Children attend special Masses
As searches continued for the bodies of Honeydew II skipper Ger Bohan and crewman Tomasz Jagla, Sally Jean Bohan, aged 11, and Wojtek Jagla, aged 12, stood side-by-side with their classmates during two preparation Masses at Kinsale’s St John the Baptist parish church — one on Saturday night and another at 10am yesterday.
Sally Jean, a sixth-class student at the town’s St Joseph’s NS, and Wojtek, a sixth-class pupil at St John’s NS, are due to be confirmed in the town on March 5.
Sally Jean’s mother, Mary Bohan, and her other children along with, and Tomasz’s wife, Aneta Jagla, and their daughter, Ola, also attended.
The children sat in the body of the harbour town’s church less than 20 yards from the steps of the altar, on which a shrine to their fathers has been set up.
Two candles — one for each missing man — were placed atop large stands on either side of the shrine. They were lit before every Mass over the weekend.
Photographs of the two men, some taken aboard the Honeydew II, and a photograph of the doomed trawler moored at Kinsale, were also placed on the steps.
Five smaller candles placed among the photographs by the Bohan and Jagla families honour the men missing from the other sunken trawler, the Pere Charles skipper Tom Hennessy, his uncle Pat Hennessy, Pat Coady, Andriy Dyrin and Billy O’Connor.
Kinsale’s parish priest, Canon John K O’Mahony said he was amazed that the Bohan and Jagla families had attended the Confirmation preparation masses, given the tragic circumstances.
He led prayers at 12 noon Mass yesterday for the families of all the missing fishermen, and for all those involved in the searches.
Meanwhile, Ger Bohan’s wife, Mary, has agreed to allow the setting up of a trust fund for her children.
Last week, she had declined to take money from the Kinsale Trawler Tragedy Fund, urging instead that the money go to the Jagla family. But she was persuaded by town’s fishing community to partake in the fund.
Virgil Horgan, chairman of Kinsale Community Council and fund spokesman, said the fund had reached about €18,000 last night.
Meanwhile, Reverend David Williams is organising a special fundraising concert in St Multose’s Church at the end of the month with all proceeds going to the trawler tragedy fund.
