WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Shortly before his death , Sen. Edward M. Kennedy wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI asking for the pontiff to pray for him as he struggled with an aggressive form of brain cancer , it was revealed at his graveside service Saturday evening . Members of the Kennedy family gather at the gravesite Saturday evening . Kennedy , the youngest and last-surviving brother of a heralded Kennedy generation , was laid to rest on a hillside at Arlington National Cemetery alongside his slain brothers , the late President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy -- both assassinated more than four decades ago . Cardinal Theodore McCarrick read a recent letter from Kennedy to the pope at the private burial ceremony in Arlington , Virginia . `` I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines , '' McCarrick said , quoting from Kennedy 's letter . `` I was diagnosed with brain cancer more than a year ago , and although I continue treatment the disease is taking its toll on me . I am 77 years old , and preparing for the next passage of life , '' the cardinal read . Read excerpts from Kennedy 's letter to pontiff The burial service at dusk followed a eulogy by President Barack Obama in Massachusetts , a brief prayer service outside the U.S. Capitol and a procession through the crowd-lined street of Washington 's streets . Among the congressional colleagues greeting the Kennedy family at the Capitol was 91-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd , D-West Virginia , who has been out of the spotlight lately because of deteriorating health . Watch an overview of the day 's events '' Many who had gathered at the Capitol were visibly emotional and wiping tears from their eyes . Some held framed photos of Kennedy , and many held American flags that they waved during a singing of `` America the Beautiful . '' The Rev. Daniel Coughlin -- chaplain of the House of Representatives -- said a prayer and addressed the family . `` Here we are to pray with you , offer sympathy and thank you , '' he said . `` Thank you for sharing the senator . '' Coughlin also noted that Kennedy 's hopes were `` unquenchable , full of immortality . '' As Kennedy 's widow , Vicki , went back into the car , she waved to the crowd and mouthed , `` Thank you '' as the crowd erupted into applause . The late senator 's son , U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy , addressed those on the steps , saying how his father `` knew that he was only great because he had great people supporting him . '' `` He would be very proud to see you all out here today paying a final respect and tribute to his memory , '' he said . Earlier Saturday at the funeral in Boston , Massachusetts , Obama hailed Kennedy as '' a champion for those who had none ; the soul of the Democratic Party ; and the lion of the U.S. Senate . '' `` He was given the gift of time that his brothers were not , and he used that gift to touch as many lives and right as many wrongs as the years would allow , '' the president said . `` We can still hear his voice bellowing through the Senate chamber , face reddened , fist pounding the podium , a veritable force of nature , in support of health care or workers ' rights or civil rights , '' Obama said , calling Kennedy `` the greatest legislator of our time . '' Watch President Obama 's full eulogy '' Kennedy 's son Ted Jr. delivered a tender , personal remembrance of his larger-than-life father . He said his father `` never stopped trying to right wrongs . '' Kennedy lived up to the ideals of three older brothers , all of whom died young -- Joseph in World War II , President John and Sen. Robert assassinated -- his son said . `` He answered Uncle Joe 's call to patriotism , Uncle Jack 's call to public service and Bobby 's determination to seek a newer world . `` Unlike them , he lived to be a grandfather , and knowing what my cousins have been through , I feel grateful that I have had my father as long as I did , '' Ted Jr. said . `` My father was not perfect , but he believed in redemption , '' he said . And he said Kennedy had made light of his failure to become president , despite the weight of expectations on him as a Kennedy . `` I do n't mind not being president , I just mind that someone else is , '' he quoted his father as saying , closing his remembrance with a line from Kennedy 's famous 1980 concession speech that ended his presidential ambitions : `` The work goes on , the cause endures , the hope still lives and the dream will never die . '' Watch as Ted Kennedy Jr. recalls his dad 's help when he lost his leg as a boy '' The funeral began with a hearse bearing Kennedy 's body through Boston rain from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library to Mission Church . A military honor guard carried the coffin through a sea of black umbrellas into the church . Watch as military honor guard carries Kennedy 's casket '' People lined the streets of Boston cheering for Kennedy as the service began , despite the rain . Local bars and restaurants were packed with people watching the live coverage on television inside . Former presidents Bill Clinton , George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter also came to honor the late legislator , known as the lion of the Senate . Vicki Kennedy accepted condolences from each of the current and former presidents before Holy Communion . The program concluded with an undated quote from Kennedy : `` For all my years in public life , I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all . There is no end to that journey , only the next great voyage . We know the future will outlast all of us , but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make . '' Many of Kennedy 's fellow senators past and present came to say a final farewell . Other mourners included Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dan Quayle , all veterans of the Senate , where Kennedy served for 47 years . Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick , CIA chief Leon Panetta , and several Cabinet members also turned out to pay their respects . Watch as Mass for Kennedy begins '' Sen. John McCain , the 2008 Republican presidential candidate , chatted with Sen. Chris Dodd , a Connecticut Democrat , in the pews before the ceremony began . Honorary pallbearers at the service included Dodd , Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer , Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts -- his party 's 2004 presidential candidate -- and long-time Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey , also a Democrat . The actual pallbearers were Kennedy children , nieces and nephews . World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed two pieces during the service , and was joined by the tenor Placido Domingo for one of them . At the graveside service were a number of family members , as well as Vice President Joe Biden . Kennedy 's grave is 95 feet south of his brother Robert 's , which is just steps away from the burial site of another brother , former President John F. Kennedy . A single white , wooden cross will be placed at the head of the grave and a marble footmarker put in place . The footmarker reads : `` Edward Moore Kennedy 1932-2009 . '' The setup is identical to Robert Kennedy 's grave , Arlington cemetery spokeswoman Kaitlin Horst told CNN . Kennedy , the patriarch of America 's leading Democratic family for more than 40 years , died at the age of 77 on Tuesday , 15 months after being diagnosed with brain cancer . CNN 's Jessica Yellin , John King and Elaine Quijano contributed to this report .