BOMB ANNIVERSARY TIME TO TAKE STEP FORWARD
Bomb anniversary time to take step forward on long journey of recovery - Bishop
THE first anniversary of the Omagh bombing was a time of remembering and a time of reflection on so much suffering, but also a time to take a step forward on the long journey of recovery and faith, the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Dr. James Mehaffey, said in a service at St. Columba's Parish Church in the town on Sunday.
And he said those who had died needed a worthy memorial in the ending of violence and establishment of lasting peace.
Visitors from other churches in their district joined the parishioners for the service, which was broadcast live on RTE radio.
And churches throughout the town also joined in remembering and reflecting on the events of last August. In many, a special prayer was said for those who died, those who continue to grieve, and those who were injured.
Other services, many of them private ones for relatives and friends of those who died, will take place in the coming weeks.
One of the biggest events of the weekend was a special mass in the Sacred Heart Church on Saturday.
It was addressed by the Bishop of Derry, Dr. Seamus Hegarty, who said that people looked forward to, hoped, and prayed for peace, for the healing of wounds and of damaged relationships.
Bishop Hegarty also said people hoped that the perpetrators of the atrocity would soon be apprehended and brought to justice.
Speaking in St. Columba's, Dr. Mehaffey said the events surrounding the bombing provided a scene of sharp contrasts. They symbolised the worst and the best in human nature, the depths to which human beings could sink, and the heights to which they could aspire in terms of compassion and community support, solidarity and service.
"A year on it is a matter of great importance that no attempt no matter how well-meaning, is made to play down or gloss over the enormity of the evil visited on the unsuspecting people of Omagh that Saturday afternoon," he said.
'Barbarity'
Continued Dr. Mehaffey: "In its cruel barbarity, it was an atrocity without equal during the last 30 troubled years. To record that 29 children, women and men were killed and scores of people were injured can easily become just another statistic. It fails to take account of the countless number of people who have been bereaved, and the many injured in mind and spirit by what they have experienced.
"In addition to the terrible physical scars, many will carry deep mental and emotional wounds for the rest of their lives".
He said that anniversaries could bring painful reminders of hurt and grief, and first anniversaries were particularly difficult.
Said Dr. Mehaffey: "The terrible events of a year ago united the people of Omagh with the people of Buncrana and Spain in a shared suffering and grief.
"Today, a year on, we want to assure all who have suffered and who are struggling to cope with this first anniversary that they and their loved ones are not forgotten. They are very much in our thoughts and our love and prayers reach out to embrace them."
The Omagh bombing should not have happened, Dr. Mehaffey said.
"There can be no justification for such an atrocity, and there can never be any justification now or in the future.
"Those responsible stand condemned. The question is have they and their fellow travellers learnt the lesson that violence is always wrong in trying to bring about political change here in Ireland? I wonder.
"Those who still believe in violence or the threat of violence need not only a political conversion, but a religious conversion which allows the spirit of Christ to change minds and hearts."
He said that, on the first anniversary, many were seeking to find hope and healing. Healing was an experience all needed.
"We have all been hurt, damaged and broken by the events of life. We need to experience the gentle healing touch of Christ," he told the congregation and listeners throughout Ireland.
He went on to say: "May this first anniversary of the Omagh bomb be a time of remembering and of reflection on so much suffering and heartache, but also a time when we take a step forward on the long journey of recovery and of faith.
"As we remember today all who have suffered, we acknowledge that they need a worthy and permanent memorial a memorial not so much of bricks and mortar - but an end to violence and the establishment of lasting peace."
People from all denominations filled the Sacred Heart Church to capacity for an anniversary service on Saturday night.
Bishop Hegarty said that since the bombing, Omagh, and its people, had become well known for their courage, resilience and dignity in the face of disaster.
Recalling the day of the blast, he said that when he visited the town the damage on the street was evident, but what was not known initially was the extent of the deaths and injuries.
"When I heard the news of the bomb, I went first to the hospital, and ended up around midnight and much later in the leisure centre meeting with, comforting and praying with, those hundreds of people who were gathered there still, at that time, awaiting news about their missing loved ones. It was a relief to learn that loved ones were alive, the full extent of their injuries was to be later revealed.
"For the hours and days which followed, the toll of the explosion was counted and we gathered to bury the dead, to comfort the bereaved, to minister to the injured and to try to come to terms with the massacre which occurred."
A year on, those and other thoughts would be going through the minds of many. While those thoughts and memories would reactivate pain and the sense of loss, there was a healing dimension to it, said Dr. Hegarty.
