BALTIMORE – Hundreds of friends and family gathered at the
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore May 8 to celebrate
the life of Yeardley Love, a senior lacrosse player at the
University of Virginia and a 2006 graduate of Notre Dame
Preparatory School in Towson.
Love was found dead May 3 in her off-campus apartment, the
victim of what police called an apparent homicide.
Fellow teammates from the University of Virginia were among
the many mourners who attended the 22-year-old senior’s
funeral, as were Notre Dame Prep students who wore their
blue-and-white school uniforms and saddle shoes.
At the family’s request, media were not permitted to enter
the cathedral, still adorned with black bunting from the
recent death of retired Baltimore Archbishop William D.
Borders, for the nearly two-hour liturgy. Father Joseph
Breighner provided a copy of his homily to The Catholic
Review, Baltimore archdiocesan newspaper.
“Two thousand years ago,” Father Breighner said, “a young
Jewish rabbi named Jesus died a senseless, violent death. All
he did and preached was about love. This week a young woman
died a senseless, violent death. Her name was Love and love
is what her life is all about.”
Father Breighner noted that Love’s sister, Lexi, told him
that Love always put other people first.
“She never made fun of anyone,” he said. “She always wanted
others to feel good.”
Love’s family and friends can honor her life by living their
best lives, he said.
“In memory of Yeardley, make the better choices from now on,”
the priest said. “Choose kindness instead of cruelty. Choose
forgiveness instead of vengeance. Choose love instead of
hate. Choose the right thing instead of the wrong thing.
Father Breighner did not mention George Huguely, the
University of Virginia senior who has been charged with
first-degree murder in Love’s death. Yet, the priest urged
mourners to think of forgiveness.
“At some point, we will have to forgive someone,” said Father
Breighner, who was joined at Mass by Auxiliary Bishop Denis
J. Madden. “Today may not be that day. It may not come for
many days. But we will have to forgive because that is the
only way to heal.”‘
The funeral program featured a cover photograph of Love as a
young girl wearing an angel costume. Beneath the photo was a
sentence from Love’s senior yearbook quote: “Truly great
friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible
to forget.”
The program also included a copy of an essay written by Love
when she was a freshman at Notre Dame Prep. In it, she wrote
that family was “very important” to her and that her parents
taught her many values in life.
“My family is very close,” Love wrote, “and we like to go to
church every Sunday together.”
Love noted that she began playing lacrosse with her father at
age 5. She also spoke of her dreams of playing for the
University of Virginia. “So far, my life has been filled with
joy and happiness,” she wrote, “and I hope to keep living my
life that way.”
As he left the funeral, Hal Riedl called the liturgy the
“most beautiful funeral” he had ever attended. He said he was
inspired by Father Breighner’s homily.
“We need to make the rest of our lives a memory to her,” said
Riedl, whose daughter, Alexandra, attended Notre Dame Prep
with Love.
