Homily at the funeral mass of Eoghan Dawson.
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00:00There are many rooms in my Father's house and I shall return to take you with me, so
00:07that where I am you may be too. We hear again these comforting words from Jesus, and that
00:14particular passage of Scripture I know is one that Lisa always quotes pretty often.
00:23And these are words of comfort to his disciples then and to us now, to trust in him, come
00:30whatever. Words of comfort and hope to all saddened at the sudden passing from this world
00:38of Owen Dawson.
00:41We gather today, hearts weighed down by the loss of Owen on what would have been his twenty-first
00:49birthday. Birthdays are usually times of joy and celebration, yet today we find ourselves
00:56in the midst of sorrow, remembering a life cut short. Owen was born on this day, twenty-one
01:03years ago at 2.20pm, and after this Requiem Mass here we will lay him to rest around that
01:10same time. A young man, full of life, of energy and kindness. A friend to many, and shared
01:22a special bond with his cousin Cian.
01:26As we gather in grief, we also remember the love, the laughter and the memories that Owen
01:32has brought into our lives. Though we may feel lost and broken today, there is a message
01:38of hope and trust that the Lord speaks to us all, so we can celebrate his birth to eternal
01:45life all too soon. But yes, there lies our hope.
01:51We gather as people of faith in Jesus Christ, that through our baptism in him, we come to
01:56share in the victory he has won for us in the eternity and fullness of life in God.
02:02We pray today with you and for you, Lisa, Connor, Michael, Michelle, aunts and uncles,
02:10cousins, extended family and friends, praying that that reality of the resurrection may
02:16give you consolation and give you hope as we trust in Jesus who has told us, I am the
02:22way, I am the truth, I am the life.
02:27In the first reading we hear of the promise of that eternal banquet, where death is destroyed
02:32and the Lord himself welcomes us into eternal life and peace.
02:38So we gather here now through Jesus in the prayers of this Mass to commend Owen's soul
02:43to the eternal, merciful and compassionate love of the Lord, and also to say thank you
02:50for the gift that he was while with us.
02:55Lisa has gathered some thoughts and reflections from a circle of life and given to me now
03:01and I'm going to reflect on some of those.
03:04A bit like another part in John's Gospel where he says there are many other stories that
03:07were recorded, we'd be here literally all day.
03:12But here's just a few as we reflect on Owen's life with us.
03:17That day 21 years ago was a moment, she says, changed her life forever, of course.
03:23She called them a beautiful sunshine and recalls that they had their ups and downs.
03:28They fought hard and loved harder.
03:31She's reflected that in the past 21 years, Owen has been the inspiration and reason for
03:36all her wishes and is so proud of the young man he became.
03:42Reflections from his gym coach, Ciarán, that Owen just loved the gym and was always updating
03:48him on his pump work and was so thankful for the time and effort that was given to him.
03:55Coach Fitness will definitely miss him as he was part of the furniture there, growing
04:00from a shy boy to a confident man, but will officially be remembered as the first person
04:06to tell the staff not to sell him the pre-workout again.
04:12The coffee cup reminds us that Owen was wired to the moon when on that caffeine.
04:18The five a day took on a new meaning, as I said.
04:22And those that emerge have opened their doors, reaching out to all his friends and extend
04:26that invitation to you to come for a chat, to remember or indeed to work it off, to train.
04:35His training buddy, Gary, talks of Owen like a wee brother, a character, always having
04:39a laugh and was glad of the opportunity to have known him.
04:44Luke McCallion, LMC Media, recalls Owen as a one of a kind and an integral part of the
04:50team.
04:51It won't be the same without you, Dossie.
04:56He was his granny's honey bunny.
04:59He called his auntie Fiona, Cian's mum, Nah, because from no age he couldn't say the Fio
05:05part and that stuck.
05:08And loved when Cian called him Owa.
05:12Owen was always a prankster and up for the crack.
05:17His mum told me that although a six-footer, he would squeal if he saw a mouse and wouldn't
05:22let his mum wait until the morning to get the traps.
05:25In true Owen style, he brings in the dog and wonders why, as he tells him to seek, that
05:31the dog does nothing.
05:33His mum letting him know that it was the cat he needed and not Charlie, Cocker Spaniel.
05:40He had a great bond with Granda Michael.
05:43As young as three years old, there is a photo of him hiding in the clothes, in the clothes
05:49horse, saying to his mum, shh, mammy, Granda won't see me, I'm clothes.
05:58His friends and family have over this week passed reflected on many stories like that
06:04and many things that were Owen.
06:08The rambles, the sillinesses and the bragging, the videos and the pictures.
06:16Owen loved the water, a true water baby.
06:20Even from a young age, he hated being taken out of the bath of the swimming pool.
06:25And his favourite spot was the Mallinhead Pier.
06:29He loved watching the powerful waves crashing against the rocks.
06:35He once met his favourite childhood author, David Lundy, and he got him to sign all the
06:41books he had collected.
06:42You're only supposed to get one sign, but of course he had them all.
06:45And when they met, it was like they knew each other for life.
06:50Owen had a genuine interest in everyone he met.
06:56If you had a historical story, or just a story of you, he was all ears.
07:02He wanted to know all about it.
07:04He was quick on the pick up, intelligent.
07:07Once shown something, he knew how to do it.
07:11Owen was intending to go back to college next September to pursue a career as an electrician,
07:19furthering the experience he had while attending St. Colm's.
07:24His mum recalls him, though, putting those skills in their infancy to test by changing
07:30a dimmer switch to an ordinary switch.
07:33It was a good job, but it was upside down.
07:37The light was on, it was off, and when it was off, it was on.
07:43As I said, there are many, many, many other stories that we could flood this time with
07:48today, but those give us a flavour of the man we remember.
07:53He's our fluid mains we have before us, and we know his soul makes that journey on
07:58into eternity, all too soon from us.
08:02What might have been will now not be.
08:05The tragic events of Saturday night week, as he and Cian were returning from his beloved
08:10Mallinhead pier, have changed all that.
08:15As we say our final goodbyes to Owen here today, let us carry with us the hope that
08:21although he and Cian are no longer with us in this life, their spirits continue to live
08:26on in our hearts and memories.
08:30Owen's life, though brief, was filled with love, with connection, and a generosity that
08:36will live in cherished memories beyond his passing.
08:42In the midst of our sorrow, we find a glimmer of hope, knowing that Owen's life ending
08:48has brought new life to others.
08:53Sitting just on the step of the sanctuary, in front of his picture on the table, is the
08:58memory picture from the organ donation crew, as we said, an imprint of his hand, a lock
09:06of his hair, and his heart trace.
09:12Through organ donation, he has given the gift of life to five recipients, and his lungs
09:17have also been donated for research.
09:21On this day, which should have been a celebration here present of Owen's 21st birthday, we still
09:28celebrate it.
09:29We honour his memory by cherishing the relationships that we have had, by supporting one another
09:36in our grief, and by living in a way that reflects the kindness, generosity, and spirit
09:42that Owen was in life.
09:45His legacy is not only in the memories we hold, but also in the lives he has saved.
09:54Though the pain of losing him is deep, may the love that surrounds us today remind us
10:01that even in the darkest times, hope and light can still be found through Jesus our Saviour,
10:10to whom we entrust Owen.
10:14May your good deeds go with you into that fullness of life in God.
10:21Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
10:24Let perpetual light shine upon him.
10:26May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest
10:32in peace.
10:33Amen.