Memories
"All of us have our own memories - memories which we shall never forget. As we recall these events today, we also remember all of the positive things that happened, the way the emergency plan was swung into action, the contribution of the medical and caring professions, the cooperation and sensitivity of the voluntary and statutory bodies, and the outstanding pastoral care and witness of the clergy of all denominatians here in Omagh and in Buncrana.
"But the most outstanding memory we will always have is the way in which you, the people of Omagh and Buncrana and elsewhere, grieved with dignity, rallied around one another, and set about rebuilding your lives and your town with determination and with resolve.
"The result of your response as individuals and as a community will forever be remembered."
The Bishop said that there had been worldwide admiration for the people of Omagh and the dignity, determination and faith shown in the aftermath of the bomb. The response of the community was what people everywhere remembered and admired, he added.
"You who were bereaved, and those of you which have sustained the most horrific injuries, have been, and continue to be, outstanding examples of courage, heroism and determination. We thank and admire you for the inspiration which you have given," Dr. Hegarty said.
While the anniversary was a time to remember the dead and commend them to God, it was also an occasion to salute and commend all of those who, in separate or collective ways, had been responsible for restoring normality to Omagh and to the lives of its people, he said.
"That work was not easy. It is not yet completed. It will take time. You have the worst year past you," he said.
He went on to say the events of August 15 last year came four months after the Good Friday Agreement was signed, and less than two months after the overwhelming ratification of it by the people of Ireland.
However, the opportunity the agreement offered had not been grasped with the resolve and determination that the people of Ireland expected.
"Politically, we have been drifting during the past year. However, the opportunity has not yet been lost. Grasping the opportunity and implementing the agreement in all its aspects are urgent and necessary, and will go a long way in ensuring that there will not be another tragedy like yours.
"We include you in our prayers today a fervent plea for peace. We pray that individual and community rights must be balanced by a corresponding responsibility in the exercise of those rights. That is a lesson which has yet to be fully learned and demonstrated in Northern Ireland," Dr. Hegarty said.
He said that as the people of Omagh and Buncrana looked forward, they hoped and prayed for peace, for the healing of wounds and damaged relationships.
"We hope, too, that the perpetrators of the atrocity of last August will soon be apprehended and brought to justice.
"But today, especially, we pray that you, the people of Omagh and the surrounding towns, together with the people of Buncrana and Spain, will receive every blessing, encouragement and support which you so richly deserve."
THE first anniversary of the Omagh bombing was a time of remembering and a time of reflection on so much suffering, but also a time to take a step forward on the long journey of recovery and faith, the Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, Dr. James Mehaffey, said in a service at St. Columba's Parish Church in the town on Sunday.
And he said those who had died needed a worthy memorial in the ending of violence and establishment of lasting peace.
Visitors from other churches in their district joined the parishioners for the service, which was broadcast live on RTE radio.
And churches throughout the town also joined in remembering and reflecting on the events of last August. In many, a special prayer was said for those who died, those who continue to grieve, and those who were injured.
Other services, many of them private ones for relatives and friends of those who died, will take place in the coming weeks.
One of the biggest events of the weekend was a special mass in the Sacred Heart Church on Saturday.
It was addressed by the Bishop of Derry, Dr. Seamus Hegarty, who said that people looked forward to, hoped, and prayed for peace, for the healing of wounds and of damaged relationships.
Bishop Hegarty also said people hoped that the perpetrators of the atrocity would soon be apprehended and brought to justice.
Speaking in St. Columba's, Dr. Mehaffey said the events surrounding the bombing provided a scene of sharp contrasts. They symbolised the worst and the best in human nature, the depths to which human beings could sink, and the heights to which they could aspire in terms of compassion and community support, solidarity and service.
"A year on it is a matter of great importance that no attempt no matter how well-meaning, is made to play down or gloss over the enormity of the evil visited on the unsuspecting people of Omagh that Saturday afternoon," he said.
'Barbarity'
Continued Dr. Mehaffey: "In its cruel barbarity, it was an atrocity without equal during the last 30 troubled years. To record that 29 children, women and men were killed and scores of people were injured can easily become just another statistic. It fails to take account of the countless number of people who have been bereaved, and the many injured in mind and spirit by what they have experienced.
"In addition to the terrible physical scars, many will carry deep mental and emotional wounds for the rest of their lives".
He said that anniversaries could bring painful reminders of hurt and grief, and first anniversaries were particularly difficult.
Said Dr. Mehaffey: "The terrible events of a year ago united the people of Omagh with the people of Buncrana and Spain in a shared suffering and grief.
