The many mourners who turned up for the funeral service for Jasmine Fonseca and Taylor Shepherdson filled St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church in Lake Harmony to capacity.

They spilled out onto the sidewalk, where chairs and loud speakers were set up in anticipation of the large number expected to attend.The church was a mass of flowers, whites and pinks, colors appropriate for teenage girls. Photographs of the girls were lined up in the sanctuary. A hundred or so, of their bright, shining smiles beaming out at their families sitting in the front rows of the church.Their friends and classmates wandered in, dressed in their little black dresses, many likely bought for more joyful occasions, the boys wore suits, jeans and even a few football jerseys emblazoned with the Jim Thorpe Area High School logo.Some of the teens arrived in groups with friends; some came flanked by their parents. Many hung onto each other, and a lot were stoic, as if simply saying something might make them break. The mood was somber and heavy with the knowledge that this was a goodbye.As people entered the church some family members and friends shared stories and poems about the girls. They were always smiling, helpful, loving, and smart, caring and they were leaders. They were always together.Monsignor John Chizmar started his eulogy by describing the past five days as “a time of shock and disbelief” and as “mind-boggling.”“What we learned from these girls is that they were given the gift of friendship with each other that was so particular, they did everything together. They tried to make a difference in the world, and they succeeded at that. They were really admired for who they were,” Chizmar said.Chizmar added that the girls were described by their teachers as respectful, caring and disciplined.“It is greatly appreciated by these families, what the Jim Thorpe School District and superintendent, Brian Gasper, have done. They generously hosted the viewing last night and today have provided school buses to bring students to the church. They are a close-knit school.”Chizmar also spoke directly to those who had taught the girls, family and teachers.“You should all be proud that you can take with you the knowledge that you helped to form these two girls into the young women that they became,” he said. “Remember that when you teach future students.”Chizmar asked the question that he believed everyone there wanted to ask.“Where was God?” he said. “Why did he let this happen? We have all asked, why did God let his son die on the cross?“I will answer you this way. God gives us freedom to live our lives. He makes us a promise of eternal life in Him when this one is over. So when we ask ‘where was God’ I say he was right there. He whispered in their ears, ‘your time is done here, come with me to a better place.’“We can console ourselves in knowing that the girls will be there, happy, waiting for us to be joined with them again, when our time is done on earth.”Noting that St. Augustine had referred to life on earth as the “dying time” since everyone will die eventually, Chizmar said. “It is not the years you live, not the quantity of time, it is the quality of the life that you live that matters.”A part of the eulogy centered around the Bill Withers song, “Lean On Me.”“Families, relatives, friends and teachers have gotten by these days by leaning on one another, and will continue to do so in the days to follow,” Chizmar said. “I will be your friend, I will help you to carry on. Someday I’m gonna need somebody to lean on.”