TC/0275

ACT OF PRAYERFUL REFLECTION - OMAGH
Saturday, August 22, 1998

Church bells ring 2.30 to 2.43pm
WELCOME: Rev. Kevin Mullan, Curate of Christ the King Church, Strathroy.
It is Saturday again. It is a quarter before three in the afternoon. Seven days and seven nights have passed since last it was this hour on a Saturday afternoon on the streets of this town - each day and each night of those seven journeyed through in horror, pain and grief - and today will have its night and tomorrow its tomorrows. At this hour last Saturday, 28 good and deeply loved people, one carrying twins awaiting birth, were alive in these streets. Those 200 and more whose loveliness was maimed or injured, those who now cling to life in hospital wards, were with them here as they with countless others shopped and served, talked and strolled and drove. Each of them, each of us, at this hour last Saturday had a future for some time on this earth. But the future had already been brought among us. Evil had already possessed some human hearts and minds to do evil unto other human beings. At 10 minutes past three the future came. Death and life were blasted together. Death carried life and peace away. It searched for many more of us with its savage scorching breath. Its bloody greed was fought in the street and the hospital by those who love and treasure life and dearly loved the lives for whom they fought. Where this High Street becomes Market Street and from there to the Dublin Road corner, this space within our town where all our futures were changed one week ago, is today a silent sanctuary of remembrance, sharing the silence of the inner sanctuaries of broken hearts and families. Around it, around them, may our words today be gentle as the flowers laid on Drumragh Bridge above the meeting of Omagh's rivers. May God's word through the prophet Isaiah rest gently today on the meeting of our sorrowing hearts:
Comfort, comfort, my people, says your God.
(Fr. Kevin Mullan)
Solas, tabhair solas do mo phobal, a deir bhur dTiarna.
(Rev. Robert Herron, Minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church)
Consolad, consolad mi pueblo, dice vuestro Senor.
(Rev. Francis Barber, Army Chaplain)

Statement of Purpose:
Dr. Brendan McCarthy, Omagh Community Church
Today, we stand together as a united community.
We are here to remember our dead with dignity, to pray for their
families and for all who have been injured and traumatised;
To pay tribute to all those who have worked tirelessly to save lives,
to heal wounds, to comfort the broken hearted.
We are also here to reclaim our town:
To reclaim it for the people of Omagh,
To reclaim it for our children and our grandchildren,
To reclaim it for the Kingdom of God.
And we declare that evil will not triumph.
The pain and the loss will remain but our community will not be torn apart.
In the name of Jesus resurrection will come.

Singing:
The Lord's My Shepherd
(Accompanied by St. Eugene's Cross-Community Band)
The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want,
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; he leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
My soul he doth restore again,
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
E'en for his own Name's sake,
Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale,
Yet will I fear none ill: For thou art with me, and thy rod
And staff me comfort still.
My table thou has furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me:
And in God's house for evermore
My dwelling-place shall be.

Prayers:
For the bereaved:
Rev. Ruth Adams, Curate of St. Columba's Parish Church, Omagh
Heavenly Father, we pray for all those who are bereaved. We thank you for the love they shared with those they lost. May they feel the comfort and support of your everlasting arms underneath them, to carry them in their time of grief.

For the injured:
Mr. Dominic Pinto, Consultant Surgeon, Tyrone County Hospital
Our Father in heaven, we pray for all those injured on Saturday. We ask for wholeness and healing in body, mind and soul. May they feel your Presence especially at this time.

For the community:
Peter Deveney - in Irish (Retired teacher)
David Bolton - in English (Director of Community Care, Sperrin Lakeland Health Trust)
Father, we thank you for the community in this place, for the strength and love that has been shown in these days. We ask that as a community, through our love, we may become a sign of light and hope instead of the darkness and despair of this week. Shower us with your love in the days, weeks and months ahead.

