A 34-year-old man who died from Covid-19 was described at his funeral Mass on Wednesday as “a very kind and gentle nurse who was always smiling”.
Solson Saviour died in Wexford General Hospital on Sunday as a result of Covid-19. He had been living in Ireland for six years.
His wife, Bincy, and their three-year-old son, Simeon, were unable to attend the funeral because she is Covid-19 positive.
His funeral was held at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Fatima Church in Rialto, Dublin. It hosts masses for the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an eastern branch of the Catholic Church based in Kerala, India.
The funeral was broadcast online and watched by Mr Saviour’s family in Ireland and India.
Chief concelebrant Fr Clement Padathiparambil recalled Mr Saviour's strong Christian faith and his kindness and consideration towards his patients.
“Let these qualities of Solson help him receive the eternal life of the Lord,” Fr Padathiparambil said. “He will always be smiling in heaven and always praying for us.”
Fr Padathiparambil thanked the staff of Wexford General Hospital who looked after Mr Saviour in his final days.
‘A wonderful nurse’
He was sadly missed by friends and colleagues at the Ros Aoibhinn Nursing Home in Bunclody, Co Wexford, where he worked and at the Gowran Abbey Nursing Home in Co Kilkenny where he worked previously, Fr Padathiparambil said.
The service was conducted mostly in the Malayalam language which is the chief language in Kerala.
Friends and representatives of the Kerala community attended the funeral in Rialto from Carlow and Kilkenny.
Alice Thomas, who worked with Mr Saviour in a nursing home in Terenure, said he was "always a smiling face. I have never seen him under pressure. He was always to help out anyone. He was very pleasant and a wonderful nurse".
