OLDEST VICTIM LAID TO REST IN BERAGH
Oldest victim laid to rest in Beragh
Pensioner was a woman filled with 'joy, love and prayer'
The Archbishop of Armagh, Sean Brady, has praised the 'wonderful dignity and courage' shown over the last few days by the families of all those bereaved in the weekend atrocity.
Addressing the hundreds of mourners who had assembled in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Beragh yesterday for the funeral of 65-year old Mary Grimes, Archbishop Brady spoke of the 'dreadful horror of violence' which had visited Omagh last Saturday
afternoon.
Mrs Grimes' daughter, Avril Monaghan, and granddaughter, Maura, were laid to rest on Tuesday in Augher.
The Archbishop said that if such a triple family tragedy had occurred due to natural causes or an accident it would already be immensely sad.
"But this is the work of fellow human beings and our hearts are filled, not only with sadness but with anger and outrage. That is was carried out under the pretext of patriotism, adds shame to that outrage and sorrow," said Archbishop Brady.
He told the bereaved families that hundreds of thousands of people were thinking of them during these terrible days.
"Father James (Grimes) has prayed for forgiveness for the people who carried out this terrible atrocity. This prayer is yet another example of the wonderful courage and dignity which the Grimes family and so many other families have shown over these days,' continued the Archbishop.
He stated that it was not easy for mortals like ourselves to offer forgiveness but pointed out that it would be made easier if those responsible for the bombing were to show remorse and indicate a change of heart.
"The efforts made in recent days to offer an explanation show that the bombers realise that something went terribly wrong. They need to go further, much further. They need to realise that their whole campaign is utterly wrong and totally evil and completely devoid of justification.
"How could the murder of baby Maura, of baby Breda Devine, of eight years old Oran Doherty, of nine teenagers, of twelve adult women and of four adult men, all of them innocent victims, be other than something very evil.
'If those responsible will not listen to the voice of the ballot box, let them at least listen to the voice of revulsion, expressed so clearly and so powerfully and so consistently."
He added: "The Omagh bomb has united a community in grief. Let it bring us all together to work to ensure that the hopes of peace are not ruined. Let it unite us all in praying and hoping that the worst atrocity may in fact prove to be the last.
"We must continue to pray and to hope and to work. We do so in the belief that lasting peace is ultimately a divine gift as well as a human task. To do anything else other than to work and to hope and to pray for peace is to yield to despair and to give in to the temptation to believe that such peace is impossible.
That would be the final surrender to those who instil terror and inflict violence," added Archbishop Brady.
Earlier Fr James Grimes had thanked friends and neighbours for the great support they had shown his family over the course of the few days after 'this utterly evil' crime was committed.
Fr Grimes said that the deceased had been a woman filled with 'joy, love and prayer' and he could not begin to speak of the virtues she possessed.
He told mourners that the effect of the bomb had been to bring peace loving people throughout the country together and although the Grimes' were a large family circle with many relatives and friends both at home and abroad, they were still moved by how everyone had rallied to their support at this time.
The priest said that the fact that a busload of people had driven the length of the country to attend the funeral from Mary's birthplace in Cork was evidence of the unique place the deceased had held in the hearts of the folk back in her native county.
Fr Grimes said that he nearly broke down when informed that Mary's husband Mick had written a special poem in her honour to mark his wife's 65th birthday, which fell last Saturday - a date which happened to be the Feast of the Assumption.
"Through faith and prayer, through the example of Mary, a loving wife and mother and parish worker, we must try and continue to make a greater effort to change the hearts of the evil people in society who have so tragically wrecked the lives of innocent families."
Fr Grimes said that life was 'God's precious gift to us all' and had not been created to be blown away through acts of violence and murder.
After Requiem Mass Mrs Grimes was buried in the adjoining cemetery.
Pensioner was a woman filled with 'joy, love and prayer'
The Archbishop of Armagh, Sean Brady, has praised the 'wonderful dignity and courage' shown over the last few days by the families of all those bereaved in the weekend atrocity.
Addressing the hundreds of mourners who had assembled in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Beragh yesterday for the funeral of 65-year old Mary Grimes, Archbishop Brady spoke of the 'dreadful horror of violence' which had visited Omagh last Saturday
afternoon.
Mrs Grimes' daughter, Avril Monaghan, and granddaughter, Maura, were laid to rest on Tuesday in Augher.
The Archbishop said that if such a triple family tragedy had occurred due to natural causes or an accident it would already be immensely sad.
"But this is the work of fellow human beings and our hearts are filled, not only with sadness but with anger and outrage. That is was carried out under the pretext of patriotism, adds shame to that outrage and sorrow," said Archbishop Brady.
He told the bereaved families that hundreds of thousands of people were thinking of them during these terrible days.
"Father James (Grimes) has prayed for forgiveness for the people who carried out this terrible atrocity. This prayer is yet another example of the wonderful courage and dignity which the Grimes family and so many other families have shown over these days,' continued the Archbishop.
He stated that it was not easy for mortals like ourselves to offer forgiveness but pointed out that it would be made easier if those responsible for the bombing were to show remorse and indicate a change of heart.
"The efforts made in recent days to offer an explanation show that the bombers realise that something went terribly wrong. They need to go further, much further. They need to realise that their whole campaign is utterly wrong and totally evil and completely devoid of justification.
"How could the murder of baby Maura, of baby Breda Devine, of eight years old Oran Doherty, of nine teenagers, of twelve adult women and of four adult men, all of them innocent victims, be other than something very evil.
'If those responsible will not listen to the voice of the ballot box, let them at least listen to the voice of revulsion, expressed so clearly and so powerfully and so consistently."
He added: "The Omagh bomb has united a community in grief. Let it bring us all together to work to ensure that the hopes of peace are not ruined. Let it unite us all in praying and hoping that the worst atrocity may in fact prove to be the last.
"We must continue to pray and to hope and to work. We do so in the belief that lasting peace is ultimately a divine gift as well as a human task. To do anything else other than to work and to hope and to pray for peace is to yield to despair and to give in to the temptation to believe that such peace is impossible.
That would be the final surrender to those who instil terror and inflict violence," added Archbishop Brady.
Earlier Fr James Grimes had thanked friends and neighbours for the great support they had shown his family over the course of the few days after 'this utterly evil' crime was committed.
Fr Grimes said that the deceased had been a woman filled with 'joy, love and prayer' and he could not begin to speak of the virtues she possessed.
He told mourners that the effect of the bomb had been to bring peace loving people throughout the country together and although the Grimes' were a large family circle with many relatives and friends both at home and abroad, they were still moved by how everyone had rallied to their support at this time.
The priest said that the fact that a busload of people had driven the length of the country to attend the funeral from Mary's birthplace in Cork was evidence of the unique place the deceased had held in the hearts of the folk back in her native county.
Fr Grimes said that he nearly broke down when informed that Mary's husband Mick had written a special poem in her honour to mark his wife's 65th birthday, which fell last Saturday - a date which happened to be the Feast of the Assumption.
"Through faith and prayer, through the example of Mary, a loving wife and mother and parish worker, we must try and continue to make a greater effort to change the hearts of the evil people in society who have so tragically wrecked the lives of innocent families."
Fr Grimes said that life was 'God's precious gift to us all' and had not been created to be blown away through acts of violence and murder.
After Requiem Mass Mrs Grimes was buried in the adjoining cemetery.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0014
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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