Sad rites for hero ma

A LONG ISLAND TEEN, given life by her mom’s selfless death, revisited the Mother’s Day tragedy at a heartbreaking Wednesday funeral for her hero parent. Jenna Aluska, 16, sported a large white back brace from injuries suffered during the crash in which she was shoved to safety by mom Diane — who was then killed by a runaway car. The mom and daughter had just attended the 8 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Lindenhurst, L.I., where the funeral was held 10 days later. “She gave her life for her child,” said Msgr. Joseph DeGrocco, speaking on behalf of the family to some 100 other mourners inside the suburban church.

“As difficult as it is that her death occurred on Mother’s Day, perhaps there is also a beauty to that.”

Diane Aluska, 55, was walking alongside her daughter when a car with an 80-year-old driver came speeding in reverse as the pair left the church on May 14.

When the car jumped the curb, Aluska shoved her teen daughter to safety while absorbing the fatal brunt of the Toyota Corolla’s impact.

Jenna, along with her father Kenneth and brothers Andrew and Matt, followed Diane’s gold casket into the church filled with friends and relatives gathered for a melancholy goodbye.

“It’s a tragedy that leaves us speechless,” said DeGrocco. “We don’t know what to say. It’s too overwhelming to process.”

Kenneth Aluska waited a day to tell his daughter about Diana’s death. Jenna underwent surgery shortly after the crash, and her dad didn’t want to share the sad news until the operation was finished.

DeGrocco noted that all the emotions stirred by the mother’s ultimate sacrifice couldn’t alter what happened.

“There is not one person here today who would not do anything to just undo this terrible tragedy,” the monsignor said.

“Everyone here would do anything if we could just make it all go away and have Diane back with us. But we can’t.”