Responses to 9/11 Commemorative Events and Broadcasts
9-11 Memorial Mass and the Last Alarm
By Meggyn Watkins
On September 11, 2011, I braced myself for the inevitable deluge of misplaced patriotism, provocative language, and thoughtless prejudice that I had come to associate with America's reactions to the events of ten years ago. Unable to stomach the idea of watching the chaos passively on television, I chose to participate in a faith-based commemoration presented by the San Jose Fire Department in downtown San Jose. As a Christian and a cynic, I was fully anticipating the standard finger-pointing and ignorant diatribes that so often accompany discussions of non-Christian persons. What I found instead were examples of pacifying and thoughtful language, reminders of the Christian tenets of forgiveness and generosity, and a unified desperation for community while facing the memory of the World Trade Center attacks. The speeches, poems, and displays that made up the cumulative experience served to memorialize the victims and heroes of the attacks in a tasteful, peaceful environment.
The entire commemoration was highly ritualized through the fusion of a Catholic mass, a regimented memorial march, and a planned ceremony, all of which contributed to the atmosphere of solemnity and remembrance. During communion at the end of the service, my sister and I stepped outside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph early to witness the organization of the public safety officers outside for the march; the street was half-filled with uniformed personnel and spectating citizens. Despite the amount of people, the block was silent. When a street vendor shattered the quiet with his bell, parents quickly bought ice cream sandwiches for their children to quell their begging. Once shushed and placated, many of the children present adhered to the peaceful reverence.
Once the memorial march finished at San Jose Fire Station One, the event's participants were presented with an army of empty boots—representing a small portion of the many firefighters who perished in the line of duty. A powerful image, the empty boots cast an even darker shadow of solemnity over the spectators throughout the ceremonial speeches at Station One. Each pair was adorned with a flag and a firefighter's name, forcing each of us to remember the public servants not only as an emergency organization but also as individuals who left behind families and loved ones. These individuals were symbolically released from duty by the ringing of the bell—a traditional ritual that echos the everyday call to begin and end one's shift at the firehouse. The tolls of the bell rang heavily through the street, poignantly reverberating in contrast to the silent spectators.
The language of the event was mostly focused on heroism and forgiveness. Bishop Patrick McGrath set the tone of the day in his opening homily during mass, wherein he discouraged “painting with broad brush strokes those different from us” and clearly condemned the attitudes of “with us or against us” and “don't get mad, get even.” Quickly curtailing the potential animosity that could be reignited by such an anniversary, Bishop McGrath preached on Sirach and Matthew (read by San Jose Fire Chief William McDonald and Chief of Police Christopher Moore, respectively). In Sirach 28, Bishop McGrath reminded the congregation, “The vengeful will face the Lord’s vengeance; indeed he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbor the wrong done to you; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven” (Sirach 28:1-2). This tenet, idealized in Christianity but often ignored, was repeated consistently throughout the mass in liturgy, scripture, and hymns, and especially during preparation for the Lord's Prayer, when the congregation said in unison, “... and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Matthew 6:12). These sentiments continued during the ceremony at Fire Station One, when Father William Stout's benediction dismissed the spectators with the final reminder to avoid the “forces of blind hatred,” and instead respect the memories of the September 11 heroes by respecting and participating in the “forces of love and self-sacrifice.”
The public safety officers in New York and D.C. were repeatedly memorialized in prayers and speeches, elevating their status to modern day demi-gods—heroes who exemplified devotion, honor, and bravery in a time of panic and need. In “The Last Alarm,” a message written and read for the Bell Ceremony by fire engineer Jeff Una'Dia of the San Jose Fire Department, stressed the established traditions of public safety professions and used emphatic wording such as “supreme sacrifice,” “comrades,” and “honor and respect.” The following “Firefighter's Prayer” supplied more pathos with a first-person anecdote about willing self-sacrifice to save civilians of all ages, echoing the same heroism explicit in Battalion Chief Robert Sapien's prayer: “[...] may their heroic deeds bring them everlasting Peace and Joy. For this, let us pray to the Lord.”
The speeches and prayers by fellow firefighters were overwhelmingly emotional and centered on the individual, in contrast to speeches by politicians (Mayor Chuck Reed and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren), who focused on the system of emergency services and its necessity for the continued safety of the community. Both approaches served to recognize, remember and show gratitude for the sacrifice of public safety personnel, bolstered by the images of empty firefighter boots, mangled steel from the World Trade Center, and an enormous American flag billowing overhead. Spectators and participants benefitted from the solemnity and peaceful atmosphere of the event: we were able to grieve and regret the loss of life on September 11, 2001, and unite with common appreciation and gratification to those who were and those who continue to be so committed to the model of selflessness in pursuit of public safety.
View more photos by Sara Slattery (
South Paw Image) from the 9-11 Commemoration at
http://url.meggyn.com/911Commemoration
