HOUSTON -- Hundreds of mourners packed three catholic churches around Houston to bid a final farewell to the 17 people killed in last week's bus crash.

The funeral service at the Lady of Lavang was in Vietnamese, but it was easy to understand the pain this community is feeling.  Of the 17 people who died in the bus crash, six belonged to this church.

“The way it happened was so fast. We just can't take it.  It's hard. Very hard,” said Hien Thi Hong, church member.

All six people died in a bus crash last week in Sherman, Texas. They were headed to Missouri to a catholic pilgrimage

 “It's very tough.  It's really hard to get over it,” said Hong.

The Vietnamese community is very strong and united, and we support each other,” said Etienne H. Nguyen, church member.

The members of Lady of Lavang wore their support at the funeral. The family of the deceased wore white headbands.

“I guess it’s a sign to hold on tight and keep our heads up,” said Hong.

Second generation family members wore yellow headbands, instead of the white.

“Events like this, you know, we are so united and it’s very comforting for not just our family but all the families in this tragedy,” said another church member.

“It's a tragedy, what happened, but everybody is accepting what has happened,” said Jordan Dao, church member.

Houston has a huge Catholic community. The 17 people who died in the crash belonged to five different Catholic churches in our area.

Catholic Charities are providing grief counseling in Vietnamese for those who need it.