Auxiliary Bishop Peter Byrne served as principal officiant of the 24th annual Eve of Solemn Remembrance at Our Lady of Pity Church on Staten Island, in commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Retired Auxiliary Bishop John O’Hara was the homilist during the Sept. 10 liturgy, organized by the Notre Dame Club of Staten Island. About 700 people attended. The church is located on Richmond Avenue in the Bulls Head section of Staten Island.

Several adults and teens took turns reading the names of Staten Islanders who died on Sept. 11, 2001, and from 9/11-related illnesses in the years that followed, including FDNY members and other first responders. Lost that day were nearly 280 Staten Island residents, and nearly 100 in the subsequent years. Bishop Byrne, dean of Staten Island, offered prayerful words “for the beloved souls” of the 9/11 departed in opening remarks.

From darkness to light

In his homily, Bishop O’Hara said of the attack victims, “Each one is a unique creation, created in the image and likeness of God, (having gone) from darkness to light, each one will be remembered in a very special way. In the midst of our grief, in the midst of our sorrow, the consolation of our faith tells us they live, they’re eternally young; we will see them again.”

“Everyone has lost someone in this church,” Bishop O’Hara said, citing the general experience of grief after losing a loved one, but noting the significance of eternal life with the Lord, similar to the joy of the early followers of Christ upon learning of his resurrection, as outlined in the evening’s Gospel reading from Luke 24.

“When we do that, He begins to teach us. He begins to walk with us. He takes us by the hand, better yet, by the heart,” the bishop said of the Lord, noting the importance of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, praying more deeply to the Lord, and maintaining strong trust in him.

“And He does not vanish from our sight; He enters into the darkness of our hearts and challenges you and me to trust Him, to let go, not to stop grieving, but to take the next good step, to start over with Him. And to go forth from this church to be His light and goodness and peace and charity, my goodness gracious, that’s so very, very important…We know, as painful as this is, we will see them again.”

Bishop O’Hara also spoke of the strong faith and good works of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the significance of the Ground Zero Cross, and the loss of Fr. Mychal Judge, an FDNY chaplain who was identified as Victim 01 of the attacks. The bishop encouraged attendees to visit a 9/11 Memorial inside the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Midtown Manhattan.

This moment tonight

Joe Delaney, a leading member of the Notre Dame Club, offered the welcoming and closing words of gratitude to the bishops and the concelebrants, and to all in attendance.

“At the conclusion of tonight’s service, we are having a brief social over in O’Connor Hall,” Delaney said toward the end of the vigil Mass. “We would really appreciate it if you could stop by, to share this moment that we’ve had tonight, to meet some of our military folks, our honorable veterans, the families that are here with us. We can’t thank you enough for being with us tonight on the 25th anniversary.”

Sacred music was performed by the Molloy Group; the entrance march was done by the Staten Island Pipes and Drums. The group led the faithful in singing the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” to open the Mass, and at the end, all sang “God Bless America.”