Marking 10 years since 9/11 tragedy

SHARON — The Sharon Ecumenical Clergy Association held a 10th anniversary service of remembrance at the Congregational Church on Sunday, Sept. 11. Before the service, fire department volunteers parked a ladder truck in front of the church and hoisted a large American flag into the air.Clergy participants were the Rev. Terry Ryan, Sharon Congregational Church; the Rev. Jody Guerrera, Sharon Congregational Church; the Rev. Francis Fador, St. Bernard’s Catholic Church; the Rev. Jon Widing, Christ Church Episcopal and the Rev. Kwang-il Kim, Sharon United Methodist Church.Members of the Sharon fire and ambulance squads served as an honor guard during the service. Addressing the first responders present, the Rev. Ryan said, “I have seen you next to the church for the 30 years I have been here, and every time I see you I think how you stand over us and protect us.”In the opening remarks, the Rev. Fador said, “Few of us can forget that day. At first, disbelief was replaced with anger and a need for revenge. There were so many ordinary people among us who gave their lives to save life. Now we ask, ‘Where am I today?’ Today we have a peace anchored in love, not in hate.”Dr. Ifeoma Okoronkwo, a resident of Sharon and New York City, recalled her own experiences on that day. As a young physician, Okoronkwo was working on Lafayette Street in lower Manhattan. She said three things stuck in her mind that morning: what a bright beautiful sky there was; the absolute silence of lower Manhattan, which is usually filled with sound; and the people walking north from the Twin Towers covered in dust.Okoronkwo said her first thought was that she had to get to the hospital. Walking north on Second Avenue, the doctor said she became aware of more and more voices in the air the farther she walked.She told the congregation she remembered in the aftermath of that day how people went out of their way to be nice to one another. “Young people got up on their own to give subway seats to the elderly. Americans’ and New Yorkers’ hearts opened to one another.”Tom Casey, a fire and ambulance volunteer, spoke about recovering from the tragedy. Americans are continually bombarded with numbers and figures, “but there is one number that has altered our basic thinking and the way we conduct our lives and how we react with one another. That number is 9-11.” “Another number that will always be with us,” he said, “is 2,977. The number of lives lost 10 years ago today.” Other numbers never to be forgotten: 343 dedicated firefighters and 15 EMTs, who lost their lives trying to save others.The service was interspersed with musical performances by Michael Brown, Shari Marks, David Barney, Rob Gerowe and Brian Pedersen. After the service, fire and ambulance department members stood in a receiving line in front of the fire truck which held the U.S. flag high in the air, greeting the public and clergy.

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