Diocese, parishes, institutions plan 9/11 commemorations

At the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, for example, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard will celebrate a Mass of Remembrance and Hope on Sept. 11 at 12:15 p.m. At 7 p.m., a solemn evening prayer service will be held.

"We want to mark Sept. 11 as a day of remembrance and prayer," said Rev. William Pape, rector of the Cathedral. "It is a time to remember and pray for the victims and their families, and for those who lost their lives trying to rescue others. We also wish to remember the unnamed heroes that sought to stop the violence and offer their help. Additionally, it is a time to pray for those that still consider us their enemies, and a day set aside to pray for justice and peace."

In an effort to assist parishes, schools and other places to mark 9/11, the diocesan Office of Prayer and Worship has put together an outline for evening prayer, titled "A Service in Remembrance and Hope."

Elizabeth Simcoe, director, said that many communities expressed an interest in remembering the event in a prayerful way, with Mass and/or Liturgy of the Hours, as well as through interfaith and ecumenical services.

In choosing the prayers and psalms for the suggested service, Mrs. Simcoe and her team included music and some prayers from the first 9/11 prayer service, held last year at the Cathedral.

"Some of the psalms are still appropriate for use this year" she said, adding that Glenn Osborne, the Cathedral's music director, selected the musical arrangements, including "Come All Who Long." Mrs. Simcoe wrote the prayers.

"We've had the experience of God being with us in our grief for this past year," she said. "In some ways, we are still grieving, and the prayers and psalms chosen indicate our continuing need for God's enlightening love."

The prayer service was designed to be flexible. "If people wish, it can easily be adapted from evening prayer to a morning or mid-day service," she said.

(Copies of the service are available for individuals, families and groups. Call the Office of Prayer and Worship at 453-6645.)

(09-05-02) [[In-content Ad]]