'At a time like this a parish community becomes a family' - priest delivers homily for Nicole Murphy

Hundreds listened outside St John the Baptist Church as the homily for Nicole Murphy was preached by the Parish Priest of Kilsheelan/Kilcash. 

Father Brian Power delivered the homily at the funeral of the 18-year-old student who tragically died in a collision in Clonmel along with three other young people. 

Nicole, affectionately known as Nikki to friends and family, was baptised at St John the Baptist, and completed her first Holy Communion and Confirmation at the church as well. 

Father Power said, "Today we have gathered in prayer to offer this Requiem Mass for Nikki.
 
"We are here also for her family, to offer our support by our presence and our prayers. Serena, Declan, Zoe, Ryan, Eileen, Margaret and John, her aunt and uncles and cousins were blessed by the life of Nikki.
 
"Just as Nikki was blessed by being born into a loving family, so her family were blessed by her life. Nikki was a gift to you her family and you were a gift to her." 
 
"The presence of the young people here: Nikki’s friends, her classmates and neighbours, is a testament and tribute to the wonderful person that she was, and the great love and esteem that so many had for her." 

He asked for prayers to be with the McSweeney and Coffey families, who are also mourning the deaths of Nicole's friends, Zoey Coffey, Grace McSweeney and Luke McSweeney. 

He said, "We are also conscious of another family in Cashel who are facing the same grief and pain that you have endured these last few days.
 
"The question we instinctively ask ourselves is: ‘Why did it happen?’  and we ask ourselves this over and over again.  We can never fully explain this and the reasons are never clear.  
 
"Our faith doesn’t promise to stop bad thing from happening, but, rather, that God will be with us, as we live through His love.
 
"Our faith tells us that God loves each of us so much that He wants to be with us.  God became man to go through the good time and awful times with us.  Jesus died and rose again so that we might share in eternal life with Him.  
 
"The first place that we learn about God’s love is from our families.  Nikki was a caring, kind, loving person.  This was something that she learned from her mum and dad, and this was reflected in the vocation of midwife that she wished to pursue, to help bring new life into the world and to care for the mom and baby.
 
"Yesterday, Bishop Alphonsus prayed Psalm 23 with the family the final verse of it came home to me in a way that hadn’t struck me before:‘Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of our life; In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.’
 
"Our prayer and our belief is that Nikki is now in the Lord’s own house.
 
"At a time like this a parish community becomes a family, as we put aside our own concerns to help Nikki’s family.  In this way we turn to the consoling embrace of our Heavenly Father.
 
"Nikki was a young person of faith, whose faith was important to her.  A Loreto girl, a school that is imbued with the spirituality of Mary Ward and Mary Teresa Ball: two strong women of faith, conviction, love and concern for others.
 
"Nikki had a great ability to make new friends.
 
"Her final resting place is a special space not among strangers, but among friends.
 
"At a time like this we believe God’s love surrounds us from the time we are born to the time we die.  But it doesn’t end there, because in death we are reborn to eternal life with God the Father.
 
"Serena and Declan have experienced a great sense of peace since they brought Nikki home, this has been a great gift from Nikki, which we value and appreciate very much.
 
"May you continue to feel Nikki’s love and her prayers as she watches over you in a special way.
 
"Our prayer is that Nikki now rests in the warm loving embrace of our Heavenly Father. Amen."