September 11: In Memory and In Hope: A Liturgical Gathering

About this article

"We gather today to remember all victims of hatred and fear. We also gather to seek the perfect love that casts out such terror. . . "

Materials Needed

incense
charcoal
brazier or some type of container to hold burning incense
candles

Music Suggestions

"Be Not Afraid," Bob Dufford, Gather Comprehensive (Chicago: GIA Publications, 1994), no. 608.

"Grant Us Peace, Lord," Tony Alonso, Fresh As The Morning (Chicago: GIA Publications, 2001).

"Here I Am, Lord," Dan Schutte, Gather Comprehensive (Chicago: GIA Publications, 1994), p. 686.

"Jesus, Give Us Your Peace," Michael Mahler, Give Your Gifts: The New Songs (Chicago: GIA Publications, 2001).

"Lord of All Hopefulness," Timothy R. Smith, Spirit and Song (Portland, Oregon: Oregon Catholic Press, 1999), no. 127.

"Our God Reigns," Leonard E. Smith, Spirit and Song (Portland, Oregon: Oregon Catholic Press, 1999), no. 197.

"Prayer of Saint Francis," adapted by Sebastian Temple, Gather Comprehensive (Chicago: GIA Publications, 1994), no.726.

The Summons to Prayer

Presider: At 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001, a hijacked airplane crashed into one of the World Trade Center buildings. That event began a day of terror. The word terror describes the actions of the hijackers, but it also describes the emotion that was felt by most Americans. We gather today to remember all victims of hatred and fear. We also gather to seek the perfect love that casts out such terror.

Prayer

Presider: In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

Opening Song (optional)

Presider: Source of all love and life, we come to you with heavy hearts as we remember those who tragically died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. May those who died be embraced by your eternal light and joy. And may the victims’ families and friends be comforted by thoughts of a new day where your reign of peace will come in its fullness. We ask this through Christ the Lord.

All: Amen.

Psalm (adapted from Psalm 55)

(As the Psalm is being prayed, have a volunteer from the assembly sprinkle incense on the coals.)

Reader: God, listen to my prayer,
do not hide from my pleading,
attend to reply; and me
with my cares, I cannot rest.

All: I tremble at the shouts of the foe,
At the cries of the wicked;
For they bring evil upon me.
They assail me with fury.

Reader: My heart is stricken within me,
death’s terror is on me,
trembling and fear fall upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.

All: God will deliver my soul in peace
In the attack against me;
For those who fight me are many,
But God hears my voice.

Reader: Entrust your cares to the Lord
and the Lord will support you.
God will never allow
the just one to stumble.

All: O Lord, I will trust in you.

Reader: Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

All: As it was in the beginning, is now
and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Presider: Lord, just as the incense rises, our hearts rise to you. In times of trouble, we seek your comfort and your help. As we offer you our prayers for the victims, their families, our nation, and the entire human family, you offer to us the gift of yourself. May we welcome you, receive you, and allow ourselves to be transformed by living in your presence.

Reader: Revelation 7:13–17

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" I said, "Sir, you are the one who knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Presider: Lord, you are our refuge and our strength; all our hope lies in you.

All: Lord, you are our refuge and our strength; all our hope lies in you.

Presider: You are constantly near to love and to guide.

All: Lord, you are our refuge and our strength; all our hope lies in you.

Presider: Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

All: Lord, you are our refuge and our strength; all our hope lies in you.

Presider: Source of peace, hear us now as we bring our prayers before you. Please respond: "Fill us with peace and hope."

Reader: Lord, perfect love casts out all fear. As we remember those who died at the hands of terrorists, embrace them with your love and draw them into friendship with all the saints who have gone before them. We pray: