Nicholas Hackett, left, and seven other male students from Ursuline High School carried Bishop George V. Murry's casket down the steps of St. Columba's Cathedral in Youngstown Friday afternoon following his funeral as the bishop left his church for the last time.

CLICK HERE to see a slide show of photographs from Bishop Murry’s funeral Mass.

YOUNGSTOWN — Bishop George V. Murry left St. Columba Cathedral — known to many as his church — for the last time Friday afternoon.

Murry’s casket was carried down the steps by eight students from Ursuline High School as local clergy from the Roman Catholic, Byzantine and Orthodox churches, local leaders, lay family and friends looked on with fond memories of the Diocese of Youngstown’s 13-year bishop.

Following the 1 p.m. funeral Mass, Murry was laid to rest in Calvary Cemetery in Youngstown, hundreds of miles from where he was born in Camden, N.J., 71 years ago.

“He decided this is where his roots are,” Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said following the Mass. “This is where he called home. I think it’s a privilege to have him buried here.”

Deacon Mark Kiraly of St. Christine Parish in Youngstown said Murry, who was the shepherd of the diocese, likely wanted to remain with the people he shepherded.

During the Mass, Murry was remembered for his love of learning and his dedication to both the Diocese of Youngstown and the national and international church.

“Bishop Murry was marked by the importance of faith, family and friends,” Monsignor Robert J. Siffrin said during his homily.

Siffrin was elected diocesan administrator following Murry’s death earlier this month after a two-year battle with an acute form of leukemia.

Siffrin and others pointed to Murry’s Episcopal motto: Christ my light.

“For all of you who knew him, I invite you to consider how much the light of Christ echoed through Bishop Murry’s life,” Siffrin said. “He wanted nothing more than for this to become the motto for all people he served.”

Attention also was turned on Murry’s involvement with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’

Committee Against Racism, which Murry chaired until he had to step down because of his health. Murry was the fifth bishop of Youngstown, but the first minority to hold the position.

Siffrin said Murry wanted to “assist in the transformation of society,” to rid it of the “deadly scourge” of racism — a task that has become even more important in recent weeks. Murry’s last public statement was on George Floyd, whose death at the hands of a white Minneapolis, Minn., police office sparked international outrage.

“(Murry) was a man of integrity,” said Deacon Nick Iarocci of Corpus Christi Parish in Conneaut. “And he brought instant credibility, not just to the Diocese but to the faith.”

Iarocci said Murry led the effort to fight against racism and break down racial boundaries.

Originally diagnosed with cancer in 2018, Murry’s leukemia returned twice — the final time in May, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social-distancing practices and regulations from the state meant Murry had to limit contact with people, which Siffrin called a “genuine sacrifice” for a man who loved his community.

Murry’s “infectious smile” and devotion to others left a lasting impression across the Diocese.

“Looking at the clergy that was there across the Catholic Church — both east and west coming together to celebrate the bishop. … He illuminated our Diocese and our region,” said Deacon Jim Kovats of St. Mary Parish in Orwell and Sacred Heart Parish in Rock Creek.

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati presided over the funeral Mass, which was invitation-only because of social-distancing concerns. Before praying over Murry’s casket, Schnurr said he knew Murry for 25 years and that Murry’s enthusiasm for the work of the church was “contagious.”

“Bishop George was very proud of this Diocese and the things that were happening here,” Schnurr said.