By Róise Collins
A POIGNANT mass held to remember victims of road traffic collisions was held in St Eunan’s Church in Raphoe last week.
The mass was organised by local Parish Priest Fr Eamon Kelly. He was assisted by Fr Willie McMenamin and Fr Dinny McGettigan.
During the special memorial mass the names of over 250 people who died on our roads were read aloud.
“This is an occasion that all of us hoped that we would never be involved in. But much of life is out of our control.
“So we gather to remember all our loved ones and friends who have died as a result of a road traffic accident.
“For some it is a recent tragedy, for others some time has gone since the tragedy. But every death on our roads is a tragedy.
“They went on that journey never thinking that it was their final moments in this life,” said Fr Kelly.
During the homily Fr Kelly shared moving words with those gathered.
“The names on the boards are only their names. Behind ever name is a life, a story of love, a family of belonging and a life cut short on the roads.
“The names on the boards are not the full number of those who have died because of a road traffic accident, there are many more too, many more names that could fill many more boards,” he said.
“The agony for road traffic accidents is massive. But I do not need to tell you that. You live with the sadness every day.
“The empty chair, the song without that voice singing it, still cooking too many carrots, the silent ‘I’ll see you later’, the hoping to wake up for a bad, bad dream.
“The deaths on our roads leave devastation beyond what words can express. The injuries sustained change how one goes about even the ordinary everyday things of life.
“We are not going insane – what we experience is the raw expression of grief, the agony of heart-felt loss,” he added.
Ending his homily, Fr Kelly said, “Preparing for today I looked at many statistics about road traffic accidents. I will quote none of them.
“For our people are not statistics, they are our loved ones, our flesh and blood whose lives on this earth have been drastically shortened.
“We pray for all who have died as a result of a road accident, and we ask that they will be helped by our prayer and will be admitted to the presence of God forever.”
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