By Mary F. McCarthy
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 9/19/02)
"On this anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, we will unite with all Americans to pray for and remember those who suffered great loss on that tragic day. We will also pray for those in the military who risk their lives to pursue justice and protect our freedoms," said Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight, Carl A. Anderson.
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington was the main celebrant for a memorial Mass to commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Knights came from all over the continent to honor their fallen brothers. There was at least one representative from each of the 20 Knights of Columbus provinces in United States and Canada, and there were also representatives from the Philippines and Mexico. All together there were 1,100 fourth degree Knights dressed in full regalia who participated in the ceremony.
After words of welcome from the Anderson, the Papal Exhortation to Prayer for Peace was read in which the pope emphasized that there will be, "No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness." The Holy Father delivered this message Dec. 8, 2001.
Bishop Thomas V. Daily of Brooklyn, the Knights of Columbus supreme chaplain, delivered the homily. In his homily, Bishop Daily focused on concept of love, of God’s love for us, and our love for one another. The bishop remarked, "The more we give, the more we love." He spoke of how those who sacrificed themselves on Sept. 11 showed so much love for their nation, and each other. "There is no greater love than this; that a man die for a friend."
During the ceremony, the "Lamp of Peace," first lighted by Pope John Paul II at the Assisi peace summit, was lit. The Holy Father originally lit this lamp at Assisi in the presence of 200 religious leaders who were praying for peace and an end to war, violence and terrorism. After the lamp was lit at the Basilica, everyone present then lit candles from the flame of the lamp to symbolize their commitment to work and pray for world peace. The lamp was a gift to the Knights of Columbus from the Vatican.
Before the closing anthem was sung, Captain Alfredo N. Fuentes of the New York Fire Department and a member of the Knights of Columbus, led the Pledge of Allegiance. Fuentes was permanently disabled because of injuries received in the rescue effort at the World Trade Center.
Walt Grabowski, Darnestown, MD. a fourth degree member of the Cardinal O’Boyle Division, found the ceremony to be, "phenomenal! I am thrilled to have been a part of it."
In the attacks that took place on Sept. 11, and the rescues that followed, 46 members of the Knights of Columbus and six spouses of Knights lost their lives. At the World Trade Center, 11 firefighters, six law enforcement officials and 23 civilian Knights died. One member died on Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, PA; and four died at the Pentagon.
Army Maj. Gen. (ret.) Patrick Brady, recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and U.S. District Court Judge William Downes also spoke at the ceremony. In his closing paragraph, Downes quoted Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn, chaplain of the United States Navy, who said these words when he consecrated the ground in Iwo Jima where fallen Marines were buried. Judge Downes asked those present to make Rabbi Gittelsohn’s prayer their own. "Those who having ceased living with us, now live within us. Thus do we consecrate ourselves, the living, to carry on the struggle they began…Out of this, and from the suffering and sorrow of those who mourn this will come – we promise the birth of a new freedom for the sons of men everywhere. AMEN"
Copyright ©2002 Arlington Catholic Herald. All rights reserved.
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