UH/0019

Heartrending scenes as first bombs are laid to rest
CONGREGATION HEARS CALL FOR PRAYERS OF FORGIVENESS

MOURNERS at the first funeral of the 28 Omagh bomb victims heard a priest make a passionate plea for prayers of forgiveness to be offered for the perpetrators of Saturday's "most awful act of murder".
Fr James Grimes, the main celebrant of the con-celebrated funeral Mass in Augher of his pregnant niece, Mrs Avril Monaghan (30), and her little "angel", Maura, aged 18 months, was joined by the Bishop of Clogher, Most Rev Dr Joseph Duffy in extending his sympathy to the two families in deep mourning. He said it was a heartbreak which was felt throughout the whole world.
Bishop Duffy said "we are bereaved as a nation" as once again we "face insanity, perverse insanity".
Such evil and violence is the "enemy of peace and must be exorcised" - taken out by the roots once and for all", said the Bishop.
As the coffins were placed at the foot of the Altar, heartbroken mourners were conscious there should have been two other little white coffins. Coffins for the Monaghan's twins, who should have been born in a few weeks time, but were also murdered in the bomb.
Parish Priest, Fr Lawrence Dawson told mourners that "the twins were very much part of the ceremony".
The congregation, both Protestant and Catholic heard their sadness and grief was joined with so many other people bereaved or injured in the same terrible bombing.
During the emotional con-celebrated ceremony, celebrated in the 150 year old St Macartan Church, located in the beautiful Clogher Valley, prayers were also offered for the other families affected by the tragedy. A cousin of the deceased, Fr Sean McCartan was one of the five concelebrants.
It was one of the largest and saddest celebrations of life and death every held in the solid old Church, built before the famine.
St Macartan's became a place of deep uncontrollable sorrow on Tuesday as tears flowed for the Grimes and Monaghan families devastated by the bomb.
Political figures from Omagh and Dungannon Council were among those present at the funeral. There was also a large representation from all sections of the clergy and from the legal and other professions.
Hundreds of people had to stand outside the packed Church where the Mass was relayed by speakers.
Farmers had opened up their fields to offer parking facilities for the hundreds of mourners. Every road leading up to the hill top Church was lined with vehicles as mourners left their cars and made the last stages of their sorrowful journey on foot.
Mrs Monaghan's mother, Mary Grimes, was buried the next day in Beragh when three generations of the one family where finally laid to rest..
Michael Monaghan, from a well-known local family in Augher and a former GFC footballer, had to endure a painful wait into the early hours of Sunday morning before the confirmation of the terrible news was finally received.
The large attendances at the return home of the funeral cortege from Omagh on Monday night and at the sad wake was some comfort to the shattered family.
There were further heartbreaking scenes on Tuesday morning as the grieving husband, Michael, protectively carrying his little son Michael in his arms, lead his remaining two daughters into an overflowing Church. They slowly walked behind their mother's coffin and the white coffin of their baby sister's - which were carried by close family members into St Macartan's.
It was a heart rendering sight and as the cortege passed there was not one dry eye in the stunned congregation - both inside and outside the Church.
Upwards on a thousand mourners from this close knit community, and much further afield, joined in the prayers - that the healing process would begin for the families.
They also remembered and prayed for Mrs Monaghan's unborn twins and for her beautiful family of two daughters, and a son, all under the age of six, which she leaves behind.
Parish Priest, Fr Dawson said the county and the country had become one parish - united in grief, sympathy and solidarity with the Monaghan and Grimes Families.
The tragedy, he said, took place on the Feast of The Assumption and recalled Avril being present and joining in the Mass in St Macartan's last Saturday morning.
"Since that it as been a time of grief and waiting and hoping, allied with great qualities of prayer, support and help from so many people" revealed the Parish Priest.
"I welcome all the people from all denominations, especially the people of the Parish who have been wonderful over the last weekend and especially welcome the members of the Grimes and Monaghan families
"I know this morning there is no hatred or bitterness in your hearts, but certainly hurt and grief and so we begin the healing process in our lives to give a favourable judgement to Avril as she takes her little angel with her to heaven and her mother who will be buried tomorrow, and to all the other people killed in this tragedy" said Fr Dawson.
Member of both families participated during the Mass in the Readings, the Prayers of the Faithful and carrying the Offertory Gifts to the Altar.
Pure white flower arrangements adorned the Church and its sombre tranquillity was enhanced by the magnificent singing of the church choir.
During the moving ceremony, Fr Grimes, PP, Whiterock, Co Armagh, referred to the terrible explosion in Omagh which had shattered not only "our families but many other families throughout the country, for reasons we can't explain."
And he also alluded to today's disposable society.
