Funeral to take place of 12-year-old schoolboy killed in Limerick road collision
MANY, many tears have been shed since the tragic collision which claimed the life of young Wiktor Chojecki in the early hours of last Friday morning, an incident which has shocked and moved the heart of the nation and which has left his heartbroken family, friends and community in deep mourning and distress.
But more tears can be expected when the 12-year-old is laid to rest in his hometown of Newcastle West this Thursday.
Wiktor died when the car he was driving collided with a delivery truck outside Adare shortly before 2am last Friday. He was alone in the car at the time and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Now, his Polish-born parents, Ewa and Bartosc, and their daughter, are preparing to bury their boy in the town they have made their home. Canon Frank Duhig and Polish Chaplain Fr Krystof Tyburowski will lead the concelebrated Requiem Mass in English in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Newcastle West at 11.30am this Thursday.
But the readings will be in English and Polish and the sermon will be delivered, mostly in Polish, by Fr Tyburowski. He will, he told the Limerick Leader, speak about the value of life and the terrible sadness of burying a child.
Since Wiktor’s tragic death, Scoil Mhuire agus Ide in Newcastle West, where Wiktor was a first-year student, has been dealing with the shock, deep sadness and distress which have resulted.
Once the news broke on Friday morning, the school’s critical incident management plan swung into place, offering support to students and staff. Anyone needing extra support was given individual attention, according to school principal Seán Lane, and the school also liaised with parents. That support has continued and will continue, he added.
He described Wiktor as a very pleasant, very friendly lad who was always chatting with canteen staff. “He had settled in well to the school,” he said. “We were just getting to know him.”
The school has been liaising with Wiktor’s parents about Thursday’s funeral. “We will be having our own religious ceremony at school in the morning,” Mr Lane said.The school will remain open but students who wish to attend the Mass will be able to do so. The school choir will sing during the Mass.
Wiktor, who was born in Ireland, will be buried afterwards in Calvary Cemetery, just a few hundred metres up the road from Gaelscoil O’Doghair where he was a pupil up to last September.
Up to 1,000 people, including hundreds of young people and children, gathered in The Square, Newcastle Weston Sunday afternoon to show solidarity with the Chojecki family in their terrible grief and loss and dozens of brightly coloured balloons were released in his memory.
Meanwhile, gardai in Newcastle West are still trying to piece together the events that led up to last Friday’s tragedy. They are understood to be examining Wiktor’s phone, which was retrieved from the scene, but have also appealed to any drivers in the area at the time to come forward.
Anybody with any information should contact them at 069-20650 or any garda station.