Mags GarganThe parish priest of a young lay missionary tragically killed in a car accident in Liberia last week, has said her family’s faith is sustaining them in their grief.
Mary Ann O’Driscoll from Glasnevin, Dublin died when she was struck by a car in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, last Wednesday. The 24-year-old was working as Director of the Liberia Mission for the Franciscan Works, an American lay missionary organisation.
“It has been a shock for the family and for the parish,” Fr Richard Sheehy told The Irish Catholic. “She was a positive, generous-hearted young woman who wanted to make a difference. Her faith was a strong motivational force in her life and most people in the parish knew her. Her death is a big loss.”
Fr Sheehy said the parish is rallying in support of the family. “The remarkablething about the family is that their faith is inspiring in spite of this awful tragedy and their faith is keeping them strong,” he said.
A statement from the Franciscan Works said “At the core of Mary Ann’s motives was a pure desire to serve God, and she did so with radiant joy”.
“Mary Ann was a vibrant woman with an infectious, saintly faith. At the young age of 24, she courageously served God and his people with a whole and diligent heart, never ceasing to seek and do God’s will.”
The Pro Life Campaign, with whom Mary Ann volunteered during her holidays in Ireland, said she was a “very special person from an inspiring and exemplary family”. “She was always interested in the people she met and always selfless in reaching out to others”.
Her friend Kathryn Freney told The Irish Catholic Mary Ann “had a real gift of gentleness, and seeing people in a way that many of us do not. She was raised in a Catholic home and she grew up surrounded by her faith and knowing God. She was a girl full of joy for life, full of love and kindness, incredibly generous of her time and talents”.
