The Requiem Mass of Bishop Edward Daly, who died on Monday, began at 3.30pm this afternoon with a message of condolence from the Holy Father, read by Msgr Amaury Medina Blanco, Apostolic Nuncio in Ireland.
Bishop Edward Daly, who died on Monday, served as Bishop of Derry during the Troubles. He is perhaps best known as the priest photographed on Bloody Sunday waving a bloodstained white handkerchief in a desperate cry for ceasefire as he tried to escort the dying 17-year-old Jackie Duddy to safety.
The Pope paid tribute to Bishop Daly's "generous and dedicated episcopal ministry in the service of peace and justice" and said that he joined those gathered "in prayerful thanksgiving for his life and in commending his soul to the merciful love of God our Father."
The homilist at the Requiem Mass was Bishop Donal McKeown, current Bishop of Derry. Speaking at St Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry, he gave thanks for Bishop Daly’s “enormous courage”, by which he “built healing on the burning sands of war”. He recalled the beatitude “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God”.
“We are all blessed,” Bishop McKeown continued, “because we have seen how love can transform a blood-stained piece of cloth into an unforgettable symbol of divine compassion.”
Bishop McKeown also praised the “resilient faith” of the Northern Irish community. He quoted Phil Coulter’s song ‘The town I loved so well’: “Now the music’s gone but they carry on/For their spirit’s been bruised, never broken/They will not forget but their hearts are set/On tomorrow and peace once again.”
Bishop Daly, he said, “knew that the years of conflict followed upon decades of terrible poverty and discrimination – as well as heroic generosity… He also knew so many people, steeped in the language of faith and of the Cross, who would not let themselves be crushed by the terrible burdens that many of them had to bear. And we still see the legacy of that resilient faith today in a strong sense of community and an ability to face tragedies together.”
On the evening before Bishop Daly’s death, Bishop McKeown said, they had together prayed Blessed John Henry Newman’s ‘Lead Kindly Light’. Bishop Daly had often recited for dying patients in his care at Foyle Hospice, where he was chaplain. Other of Newman’s writings might be applied to Bishop Daly too, Bishop McKeown added: “He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending if I do but keep His commandments.”
But Bishop Daly, he said, would not seek praise for himself; rather, “he would ask that more young people dedicate their lives to his sort of service to God and His people.”
The first reading at the Mass was given by one of Bishop Daly’s sisters, Ms Anne Gibson. She read from Isaiah 25.6-9, in which God promises to “remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, [and] destroy Death forever.” God promises to “wipe away the tears from every cheek” and “take away His people’s shame everywhere on earth.”
Ms. Yvonne Martin, Director of Nursing at Foyle Hospice, gave the second reading. Bishop Daly was chaplain at Foyle Hospice for 22 years, beginning after serious ill health compelled him to retire as Bishop of Derry. Though this period of his ministry attracted far less attention than his high-profile service as Bishop of a politically fraught diocese during the Troubles, the work was very important to him. In 2004 he published a short booklet entitled 'Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled: Thoughts on Ministry to the Terminally Ill', and when he celebrated his last Mass as chaplain earlier this year, patients and their relatives paid warm tribute to his calm and devoted manner.
The reading was taken from St Paul's letter to the Romans, in which the apostle reminds us that since Christ died, rose, and intercedes for us, “Nothing can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked. These are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of Him who loved us.”
The Gospel was John 21:15-9, from which Bishop Daly drew his Episcopal motto, 'Pasce oves meas' ('Feed my sheep'). After Bishop McKeown’s homily, Bishop Daly’s nieces and nephews led the congregation in the bidding prayers. The offertory gifts were brought to the altar by Bishop Daly’s other surviving sister, Ms Marion Ferguson; his housekeeper, Ms Betty Doherty, his housekeeper; and Ms Kay Duddy, sister of Jackie Duddy, the 17-year-old Bloody Sunday victim whom Bishop Daly assisted as he died.
Bishop Daly will be buried in the cathedral grounds, next to his predecessor Bishop Neil Farren. Live coverage of the Requiem Mass is available online at rte.ie/news.
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