 24, was remembered at his funeral Mass Oct. 30 as "a friend of the poor and the champion of those in trouble" who loved the church, the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"In his 20 years of steady, loving, dedicated and extraordinary humble service, he reminded us we were children of God and heirs of heaven," Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington said in eulogizing his predecessor.

"We bless him for all the things he did for us and all the great programs he began," the cardinal said, "but more than anything else, we bless and praise the Lord for having given us this good and gentle and holy man to be our bishop, our example and our friend."

Cardinal McCarrick was the principal celebrant of the late cardinal's funeral Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. About 2,000 people attended the nearly two-and-a-half-hour Mass which was concelebrated by six cardinals, more than a dozen archbishops, 35 bishops (including Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde) and about 250 priests. Hundreds of deacons also assisted at the Mass, which was broadcast live on the Eternal Word Television Network.

An honor guard of Knights of Columbus members attended Cardinal Hickey's casket during a viewing prior to the Mass.

Among those attending the Mass was Cardinal William W. Baum, the former major penitentiary at the Vatican who was archbishop of Washington from 1973 until Cardinal Hickey's appointment in 1980. He acted as the pope's personal representative to the funeral.

Pope John Paul II "remembers with deep gratitude his venerable and beloved brother," Cardinal Baum said. He said his successor as archbishop of Washington had "a profound devotion to Mary and a life centered on the Eucharist" and lived a life "marked very clearly by his fidelity to the chair of St. Peter in the person of the Holy Father."

Cardinal Hickey, who was archbishop of Washington from 1980 to 2000, died after a weeklong bout with pneumonia and several years of declining health. He was 84. At the time of his death, the cardinal was a resident of the Jeanne Jugan Residence, a facility for the elderly run by the Little Sisters of the Poor in Washington.

Cardinal McCarrick said that among Cardinal Hickey's "great monuments, those great gifts that with courage and perseverance he left to the church of Washington," were the Birthing and Care Program, the Archdiocesan Legal Network, the Archdiocesan Health Network, and the Center City Consortium of Catholic schools.

"These initiatives, which are so much the style of Cardinal Hickey, are examples of his love and concern for the poor which would always mark and will always be the great memorial of his holy life," Cardinal McCarrick said.

"The priest and the bishop must be a friend of the poor, the poorest of the poor, the unborn child, and the champion of those who are in trouble," he added. "Anyone who knew James Cardinal Hickey knew that he both understood and lived this all his life."

Among those attending the Mass were Mayor Anthony Williams of the District of Columbia, Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan, other local and federal government officials and judges, several members of Congress, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of foreign embassies, and representatives of other faiths.

Williams, who said he was "heartbroken" when he learned of Cardinal Hickey's death, said the late cardinal "did a masterful job in serving as God's minister on earth. The cardinal was a master servant and brought a number of skills to that mastery of service."

The mayor also noted that Cardinal Hickey was a determined advocate for the city's poor, which was reflected in his support for inner-city schools and his outreach programs for those in need. The mayor joked that when the cardinal called with a request for more affordable housing in the district, there were only three possible responses the mayor could offer: "Yes, Your Eminence. Yes, Cardinal Hickey. Yes, sir."

Cardinal McCarrick, who like Cardinal Hickey has been a tireless advocate for an increase in priestly vocations, noted that "our brother James was always concerned with vocations," and prayed that "through the prayers of this good man, there will be an increase in vocations."

"He was not an avid seeker for the public eye, or a man who enjoyed walking in the corridors of power," he added. "He was a leader who never sought to involve his people in contention or controversy, but he made an impact among us such as few bishops have done."

After the Mass, Cardinal Hickey was interred during a private ceremony in the burial crypt for the archbishops of Washington at the entrance to the St. Francis Chapel at St. Matthew's Cathedral. Cardinal Patrick O'Boyle, who served as the first resident archbishop of Washington from 1948 to 1973 and who died in 1987, is interred there.