HYANNIS PORT, Mass. -- At St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church, where for 75 years the Kennedy family has worshiped, wed and mourned, the Rev. Edward Byington asked midway through yesterday's morning Mass: "Why are there calamities in life?"
Even for the faithful, it is the most unfathomable of questions. When Byington's somber congregation of residents and tourists bowed their heads in silent prayer, some said they asked for a miracle. Some said they prayed for strength.
So began another hot day on Cape Cod of waiting to learn the fate of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and his sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette. The headline on the hometown paper, the Cape Cod Times, summed up the affection for the young man America had watched grow up: "Searching for a Fallen Son."
Visitors have flocked to this seaside village, seeking some connection to the Kennedys, some closeness to their homes and their history. But the vestiges of the previous day's optimism -- hopes of a heroic rescue, of survival against the odds -- had faded, as people seemed to realize there may be no miracle.
"We came to pay our respects," said Benjamin Cuevos of Waterbury, Conn., who was visiting the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum with his wife, Marilyn. "I would have liked to have met him."
The Kennedy family remained inside the trio of waterfront houses known as the Kennedy compound. Behind the stone walls, white picket fences and blue hydrangeas, the family celebrated an outdoor Mass.
An occasional family member was seen walking on the beach. In the afternoon, Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, went boating with other family members. Mary Medeiros, a family baby-sitter, said there were a lot of tears inside the compound.
Hordes of news crews were staked out behind police barricades, but the family issued no statements.
Kennedy's sister, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, awaited word at her family's summer home in Southampton, Long Island. Caroline, 41, was on a rafting trip out West when her brother's plane disappeared off Martha's Vineyard. She didn't hear the news until so much time had passed as to leave only the slimmest hope for his survival. Townsend returns home
Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, John F. Kennedy Jr.'s cousin, returned to her Ruxton home yesterday from Hyannis Port. She had been there with her husband, David Townsend, and youngest daughter, Kerry, for her sister's wedding.
"She's trying to focus on spending time with her family," said Alan H. Fleischmann, her chief of staff.
The neighborhood surrounding the Kennedy homes in Hyannis Port was overrun by hundreds of reporters from across the United States and beyond. They sought shade beneath pine trees and umbrellas. They mingled with neighbors, borrowed their telephones. They bought 25-cent lemonades and iced teas from 13-year-old Sarah Edwards and her two friends. And they left behind their discarded coffee cups, newspapers, pens and water bottles.
An enormous white tent that had been erected for the wedding of Rory Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, still stood in the hot sun yesterday. John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife were on their way to the wedding, scheduled for Saturday night, when their plane disappeared. The 275 guests were notified early Saturday that the wedding was postponed.
People kept vigil all over the Cape. "TVs were on in every restaurant," said Nancy Pichard. "The bartenders were watching TV. It was just different. You felt like you lost a family member."
At nearby John F. Kennedy Memorial Park yesterday, typical summer crowds barbecued chicken and burgers, thumped a volleyball back and forth and waded into the shallow waters of Lewis Bay. But at the bronze relief portrait of President John F. Kennedy, bouquets of flowers -- sunflowers, roses, daisies -- had been left, along with a note scribbled onto the torn-out page of an address book: "Dear John, Carolyn and Lauren. Our prayers are with you. Debbie, Marc and Rich."
Other words and prayers for the Kennedys were written into the guest book at the Kennedy museum on Main Street, which extended its hours and waived admission fees.
Guests from as far away as Ireland, China and Australia scribbled their names and condolences in the white-and-green book: "We are saddened at this latest tragedy." "A very sad day." "May they be found." "God bless both families." The Infrancos of Long Island wrote, "May the good Lord be with you and those you love on this sad day."
People mingled among the many early-1960s photographs of John F. Kennedy, Jackie and their children. They stood close and squinted at pictures of the boy known then as John-John. There he was, atop a pony; running barefoot on a pier; posing in a sailor's outfit and red sneakers; frolicking with puppies on a lawn chair; playing on a sailboat named "Double Trouble."
"It's almost like a wake," said Lynn Poyant, executive director of the Hyannis Area Chamber of Commerce, which created the museum seven years ago inside the old Town Hall.
"We were mobbed when Jackie died, and when Rose died. But this is a different feeling. This is such a tragedy. He should have had another 40 or 50 years. You wanted things to be perfect for this kid, after having so much tragedy in his life."
"People tend to congregate here during these times," said Wendy Northcross, vice chairwoman of the museum.
Throughout the day, they congregated at St. Francis, too.
The church recently reopened after being closed for nine months for repairs. Left intact during the renovations was the plaque affixed to the side of the pew, two rows back and to the left of the altar. It was John F. Kennedy's regular seat, and the plaque reads, "In Memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy."
At yesterday morning's 8:30 Mass, the words of the Rev. Byington and the hymns and readings all seemed to resonate with a deeper meaning, on the day after another young Kennedy appeared to have been taken.
One reading was from the Book of Wisdom: "And you gave your children good ground for hope." Another was from a letter from St. Paul to the Romans: "The spirit comes to the aid of our weakness."
Byington tried to assure his congregation. "This family has been star-crossed. It's been one tragedy after another. But for our Catholic people, it's a matter of faith. And the family has strong faith," he said. "There will come a day where God's justice will prevail.
Some say it's their style of life. They are risk-takers, which is what makes them great. But sometimes the risks are great, too."
Wire services contributed to this article.