The Circle

Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: News

Marist commemorates September 11th attacks with ceremopnies across campus

The sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks passed at Marist College not to the sound of rousing speeches, but rather to a profound and solemn silence. Bells which normally mark each passing hour did not ring, and the single physical testament to the events of September 11, 2001 was a Celtic cross sculpted from the twisted remains of an I-beam from the World Trade Center.

"We're in concert with a number of places, including New York City, where, this year, the primary mode of expression has been silence," said Father Richard LaMorte, who coordinated the display of this year's memorial in the Rotunda. The hope, LaMorte said, was that "silencing our campus bells…just might trigger a reflection on 9/11, the day when the earth stopped for so many people."

In keeping with that theme, the presence of the cross in the Rotunda served as a quiet reminder to the Marist community of the events six years past, according to Brother Frank Kelly, director of Campus Ministry.

"I think the purpose of any memorial is to cause people to break from the ordinary or to pause, or reflect," Kelly said. "For memory to be evoked, ritual needs to be changed up. We asked the question, what could we do that was out of the ordinary?"

This new idea, according to LaMorte, seems to have had an effect. Over four hundred cards explaining the significance of the cross were placed on its pedestal. In addition, the Student Government Association donated wristbands stamped with patriotic logos like "spirit," "honor," and "freedom." Every card and band was taken.

"The lack of bells gave a sign that there was something different about today," said sophomore Ryan Glander. "The cross in the Rotunda…was a reminder for everyone. When I saw that I remembered the people I knew who were in Manhattan on September 11."

LaMorte noted that "several times during the day…students would come and go and pause momentarily with a great sense of respect and move on. I think that was totally in keeping with the tenor of how [the memorial] was set up."

In addition to the cross in the Rotunda, there was a mass celebrated in honor of the victims of 9/11 at 7:00 p.m. As a starting point for prayer, students spoke out at the outset, saying the name of a victim that they personally knew, and giving a little bit of information about them.

"It was nice to have a personal sense of the mass," said senior Chris Foy. "There were people there remembering specific people in their lives who are missing now." It's moving, said Foy, to see how students' perspectives on 9/11 have evolved and deepened since they were either just finishing middle school or entering high school. "People have matured since then…we were kids and now we are adults."

In particular, Foy said, it was spectacular to see the number of people clustered around the memorial in the Rotunda. "It's a respectful thing to do…it's a subtle symbol," he said.

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