Hundreds of people gathered at St Patrick's Church in Wicklow town yesterday morning for a final farewell to Jonathan Kelly, the 12-year-old stabbed to death last week.
Father Aengus McGrane centred the Mass on St Matthew's Gospel, "Let the little children come to me and do not stop them". He said that although the words were written 2000 years ago, "they were written for you, Eddie and Breda, Jonathan's parents, and for his brothers and sisters and for all of us".
Referring to the tragedy, which has shocked Wicklow, Father McGrane said everyone had been "trying to make sense of an aspect of human life which is just too difficult to understand. No one here today will comprehend this side of the grave the events of the last few days."
Referring to Jonathan's favourite song, Against the Odds sung by Westlife, which had been played as Jonathan's remains were received into the church on Sunday night, Father McGrane said that the words, "How can I expect to walk away, just let you leave without a trace?" seemed to remind us of how Jonathan at just 12 years of age "seemed to vanish".
"But", he said, "we haven't just let Jonathan walk away and leave without a trace, as the song says, our hearts and minds are filled with him as we send him home into the warm embrace of a caring and compassionate God."
The National School in Wicklow was closed for the day and children wept as their school friend was brought on his final journey.
As the ceremony ended, a poem composed for Jonathan by his aunt was read: "Gone but not forgotten, Jonathan our loving son; Gone but not forgotten, Jonathan our brother. In our hearts you have been since birth, there you will be forever, loved now and always, until we meet again."
He was buried in Rathnew Cemetery.