LEWISTON – As bells chimed outside, Tom Gosselin, 18, was one of hundreds who walked into the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul on Saturday morning.

Gosselin graduated in June from St. Dominic Regional High School. He was attending the funeral of his principal, G. Michael Welch. Welch, 61, who was the St. Dom’s principal since 1993, died Tuesday from cancer.

Gosselin, a hockey player, remembered how much Welch liked the sport.

“He was the coolest guy.” His death seemed sudden, Gosselin said. “I know he was sick, but …”

Welch was “a good principal,” Gosselin said. “He was one of those guys who wanted to get to know everybody. He was very personable. He’d always joke around with us. Just a good guy.”

As the mass was about to begin, many filed in: the young, the old, former St. Dom students and former St. Dom parents. So many attended that someone occupied nearly every pew of the vast basilica.

Diane Theriault of Lewiston said she and her husband, Maurice, sent their four children to St. Dom’s. The oldest graduated in 1996, the youngest, Joe, is a senior. She and her husband served on the school board. She was on the board that hired him.

“Mike was the master of education, a wonderful, very spiritual man,” Theriault said. Like Gosselin, she praised Welch for how he gave individual attention to everyone. “We considered him a special gift to St. Dom’s, to our family.”

St. Dom seniors stood in the aisle wearing armbands with the initials GMW. “George was his first name, but he went by Michael,” Theriault explained.

To the song “On Eagle’s Wings,” a procession walked in with the casket. The procession included Bishop Richard Malone, former Bishop Joseph Gerry, Catholic schools superintendent Sister Rosemary Donohue, 12 priests, four altar servers, and several who were especially close to Welch, including members of the Girouard and Servidio families.

Both bishops officiated the Christian burial.

During the homily, the Rev. Daniel Greenleaf joked that as he was composing his speech, he discovered he had written five pages. That’s too long, he said. “In the spirit of Mr. Welch, I reviewed it and added three more pages,” Greenleaf said as everyone laughed. The principal, he said, was not a brief speaker.

He told a Gospel story about a kingdom that tried to decide who was greatest person. After many successful, wonderful people came forth, at last came a simple man. The look of love shone in his eyes.

Someone asked who is that man? The answer was he is the one who taught all the others. “He was their teacher,” Greenleaf said, referring to Welch.

“Mike was an educator. He believed in education and he believed in St. Dom’s.” Welch believed his students would exceed far more than they believed, “and St. Dom’s would help them get there.”

Greenleaf visited Welch in his last days. Even as he was dying, Welch was thinking about one student and what could he do to help. Whenever the principal knew that a student or their family was troubled, he acted. “He prayed for you,” Greenleaf said looking at the congregation.

Five years after Welch was told he had six months to live, he did not want to die. He wanted to stay. “He loved what he was doing,” Greenleaf said. His cancer was the cross he carried. Welch showed how to suffer and remain faithful.

St. Dom’s students were asked to sing one of his favorite songs, one Welch and the students did hand signals to.

The students smiled and enthusiastically sang and signaled “Our God is an Awesome God.”

The congregation applauded.

Before the service ended, students were again asked to sing, this time the school song for Welch, the one sung at games and gatherings.

Students belted out “Ave Maria,” which ended with them cheering: “St. Dom’s!”

In sharp contrast, hundreds walked out in silence behind the casket. The only noise was the bells.