Mass marks first anniversary of Christine Buckley’s death

A Mass took place in Dublin’s Pro Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon to mark the first anniversary of the death of institutional abuse campaigner Christine Buckley (67).

It was celebrated, in the absence of the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, who is away, by Canon Damian O’Reilly, administrator at the cathedral.

He said that “in celebrating our Mass today we remember with love and affection Christine Buckley whom the Lord has called to himself”. All her life she did “what was right, what was just. Doing so with great courage and with strength and to care for those, particularly those who had suffered institutional abuse in their lives, both remembering those who have died and remembering those who are living today”, he said.

In “her courage, her strength and conviction to do at all times what was right” she was “just living out the gospel,” he said. What she achieved “continues now in the great work of the Aislinn Educational and Support Centre (on Dublin’s Jervis St) and the great love and support of her beloved family, Donal, Darragh, Conor, Cliodhna, to Carmel her friend and to all you her family and friends who have gathered today to celebrate . . . to honour the work of one who did what was right and just and continues to be right to this very day, in caring for those who are most vulnerable in our community,” he said.

Large attendance

He continued that “inspired by the example of Christine, and all those who stood firm in doing what is right, may we too recognise the opportunities in life, every day of our lives, to demonstrate your [God’s] love and generosity”.

The large attendance included Ms Buckley’s family, her husband Donal and children Cliodhna, Darragh, and Conor, her good friend and co-founder of the Aislinn Centre Carmel McDonnell Byrne, as well as a large number of people who use the Centre.

There too was Senator Jillian von Turnhout, Fergus Finlay of Bernardos, Deirdre Kenny of the One in Four group and Ellen Dunlop-O’Malley of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

Last December at UCD Christine Buckley was awarded, posthumously, her honours higher diploma in arts. It followed her success in securing first-class honours in Greek and Roman studies at the university. The diploma was accepted on his mother’s behalf by her son Darragh. In December 2012 she was conferred with an honorary doctorate in laws by Trinity College Dublin.