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Plans by the Catholic parishes of the Southern Rensselaer County deanery are just one example of the many ways the Albany Diocese will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Bells will toll at each church in that deanery on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 11. Churches will be unlocked throughout the day so people can pray or reflect. Two memorial "candles of peace" and an outdoor memorial fire will burn at St. Mary's parish in Clinton Heights, watched over by local firefighters, police officers, war veterans, emergency workers and civic leaders.

Community members will be invited to take candles and prayer cards from St. Mary's and other parishes for personal memorials. The parishes also sent 500 prayer cards to parishes of Herkimer County.

Four Rensselaer County churches already hold a weekly 7 p.m. Mass together. Before the Mass, held at St. Mary's, an a cappella group from St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph's in Rensselaer will sing patriotic songs. Afterwards, Mass-goers will process out of the church and recite prayers around the fire. A bowl of incense will be available - in the spirit of the Jewish tradition - for people to scatter into the fire.

"It is simply an opportunity to engage their spirits, their souls, their hearts and their minds," said Rev. David LeFort, pastor of St. Mary's. "It's important for us as religious leaders of any kind to identify and acknowledge how our people are."

Father LeFort pointed out that many of the memorial events will take place outside of church buildings - for good reason, since disaffected Catholics and people of other faiths may attend.

"No one has to enter a church if they don't desire to or if they're afraid to," he said. "It is open to all people of good will - which means also people of no faith whatsoever."

Rev. Thomas Krupa, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Castleton, said the in-church events ensure that the Mass is still taken seriously.

The priests' goal is to help their people with ongoing grief and with the struggle to forgive the perpetrators of the attacks.

"It was such a significant event 10 years ago and it continues to be," Father LeFort said. "I can't imagine anyone not being affected."

Father Krupa said parishioners "still feel for those individuals who lost their lives in such a tragic way;" but "there needs to be forgiveness, and that's very difficult to do. We have to acknowledge the fact that it was just the actions of very, very few radical extremists."

The readings for Sept. 11 feature a passage from Sirach advising people to let go of grudges before the Lord can forgive them their sins, as well as a Gospel passage from Matthew on the parable of the unforgiving servant.

"If my brother keeps on sinning against me," Peter asks Jesus in the parable, "how many times do I have to forgive him?" Jesus answers: "Not seven times, but 70 times seven."

"It had to be the power of the Holy Spirit that the readings would fall on the 24th Sunday of ordinary time," Father Krupa noted.

For Father Forno, who will celebrate the Mass, that theme is perfect for remembrance and for a lesson on anti-discrimination.

"Ten years ago, this nation lost not just 3,000 men and women, but their peace of mind," he said. "It seems like maybe we're not in a good place 10 years later. Steps to forgiveness really have been short.

"It's not for practical reasons that we forgive," Father Forno continued. "It's because of the forgiveness we're given from our wonderful God. If we don't let go, it turns us into the people we hate. My challenge is, as a testament to 9/11, to go forward - not backward - and to honor the dead. Here's where the Gospel, the rubber hits the road."

The 7 p.m. Mass usually attracts 100 to 140 people; more are expected this Sunday. Father Krupa's ultimate goal is to help people heal.

"The Church can hopefully be able to keep people on a straight path that this should be a Christian response and not one out of raw anger," he said. "We need to remember, and it is good to remember. But we also need to move on and continue to hope that this would not happen again."[[In-content Ad]]

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