SOLO:
Broken Things (words and music by Julie Miller)
Sung by Juliet Turner, Dromore. (Based on The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and crushed in spirit - Ps 34:18 and A bruised reed He will not break and a smoking wick He will not snuff out - Is 42:3)
Broken Things
You can have my heart
But it isn't new It's been used and broken
And only comes in blue
It's been down a long road
And it got dirty on the way
If I give it to you will you make it clean
And wash the pain away
You can have my heart
If you don't mind broken things
You can have my life if you don't mind these tears
Well I heard that you make old things new
So I give these pieces all to you
If you want it you can have my heart
So beyond repair
Nothing I could do I tried to fix it myself
But it was only worse when I got through
Then you walked right into my darkness
And you speak words so sweet
And you hold me like a child
'Til my frozen tears fall at your feet
You can have my heart
If you don't mind broken things
You can have my life if you don't mind these tears
Well I heard that you make old things new
So I give these pieces all to you
If you want it you can have my heart.
©Word music / Administered by CopyCare Ltd.. Po Box 77, Hailsham. BN27 3EF (used by permission)

Scripture Reading - Isaiah 40:28-32
Rev. Peter Good, Superintendent Minister of Omagh and Fintona Methodist Circuit.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Prayers of thanksgiving:
For emergency services: Roisin Kelly - local business-woman
Gracious Father, fountain of all that is merciful, we offer our thanks for the mercy shown to us last Saturday. The mercy of those in the emergency services, the fire and ambulance crews, the police and the army. All extended your hand of mercy to us in our darkest moment, to help and offer words of hope, light and comfort to all those injured and dying. May they have mercy shown them for the rest of their days.

For hospital staff: Mabel Kennedy - Manager of Omagh Oxfam Shop
Father, the self-sacrificing love of your Son, Jesus, is our call to generosity. We thank you for the generous and selfless response of the medical services, and all those who work in our hospitals. They shared our pain and trauma, yet still gave their all, and more, as they helped all those injured and those dying. May their generosity of service be richly rewarded both now in this present life, and in the life everlasting.

Names of the deceased read out by Mr. John McKinney, chief executive of Omagh District council, and co-ordinator of emergency services.
James Barker, Buncrana;
Fernando Blasco Baselga, Madrid;
Geraldine Breslin, Omagh;
Debra-Anne Cartwright, Omagh;
Gareth Conway, Carrickmore;
Breda Devine, Donemana;
Oran Doherty, Buncrana;
Adrian Gallagher, Omagh;
Esther Gibson, Beragh;
Mary Grimes, Beragh;
Olive Hawkes, Omagh;
Julia Hughes, Omagh;
Brenda Logue, Loughmacrory;
Brian McCrory, Omagh;
Samantha McFarland, Omagh;
Ann McCombe, Omagh;
Sean McLaughlin, Buncrana;
Jolene Marlow, Omagh;
Avril Monaghan, Augher,
Maura Monaghan, Augher,
Veda Short, Omagh;
Alan Radford, Omagh;
Rocio Abad Ramos, Madrid;
Elizabeth Rush, Omagh;
Philomena Skelton, Drumquin;
Bryan White, Omagh;
Fred White, Omagh;
Lorraine Wilson, Omagh;
Mr. McKinney also asked the large crowd to remember Avril Monaghan's unborn twins.

SILENCE
The Lord's Prayer:
Led by Fr. Kevin Mullan
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen

Prayers:
For Social services and community workers:
Aurora Cacharro (in Spanish) translator for Spanish visitors,
Rev. Francis Barber (in English)
Father of all compassion, we thank you for your compassion to us. For the compassion shown us all by the staff at the Leisure Centre, the compassion of those in the social services, the clergy and all the community workers. Their compassion, and work on our behalf, helped us to express compassion to each other, and to bear our own cross of pain, a little better. May they who showed and gave such compassion be shown it a hundredfold when they themselves need it.

For the wider community:
Rev. Robert Herron:
Heavenly Father, source of all love, we thank you from our deepest being for the love and care you have shown us through our brothers and sisters throughout the world. For all who have written, or spoken words of comfort and shared our distress; for those who have communicated our story to the world; for all those who showed love in quiet embrace or hug or handshake; for all those who have left candles and flowers. Your love is shown in all these acts. May they who have loved us so, be forever blessed by you.

Distribution of flowers to Hospitals:
Rev. Ruth Adams
We remember our dead and their bereaved.
We reach out now to the injured and those who love and care for them.
From the heart of this gathering we send flowers to our own hospital that gave its all and to its sister hospitals across the North who reached out to save our beloved people and still care for them.

PRAYER OF HOPE:
Louise Scott, Omagh Academy and Jody Sharkey, Christian Brothers School.
Louise    Lord God, give us once more, the courage to hope.
Jody Lord of all hopefulness,
Louise Lord of the future,
Jody Lead us forward today into our future with a courageous heart,
Louise to see, and believe, in a new dawn;
Jody   in a new day.

BLESSING:
Rev. Robert Herron.
The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you? The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace, both now and evermore. Amen.