This past Friday as a Parish, we participated in the World Day of Prayer for Peace sponsored by the Catholic fraternal organization, the Knights of Columbus. The leaders of the Knights of Columbus invited us to pray for peace among nations. They also invited us to “…pray that religion will be a means of peace and accord and not an excuse for violence and division.” We celebrated a special Mass for Peace as a faith community at 7 p.m. Representatives of the local police and fire departments were present. The Mass was intended to mark the fourteenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

We as a nation recall the tragic deaths and injuries that occurred at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on the fields of Somerset, Pennsylvania. We also remember the men and women in uniform who gave their lives or who were injured that day in the line of duty. This day of prayer helps us to remember not only the events of that tragic day, but also reminds us of the dangers that continue to confront us in an unstable world. We are invited to pray for peace among nations. We are also invited to ask for the special intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of Peace, as we pray for peace in our world, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts.

As Catholics, we are challenged to respond in faith to the pressing concerns of our brothers and sisters in need, and to remember in a special way all those who suffered in some way on that fateful day of September 11, 2001. We continue to pray for our men and women in uniform who defend our freedoms, especially those serving in the Middle East. We also pray for their families and the military chaplains who assist them.

Pope Benedict XVI, in 2008, visited “Ground Zero”, the site of the attack at the World Trade Center in New York City on “9/11”. He reminded us that we continue to live in a dangerous and violent world. The following is an excerpt from the prayer he read during his visit: