Father Emmett "Pops" Johns will be of the few people whose funeral will have had Canadian dignitaries rub shoulders with street youth.

But many of those who knew him say that's how Johns was — he brought people together.

After two days of public visitations, the funeral for the beloved founder of Dans la rue was held Saturday morning at Saint Patrick's Basilica in downtown Montreal.

Johns died Jan. 13 at the age of 89 after devoting much of his life to helping homeless and at-risk youth.

"Love was the mainstay of Pops' life," said Deacon François Lehmann, delivering the sermon to the packed church.

"He wasn't interested in theories, he was only interested in being there for those who suffer, and in healing, especially the kids he met on the street and elsewhere."

One of the eulogies for Father Emmett 'Pops' Johns called the final farewell a 'celebration of love.' (CBC)

8 former Dans la rue youth as pallbearers

A long list of Canadian dignitarie were at the public funeral, including Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, federal ministers Mélanie Joly and Marc Garneau, Quebec ministers Martin Coiteux and Kathleen Weil, borough Mayor Jim Beis and former Montreal mayors Denis Coderre and Gérald Tremblay.

Eight former youth from Dans la rue carried Johns's casket after the service.

Before the funeral, Plante said a green space near Dans la rue will become a park named after Pops. She said its exact location would be revealed during an announcement at a later date.

"As the City of Montreal, we want to continue his work, making sure that there's programs to support marginalized youth," she said, adding, "For us, it was clear that we wanted to honour his memory with a special area."

Former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre told reporters Pops was an inspiration for him when he was starting up in municipal politics. (Radio-Canada)

Coderre said it was important for him to be there because Johns had inspired him to make homelessness a priority during his administration.

"What he accomplished in all those years — to meet them, reach them … you have to go where they are," Coderre said. "Clearly, he saved a lot of lives."

Hallelujah, a favourite of Johns's, played

Three young Dans la rue musicians performed alongside social worker Julien Peyrin. They were preceded by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra's brass quintet, which will be playing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, a favourite of Johns's.

The funeral is being presided over by Christian Lépine, the Archbishop of Montreal.

Johns has been remembered by those who've worked alongside him and those who met him in the streets as deeply empathetic and selfless.

Father Emmett Johns died on Jan. 13 at the age of 89. (Jean-F. Leblanc/Stock Photo)

Known by his nickname "Pops," Johns started his organization, at first named Le Bon Dieu dans la rue, in 1988 with the purchase of a Winnebago. He would roam Montreal streets with it to offer help and distribute food to street youth.

Despite Johns' position as a priest, he didn't try to convert people, Lehmann said in the homily.

"During a job interview for a new ministry, he was asked what was his spiritual journey. Pops couldn't answer!" Lehmann said.

"It was the wrong question. Pops didn't have a spiritual journey, something intellectual. Rather, he had a relationship, a simple and intimate relationship with God."

More than a helping hand

Former street youth who met him say it wasn't just the warm food, but who he was as a person, that left a mark on them.

"He had a powerful spirit," said Stéphane Turcotte, who was homeless and addicted to heroin as a teen. Dans la rue helped him find a way out, Turcotte said in an interview with CBC News shortly after Johns's death.

The funeral for Father Emmett 'Pops' Johns was attended by hundreds of Montrealers. (CBC)

"He just had the biggest heart," Talasia Tarkirk said Thursday at the public visitation for Johns in Montreal's City Hall.

Tarkirk met Johns when he was giving out food and supplies from his van, after she'd run away from home and was living on the street. She ended up volunteering for Dans la rue for seven years.

"[He] really showed the community how to love people — how not to discriminate," she said.