A why without answer was how the stunned bishop of Killala described
the tragic death of Fr Muredach Tuffy, whose funeral took place
last Friday. In a thronged church, Bishop John Fleming’s “Why’s” rang out.
“Why? Why did someone as gifted and as young as Muredach only see darkness on Monday last and decide that he could travel no further on life's journey? Why did he not share whatever anxiety filled his mind with someone? Why? Why?” asked Bishop Fleming.
“And as these days pass, we come, without an answer, to the realisation that we have to consign our questions to the realm of mystery, the divine mystery in which God lives, in which we believe Muredach now shares God’s life and in which we must ultimately leave all our unanswered questions,” he told the congregation at the 10:30am funeral Mass at St Joseph’s Church, Castleconnor in Mayo
"This was the church where Fr Muredach was baptised, received his first communion, the sacrament of Holy Orders, and where he celebrated his first Mass.
It was also the place where he received, “the forgiveness of God for the first time in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.”
“And as we gather here this morning, we pray that the reconciliation which he received here, which was so important to him as a Christian and which he exercised so conscientiously as a priest, will now be extended to him once more by the God who loves him, so that he will experience forever the peace of Christ, which is beyond all telling,” said Bishop Fleming, who said that he and all Muredach’s family, friends and fellow priests are, “devastated” in their grief.
Fr Muredach Tuffy was ordained in 1999. In 2003 he was appointed executive director of the Newman institute in Ballina. In recent years, he had worked promoting vocations for the diocese of Killala, and at a national level, as well as with Accord in the area of marriage preparation.
He was also diocesan director of pastoral renewal and adult faith development, a member of the diocesan liturgy and music commission, and communications officer.
“People and projects energised him. Availability was his second name,” said Bishop Fleming, but added on a more sobering note. “If he had a fault it was his inability to say no; no to so many people who came to him with requests and good ideas, and no to me, as his bishop, when, regretfully, I did the same.”
Fr Tuffy had epitomised the beatitudes, he said. He was poor in spirit, gentle, full of compassion for people who were in mourning, merciful, pure of heart and a peacemaker.
But, “Christ never promised that life would be easy for those who based their lives on the charter of the Beatitudes,” said Bishop Fleming. “The three words he used towards the end of his reflection are strong and hard by any standard; you will receive abuse, you will be persecuted and all kinds of calumny will be spoken against you on my account.”
“The hard lesson of being a Christian, and in particular of being a priest in today’s world, is that suffering always walks side by side with peace, and the Cross is always linked with the promise of the Resurrection,” he added.
Bishop Fleming said the manner of Fr Tuffy’s passing would cast, “a long shadow over many lives for many years to come,” but should not be allowed to define his life or darken the, “outstanding service given as a priest in this diocese.”
He concluded, “And while we are almost submerged by sadness on this day, we remember and apply to him the last words of Christ in the Beatitudes; rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven.”