"I read somewhere recently that we live in a world of disposal things -cups, and saucers, knives and forks, serviette and nappies, you name it, we have got them all nowadays. But there are those in our society today who seem to have come to the conviction that the very life that God has given us all is also disposable. There are those who put no regard for sanctity, the sacredness, the holiness of human life and those people are responsible for us being here today and for the grief and the sorrow and the heartbreak they have caused, not only to the hundreds of people closely collected around us and throughout the whole world."
He slid they had received messages of sympathy and support from all quarters which they appreciated.
"We say to you today God did not make human life disposable. It is not like a plastic cup or disposable nappy - life is a gift, a very special gift and one that we all cherish".
He then spoke about the faith of his niece, Avril,
"That was a deep founded faith, a faith handed onto her from a wonderful father and mother.
"That faith was strong and that faith always showed in the smile and the happiness, the care and the love of Avril who went about often slapping her bare feet looking after the children, cooking and cleaning and consoling and comforting, like any human person, living the life that God give her for others; giving, giving all the time and never asking.
"I never heard a complaint from her. She accepted all that God sent her with a great love, patience and endurance. I have no doubt that, today, that she and Maura and Mary, her mother, have already joined the fast crowd in the ever lasting joy and happiness of heaven. That is the goal we all are reaching for when we will all be reunited with her and with all those we have loved and lived with here on earth".
And to those who caused the deaths of Avril, Maura and Mary and all the others, he emotionally pleaded for them to listen to the words of God's son.
"He told us that no murderer will enter his kingdom, he had told us that is mine and I will repay. He taught to avoid hateful and vengeful thoughts. We try to forgive and that is not easy.
"But surely we can see in the image of his crucified body, the pain and suffering that he endured and that Mary, his mother, endured at the foot of the cross and the words of comforting to some and forgiving to others.
"Father, he said, forgive them for they know not what they do.
"I think we, difficult though it is, must try to do likewise. We must try and pray for forgiveness for those who caused that most awful act of murder in Omagh and ask the Lord to forgive those men.
"We are only a few families in what has been a long, long list of terrible murders and destruction" he said.
Concluding his Homily, he commented "Avril, Maura and Mary, you are today with that Lord that we love and serve. Look down upon us and help us to bear the loss of your presence amongst us".
During the Requiem Mass Fr Dawson said on behalf of the parish, Fr Peter O'Reilly CC and himself would like to be associated with Fr Grimes remarks about Avril .
"Let not the manner of her death obscure the purpose and focus of her whole lie. She was a loving wife and daughter and she goes to God with full hands with Maura and her two unborn children and we cannot forget them. They are very much part of this morning's ceremony. She was a caring mother and always with her children" said Fr. Dawson.
He also spoke of life being hard at time and said "Michael has a particularly hard cross to carry".
He thanked everyone for taking part in the Mass, the choir, organist, readers and the Media "who carried this message sensitively beyond the walls of this Church and offered hope and consolation to those who are suffering with us this morning".
He also extended his thanks to the RUC for traffic arrangements, and to the nurses and doctors.
He hoped the weekend events could be a "watershed" not only in their lives but in the lives of all as they prepared to say farewell to their loved ones.
"Let us remember that nothing that we have loved will ever be lost."
In his closing remarks Bishop Duffy, who presided during the ceremony, said it was difficult to find the right words to say as he expressed his support and deepest sympathy to Michael and his family.
"When all is said and done all we have to fall back on, on an occasion like this, is our faith in the goodness of God that loves us in and through all the suffering that comes our way. Suffering that we don't understand - a picture that we only see a little part of but we trust there is a bigger picture and that one day we will see it.
"We are also so conscious this morning that our sadness and grief here in Clogher is joined with so many other people bereaved or injured in the same terrible bombing. We are betrayed as a nation, as a country, north and south, Protestant and Catholic. Indeed to an extent we feel betrayed that those Spanish people who trusted in our warmth and hospitality have had their trust so cruelly abused.
"We must, all of us, once again face the insanity, perverse insanity, the deep-rooted, deep seated nature of the evil that has caused all this suffering and pain."
Continuing the Bishop said "It has to be said, again and again, violence of any kind is the enemy of peace and we must together exorcise it - take it out by the roots once and for all.
"Our whole future depends on this and this is a Christian response, a determination to resist every work and action, direct and indirectly, which in anyway condones or excuses the terrible things that happen" added the Bishop.
The coffins of Avril and Maura were then taken to the adjoining graveyard for burial. Following behind was her broken husband -with little Michael fast asleep in his arms. His daughters walking behind were comforted by their only grandmother now, Mrs Monaghan.
That was a picture which will remain in the hearts of many.
One mourner summed it all up when he angrily said "It's a pity they could not see these heart rendering and pathetic scenes.

Publisher: ULSTER HERALD

Ref: UH/0019

Published Date: 20-Aug-98