Celebrant: Very Reverend Gerald Powell P.P.

On behalf of Harry’s family I welcome you to this funeral Mass today.

We all come here to remember Harry to give thanks, even in our grief, for his life, to offer each other, and especially all those who will most miss him, the consolation of our love and our presence with you today; and to offer also the promise of eternal life.

Our consolation will be the happy memories we have of HARRY; our sadness is that he has gone from us.

Our sure Christian hope is that the Lord our God will welcome him home and that one day we will be united together in heaven. In the depth of our loss and hope we now pray and offer this Eucharist for HARRY.

We come to God, knowing we need his mercy and forgiveness, and so in preparing to celebrate the Mass we call to mind our sins.

Lord, you suffered and died in our name. Lord have mercy.

Lord, your heart was moved with compassion for the sick and the bereaved. Christ have mercy.

Lord you suffer with your people at the right hand of the Father. Lord have mercy.

And may almighty God, have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to life everlasting.

Let us pray:

Almighty God and Father of all, you strengthen us by the mystery of the cross and with the sacrament of your Son’s resurrection. We pray for HARRY, grant him peace. Welcome him to the eternal joy of the kingdom and give us all new hope in our sorrow that one day we shall all be with you and with each other in your home where every tear will be wiped away. Grant, this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Harry was born 16^th July 1942 and was one of 8 children. He was born in Castle Hill and attended St. John’s Primary School. Leaving school at the age of 14, Harry’s first job was, like the majority of people in those days, with Gilford Mill. After leaving the mill, he worked for a period on a coal lorry and in Moy Park before returning to the Mill on the evening shift.  In his younger days, Harry loved to hunt and shoot. In 1985, his mother’s death has a devastating effect on Harry and, while he continued to live in the family home on Whinny Hill for a short time, he eventually moved to Legion Court in Banbridge. Ill health played a major part in Harry’s life and a diagnosis of diabetes was to plague him for this rest of his life. Losing both legs to the dreadful disease, Harry spent 10 years In Donacloney Nursing Home until its closure when he moved to Seapatrick Care Home. Harry loved his jigsaws and crosswords and they helped to pass the time and take his mind of his dreadful suffering. His time in Seapatrick Care Home was short-lived as his condition took yet another downward spiral and he was moved to Craigavon Hospital before eventually passing away on Saturday morning in Daisy Hill Hospital.

In the past two years the family had been called to the hospital three times to say their “goodbyes” to Harry prompting the staff in the hospital to call him “Lazarus”

 So we give thanks to God for his life and it is with confidence that we pray to the same God to give him eternal rest after all his suffering.

Today then we bid farewell to Harry. Despite your sense of loss, you will face the future with courage and hope, knowing that that is what Harry would want you to do. We comfort one another in the sure confidence that for Harry life has changed, not ended. We also derive comfort from the conviction that he is at peace with God after all his suffering.

But if we are sad today, there is also much to be thankful for. We are grateful for the life he did have, grateful for all the joy he brought into our lives. For you his loving family there’s the comfort of knowing that you were able to show Harry throughout his life how much you all loved him and appreciated him. You knew that time was precious in recent times. All that you could have done for him, you did. There are no regrets.

It is only to God we can turn at this time to try to find some meaning, some consolation; some hope in the situation we find ourselves in. Prayer will bring us through this time.

All of us gathered here today we just want to say how sorry we are for your great loss – to Harry’s family Mary, Jim and Bill, sister in law Sheila, nephews, nieces and very large extended family you are all in our prayers and we extend to you our deepest sympathy - May his gentle soul rest in peace.