As the search for Madeleine McCann continues, her grandparents came to Knock at the weekend.
HOPING AND PRAYING Brian and Sue Healy, grandparents of Madeleine McCann, at the vigil for their grand-daughter last Friday night in Knock. Pic: Mick McCormack
Praying for a miracle EXCLUSIVE
Michael Commins michaelcommins@mayonews.ie
ONE of the biggest international stories of the past two months, the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine McCann from the seaside village of Praia da Luz in south-west Portugal, came right to the heart of our province on Friday night when her maternal grandparents, Sue and Brian Healy from Liverpool, attended a special vigil at Knock Shrine for her safe return.
On Saturday evening in the home of Breda (nee Jennings) and her husband Kieran Whelton in Knock, Sue Healy (nee Kennedy), grandmother of Madeleine, spoke to The Mayo News about the trauma that her daughter Kate and husband Gerry and all the family are going through since the feared abduction of their child, the huge support the family has received, and the peace and calm she experienced during her visit to Knock.
Sue and Brian and some close friends had travelled over from Liverpool to attend the vigil at the Shrine. And they were very touched by the outpouring of support during their time in the Mayo village.
“We all found it very calming last night. Emotional, because people were so supportive. I was glad that we did it, glad that we came to Knock. I do think that it’s a special place.
“I looked up at one stage at the statue of Our Lady of Knock, which was positioned in front of us at the time, and for all the world it could have been my daughter’s face. The face I was looking at … very very similar features to Kate’s. And strangely enough afterwards, my own family didn’t pick up on it but two people in the congregation came to me afterwards and said Our Lady of Knock looked like your daughter. I just take this as another sign that we are working in the right direction to get Madeleine back.”
On Saturday afternoon, Sue and Brian took some time to stroll in the church grounds and take in the peace and serenity of the place. “It was nice to wander in the grounds. We went over to the cemetery and saw the graves of the witnesses. We remarked on the fact that there were graves with the name Healy on them which isn’t really surprising as Brian’s father was born in Sligo which isn’t very far away. My friend found a grave with Conway on it and that was her maiden name.
“It’s a beautiful place. I actually remarked to someone that if I was going to be buried, it would be a beautiful spot to be buried in. It’s so tranquil. We went into the chapel where the Apparition took place and that was very peaceful. There was a very nice priest saying the afternoon Mass and he acknowledged our presence in the congregation. We were given applause. I was just happy to applaud the people there because they have been so supportive. I know there are so many people praying for us. Prayer is our greatest tool at the moment. I don’t know where we’d be without it really. People have been storming heaven with their prayers for Madeleine.”
Inevitably, Sue’s thoughts drift back to the night of May 3 when she received the phone call from Portugal. “Gerry rang me and said how desperate the situation was. He said it was a disaster. And at first I thought there had been a car accident. And then he said no, and when he told me that Madeleine had been abducted from her bed in the hotel, I just said ‘No’. He said ‘I’m serious, Sue’. He said everyone in the complex was searching for Madeleine. He was really, really upset.
“And shortly after that, I had a phone call from Kate asking me to contact Fr Paul Seddon. He’s a friend of Kate and Gerry’s. Paul married Kate and Gerry and baptised Madeleine and she needed to speak to him.
“So right from the beginning Kate has felt the need for this kind of spiritual support and is depending very much on her faith. The local church in normally locked in Praia da Luz but they actually gave Kate a key so that she could go there at anytime with Gerry to pray. They’ve had tremendous support from the local people there, both the Anglican and the Catholic congregations have been wonderful.”
As she relaxed into reflective mood, Sue reflected on the similarities between her daughter and granddaughter. “They are quite similar in looks. Kate was a quiet child, never liked to be centre of attention, very very gentle. Madeleine is quite exuberant. She’s full of life and probably really relishes being the centre of attention. Lovely little girl, a funny character, too special to just disappear, far too special just not to be with us anymore. But as I say, almost a ‘mini Kate’ to look at. And Kate feels that way too. ‘Mini me’ she calls her. She’s so close to Madeleine, it’s hard to imagine how Kate must be feeling.”
Every now and again, news stories emerge from various sources hinting at some breakthrough in the case. Hopes are raised only to be dashed again. Sue reflects: “It is hard. I mean, you grasp at it because it’s what you want so badly. And sometimes we’ve had phone calls from Kate and Gerry in Portugal to explain that something is going to happen and not to get too excited about it as there’s no actual proof at that stage.
“But I must admit that when the two people were arrested in recent days, I did hope that they knew where Madeleine was. It is disappointing, but with the best will in the world, you wait so long for something and nothing happens and so you grasp on to these things. I think we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t.”
For Sue and the McCann family, the role of the media has, generally, been very positive from the outset. How has a quiet family coped with the glare of the international media limelight? “I think it’s very strange. I think if you’d asked us months ago to even speak on the radio or on the television, none of us would have done that. We wouldn’t have been comfortable doing it. I can get quite nervous at the prospect of even making a speech or something like that. But somehow, something sort of propelled us on.
“The media have been very supportive of us. We needed them and we thank them for all the support we’ve had from them. It was so important to publicise the situation of Madeleine because we don’t know where Madeleine is. We’ve really wanted this publicity. It can be a bit of an ordeal but we’ve just got on and done it as if it was second nature to us because it was, and is, our best means of getting Madeleine back.”
Faith and hope are the things that keep them going, keep them focussed, and keep them on track. For Sue, there is the firm belief that Madeleine is still alive. “I do believe it. I can’t accept that Madeleine would be dead. It doesn’t feel to me that this could be a possibility. I think there are so many people praying for Madeline’s safe return.
“I honestly do believe we will get her back. I hope and pray that we will get her back. It would be very difficult if this turned out to be other than how I feel at the moment. I don’t know how we would cope with that. But at the moment, until we know anything different, we are not considering the fact that somebody may have killed Madeleine. We are just confident that we are going to get Madeleine back and please God we will.
“It would be the biggest party. I don’t know how we’d do it. Certainly, we would bring her here to Knock. That would be so great. Just a wonderful thought that this might happen and please God let this happen.”
