Tributes paid to ‘kind’ Catherine

Tributes paid to ‘kind’ Catherine

30 March 2016

CATHERINE Kenny has been remembered for her “kindness” at her funeral mass at St Patrick’s Church in Downpatrick.

Crowds of mourners gathered in memory of 32 year-old Catherine, who had been homeless for 11 months, heard that she was a “beautiful person” who struggled with her demons.

Catherine, a mother of one, was the fifth homeless person to die in Belfast this year. She died in the same shop doorway as her partner, William Coulter, who passed away last month.

Addressing mourners on Wednesday morning, Fr John Murray said Catherine’s death was “sad and lonely in 

human terms” but said that despite her struggles she “always knew that she was surrounded by love.”

“She struggled with her own particular demons, but what came across was her own kindness,” he said.

“That seed of kindness was always there no matter how difficult her circumstances.”

During the service, Catherine’s sister Lee-Maria Hughes read a poignant poem by her husband Darren, written from Catherine’s perspective, which was met with applause from the congregation.

Earlier in the week, Ms Hughes, who continued to visit Catherine when she was homeless, had spoken publicly about the devastating impact of drugs on her younger sister’s life.

She said the family had endured a long battle with Catherine over her addiction to drink and drugs which her sister, who was former pupil of St Colmcille’s Primary School and St Mary’s High School in Downpatrick, had first begun to experiment with as a teenager.

Starting out at 16 with “stupid pills and then a few smokes of cannabis”, Lee-Maria said drugs eventually gripped her little sister “with a vengeance.”

“It took hold of her and we knew. We heard it in her voice,” she said.

“We saw her every day but she went downhill.

“It took a hold very quickly. It seemed to have moved from somebody who seemed to have taken too much drink, who would have been a regular drinker, to moving up the scale of what she was drinking.

“Catherine got to a dark place and unfortunately tried many times to get back on the path but was never able.”

Following Catherine’s death the local homeless organisation FAITH, which helped Catherine during her time on the streets of Belfast, has vowed to continue to raise money and awareness for the homeless community.

Catherine is survived by her son, her brother David and sisters Paula and Lee-Maria.