Nearly a thousand people gathered in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento Sept. 10 for an interfaith prayer vigil on the eve of the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks against America on Sept. 11, 2001.

Margarita Nunez, left, Eric Gwaneo, center, and Maria Gwaneo join hands during the memorial Mass in the cathedral on Sept. 11. Luis Gris Elizarrarás/Herald photo

Bishop William K. Weigand led the service of light, joined by eight local Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu leaders. California Gov. Gray Davis attended the service, which honored survivors and victims’ families who came from throughout the state to attend the ceremony.

The bishop prayed for national and state leaders and all Americans: “That the Divine Light might shine from all of us in lives of virtue and goodness, in solidarity with all people and peoples, in rejection of all forms of hate and in a radical commitment to honor the human life and dignity of each and every member of our human family—one family under God.”

He added: “We honor best the victims of 9/11, their mourning families and the valiant fireman, policemen and all the rescue workers, if we dedicate ourselves radically and without contradiction to honor, nurture and defend all human life form conception to natural death. Let no darkness remain—not unconsciously, nor for personal convenience, nor for political correctness.”

On Sept. 11, the cathedral was filled again for a noon memorial Mass for the victims of the terrorist attacks, celebrated by Bishop Weigand with music by the Cathedral Choir.

“We give thanks to God for those who survived,” the bishop said. “We remember the families who still mourn. We remember our country, its needs and our world.”

The bishop prayed that peace and hope would prevail over pain and bitterness.

In a homily during the Mass, Father James Murphy, rector of the cathedral, contended that to believe that the end of the world is coming is not the way to deal with the tragedies of Sept. 11.

“Drawing from our Catholic tradition, we don’t believe the end of the world is taking place. We don’t know,” he said.

“And we don’t believe that God willed those tragedies. We don’t know why God allowed it to happen. But what we do believe is that God turns evil into good; what we do believe is in the triumph of the cross, in the fact that failure can lead to victory…What has happened since 9/11 is that people have been changed and our values have been deepened.”

Father Murphy concluded his homily by praying that people “would have the faith to forgive their enemies, the hope to turn evil into good, and the charity to build a better world, a world of tolerance and peace.”

Copyright © 2001 Diocese of Sacramento - All Rights Reserved

[Catholic Herald - Cover Page]