Cathal BarryThe widow of a man who was killed while trying to be a “good Samaritan” has spoken of how her faith has sustained her.
Jane Fitzsimons, whose husband Eamon Cronin was tragically knocked down and killed while trying to break up a fight, revealed it was her strong faith that kept her going. “My faith in the Lord is what keeps me going. That’s the thing that has sustained me. I have my comfort in my faith. There is hope in all of this,” she said.
Speaking on Newstalk radio after her husband’s killer, disqualified driver Desmond Collopy, was jailed for six and half years, Mrs Fitzsimons said she was convinced her husband was in Heaven.
Recalling hearing the news of his death for the first time, Mrs Fitzsimons said she remembered thinking that she had to put her “trust” in God.
“I remember thinking to myself, with my faith, I said: ‘Lord, I have to trust you. No matter what I will praise you and I will thank you because I know Eamonn is in Heaven with you because he had his faith’.
“Once you have your faith in God you know where you are going,” she said.
Forgiven
Mrs Fitzsimons also admitted that she had forgiven her husband’s killer and regularly prays that Mr Collopy will choose a better path in life.
“I forgive him – absolutely, totally forgive him – and I feel there’s a bigger picture to this. That’s my faith and I trust in the Lord that there is a bigger picture.
“I try and see him through God’s eyes and when I see him through God’s eyes that gives me compassion. I don’t have any hatred towards him at all. I’ll just keep praying for him that the Lord will lead him on a different path,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mrs Fitzsimons revealed that her late husband had known his killer’s mother and had prayed for Mr Collopy.
“I remember Eamon talking about her and we prayed for her son a few years ago,” she said.