By Colin Firda
On September 11, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will celebrate a Memorial Mass to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. The Mass will be held at St. Aloysius Parish in New Canaan at 7 pm.
Twenty-five years ago on September 11, four planes were hijacked, and two of them flew into the twin towers in New York City. Another crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC, and a fourth into a Pennsylvania field after the passengers revolted against the hijackers.
In total, 2977 people were killed, thousands were injured, and many more died in the years that followed because of health issues.
Many people from Fairfield County died in the attacks. Whether they were on the airplanes, fighting the fires or rescuing survivors, many made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, working to help others until the end. Although it has been 25 years since the attacks, many people still feel like it was only recently, and those who lost their loved ones or friends can still feel the void of their absence.
That loss is why the Church invites all the faithful of the Diocese of Bridgeport to turn to Jesus in the midst of suffering. The Mass is the closest we can get to Heaven while on earth, and the place where we can be closest to those who have passed on.
We are invited to recognize that those who were lost have left this world, but are not forgotten, nor have their lives ended forever. Rather, the Church invites us all to remember that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, and that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.
“Each time we gather as a community of faith to remember those who lost their lives on 9/11, we not only call to mind sacred memories of our dear ones, but we also strengthen our belief in Christ who conquered death and opened the gates of Heaven,” said Monsignor Robert Kinnally, Vicar General of the Diocese of Bridgeport and Pastor of St. Aloysius. “Our consolation comes from what we hear of God in the Book of Revelation: ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning.’”
Having a Mass offered for our departed loved ones is a way of both commending to their souls to God’s mercy and a way of remembering them here on earth, bringing solace to those who mourn, he said.
All are welcome at St. Aloysius Parish in New Canaan on September 11, 2026, at 7 pm for the Memorial Mass.
(Colin Firda is a seminarian of the Diocese of Bridgeport.)
