BRAINTREE -- Kimberly Auger was in Pompeii when the news broke.

It was the morning of April 21, and Auger, a parishioner at Immaculate Conception in Everett, was on vacation in Italy with a group of her fellow teachers. They were exploring the ruins of the ancient city when they heard gasps. At first, Auger thought someone in her tour group tripped and fell. Then she heard what had happened: Pope Francis had died at the age of 88. There were 32 people in her tour group, 28 of them Catholic. The tour guide led them in prayer.

"Once we all got back on the bus, we were talking about him being the people's pope," Auger said on April 28, adding: "He just had a kindness to him. When we were on the bus we were all exploring our faith."

Auger was one of several parishioners from the Archdiocese of Boston who were in Italy for the pope's final days, his death, and his wake. Stephanie Cheffro, a parishioner at Most Blessed Sacrament in Wakefield who was also in Auger's group, recalled that the tour guide was "very emotional" and was one of several who cried after hearing the news.

"Pompeii is in a somber mood anyway, but there was a lot of silence after that," she said on April 28.

Kristen Glionna, a parishioner at St. Raphael in Medford, was in Rome from April 17 to April 20. She saw Pope Francis's final public appearance, delivering the Easter blessing from the balcony of St. Peter's. She remembered that the pope was taken to the balcony in a wheelchair, and that his voice was weak.

"We realized that we were witnessing what could perhaps be his final service," Glionna said on April 28.

The crowds knew that he was not in condition to celebrate Mass but hoped he would make an appearance. When he came to the balcony, they cheered.

"Often, when you're part of history, you don't realize the magnitude in the moment," Glionna said. "So, I wanted to acknowledge that this was happening, but we were surrounded by so many people, and people were starting to get excited."

After the pope's remarks, she left the Vatican and boarded a train to Florence. She was waiting in line to see that city's cathedral the next morning when she received the news of Pope Francis's death. Word quickly spread throughout the line and everybody was talking about it.

"I got the chills, I'm not going to lie," she said. "I had goosebumps, and we reflected that it probably was very important for him to be able to give his final service."

Auger and Cheffro arrived in Rome on April 24. Their hotel was down the street from the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which would be Pope Francis's final resting place. They had plans to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, later discovering that they would be one of the last tourists to visit the chapel before it closed for the papal conclave.

"It was serene," Auger said. "People were just praying. People were just in awe that within a couple of weeks, the new pope would be chosen in that building."

Auger and Cheffro saw the doors that the cardinals would enter, and the chimney that the famous black and white smoke would pass through. It made Auger feel like a part of history.

That night, Auger, Cheffro, and a few others returned to St. Peter's Basilica to attend Pope Francis's wake. They waited for 90 minutes to see his body and walked through the holy doors of the basilica, which the pope had entered to begin the Jubilee Year of 2025. People from all over the world were in line, talking about Pope Francis and remembering his impact. She will remember their kindness for the rest of her life.

"That's when it really sunk in," Auger said. "Everyone was just so kind. Everyone was chatting with each other."

When she saw the pope's body, she was speechless. Some people cried. Many were in awe. She felt honored that she had the chance to personally say goodbye to him.

"Being able to stand and say a quick prayer over the pope, to be able to see him, it was a once in a lifetime type of situation," she said. "Gosh, I don't know. I have no words. It's something that will be etched in my mind forever."

Both she and Cheffro greatly admired Pope Francis.

"I think he made a lot of statements that different kinds of people could relate to," Cheffro said, adding: "He was very inclusive of people in general. And just the fact that he was humble, so humble, and didn't want the pomp and circumstance that comes along with the riches of the Vatican and all that. And I feel like that resonated with a lot of people."

She said the atmosphere at St. Peter's was "surreal."

"Somber, but I can't explain it," she said.

While waiting in line, a flock of white birds "filled the entire sky" over St. Peter's Square. Everyone gasped. Many pulled out their phones to record it, and videos of the incident went viral on social media.

"It was a feeling in our lives we can never replicate," she said. "It was quite a moment to be in Rome."

She added: "It felt like a beautiful moment, like that was supposed to happen."

Their tour was supposed to start in Rome, but the itinerary was changed to avoid the Easter crowds.

"I felt that God did that for us to be able to be there and to be able to experience this," Auger said.

"It happened for a reason," Cheffro said. "Like I was supposed to be able to pay my respects to a person that was so well-respected by myself and millions of people around the world."