Memorial Service Held At Manhattan Church For Orlando Shooting Victims

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A memorial service was held at a Manhattan church Saturday for the 49 victims killed in a nightclub shooting in Orlando.

The first names of the victims were read aloud at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine as members of the congregation bowed their heads.

PHOTOS: Orlando Nightclub Shooting Victims

Rev. Andrew Dietsche said the mass shooting, the worst in U.S. history, continues a vicious cycle of violence in this country driven by guns and intolerance.

He urged Congress to heed the fundamental principles of God and love as they debate gun control legislation, WCBS 880's Stephanie Colombini reported.

"To protect the people in our midst, to welcome the stranger at the door, to make community among all people," he said.

Another 53 people were also wounded in the Sunday morning attack before the gunman, Omar Mateen, was killed in a shootout with police.

Six of those survivors are still in the hospital as the FBI continues to gather evidence and analyze cellphone data to piece together Mateen's activities leading up to the shooting.

The mayor of Orange County, Florida declared one of the victims, 21-year-old Cory Connell, an honorary fire fighter after he was unable to live out his dream of becoming one.

Connell's was one of the many services happening over the weekend for the nightclub shooting victims. Community members all around the country are filling the streets to show their support and love for the city of Orlando.

Members of New York City's LGBT community took to the streets Saturday evening to honor the victims and fight for equality, 1010 WINS' Darius Radzius reported.

"It's really no accident that this happened because of all the laws that we've been seeing. Over 200 anti-LGBT laws coming up for a vote this year," one marcher told 1010 WINS.