"Today, a year on, we want to assure all who have suffered and who are struggling to cope with this first anniversary that they and their loved ones are not forgotten. They are very much in our thoughts and our love and prayers reach out to embrace them."
The Omagh bombing should not have happened, Dr. Mehaffey said.
"There can be no justification for such an atrocity, and there can never be any justification now or in the future.
"Those responsible stand condemned. The question is have they and their fellow travellers learnt the lesson that violence is always wrong in trying to bring about political change here in Ireland? I wonder.
"Those who still believe in violence or the threat of violence need not only a political conversion, but a religious conversion which allows the spirit of Christ to change minds and hearts."
He said that, on the first anniversary, many were seeking to find hope and healing. Healing was an experience all needed.
"We have all been hurt, damaged and broken by the events of life. We need to experience the gentle healing touch of Christ," he told the congregation and listeners throughout Ireland.
He went on to say: "May this first anniversary of the Omagh bomb be a time of remembering and of reflection on so much suffering and heartache, but also a time when we take a step forward on the long journey of recovery and of faith.
"As we remember today all who have suffered, we acknowledge that they need a worthy and permanent memorial a memorial not so much of bricks and mortar - but an end to violence and the establishment of lasting peace."
People from all denominations filled the Sacred Heart Church to capacity for an anniversary service on Saturday night.
Bishop Hegarty said that since the bombing, Omagh, and its people, had become well known for their courage, resilience and dignity in the face of disaster.
Recalling the day of the blast, he said that when he visited the town the damage on the street was evident, but what was not known initially was the extent of the deaths and injuries.
"When I heard the news of the bomb, I went first to the hospital, and ended up around midnight and much later in the leisure centre meeting with, comforting and praying with, those hundreds of people who were gathered there still, at that time, awaiting news about their missing loved ones. It was a relief to learn that loved ones were alive, the full extent of their injuries was to be later revealed.
"For the hours and days which followed, the toll of the explosion was counted and we gathered to bury the dead, to comfort the bereaved, to minister to the injured and to try to come to terms with the massacre which occurred."
A year on, those and other thoughts would be going through the minds of many. While those thoughts and memories would reactivate pain and the sense of loss, there was a healing dimension to it, said Dr. Hegarty.
Memories
"All of us have our own memories - memories which we shall never forget. As we recall these events today, we also remember all of the positive things that happened, the way the emergency plan was swung into action, the contribution of the medical and caring professions, the cooperation and sensitivity of the voluntary and statutory bodies, and the outstanding pastoral care and witness of the clergy of all denominatians here in Omagh and in Buncrana.
"But the most outstanding memory we will always have is the way in which you, the people of Omagh and Buncrana and elsewhere, grieved with dignity, rallied around one another, and set about rebuilding your lives and your town with determination and with resolve.
"The result of your response as individuals and as a community will forever be remembered."
The Bishop said that there had been worldwide admiration for the people of Omagh and the dignity, determination and faith shown in the aftermath of the bomb. The response of the community was what people everywhere remembered and admired, he added.
"You who were bereaved, and those of you which have sustained the most horrific injuries, have been, and continue to be, outstanding examples of courage, heroism and determination. We thank and admire you for the inspiration which you have given," Dr. Hegarty said.
While the anniversary was a time to remember the dead and commend them to God, it was also an occasion to salute and commend all of those who, in separate or collective ways, had been responsible for restoring normality to Omagh and to the lives of its people, he said.
"That work was not easy. It is not yet completed. It will take time. You have the worst year past you," he said.
He went on to say the events of August 15 last year came four months after the Good Friday Agreement was signed, and less than two months after the overwhelming ratification of it by the people of Ireland.
However, the opportunity the agreement offered had not been grasped with the resolve and determination that the people of Ireland expected.
"Politically, we have been drifting during the past year. However, the opportunity has not yet been lost. Grasping the opportunity and implementing the agreement in all its aspects are urgent and necessary, and will go a long way in ensuring that there will not be another tragedy like yours.
"We include you in our prayers today a fervent plea for peace. We pray that individual and community rights must be balanced by a corresponding responsibility in the exercise of those rights. That is a lesson which has yet to be fully learned and demonstrated in Northern Ireland," Dr. Hegarty said.
He said that as the people of Omagh and Buncrana looked forward, they hoped and prayed for peace, for the healing of wounds and damaged relationships.
"We hope, too, that the perpetrators of the atrocity of last August will soon be apprehended and brought to justice.
"But today, especially, we pray that you, the people of Omagh and the surrounding towns, together with the people of Buncrana and Spain, will receive every blessing, encouragement and support which you so richly deserve."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0728
Published Date: 19-Aug-99
Related Images
