Building a Rembrance Garden.

Dedicating the Rembrance Garden.

Assumption College Creates Lasting Memorial to Victims of September 11, 2001; Week of Remembrance Planned

Worcester, MA—Like so many other business and institutions, Assumption College was directly touched by the tragedy of September 11, 2001, with the loss of one of its alums in the World Trade Center attacks. This year, students, administrators, and faculty will remember the first anniversary with a reflective Week of Remembrance and the creation of a Garden of Remembrance, in memory of all the victims of September 11, 2001, especially Thomas V. Linehan ’84.

In light of comments made by President Bush last year:
"In time, perhaps, we will mark the memory of September 11 in stone and metal, something we can show our children as yet unborn to help them understand what happened on this minute and on this day. But for those of us who lived through these events, the only marker we'll ever need is the tick of a clock at the 46th minute of the eighth hour of the 11th day," (President George W. Bush, December 11, 2001)

Assumption College is marking this tragedy in stone and metal. The garden will have three large stones each with a bronze plaque indicating the date, the time and the place of the attack. A fourth bronze plaque will dedicate the garden to all those who lost their lives, especially Linehan. (Proceeds from the class of 1984 have been donated toward the creation of this garden.)

The Garden dedication will be the culmination of a full day of appropriate opportunities that will be available for everyone on campus to take part in, if they so wish. September 11 will begin with a moment of silence and tolling of the Chapel bells at 8:46 a.m. The Chapel of the Holy Spirit will be open throughout the day for quiet reflection, with a brief reading and song being offered every half-hour from 8:30 - 4:00 p.m. Those who wish to volunteer in the Worcester community will be encouraged to join the United Way Day of Caring, which can be done by contacting the Reach Out Center, our on campus volunteer office. A W.I.S.E. (Worcester Institute for Senior Education) lecture titled, “9 Lessons of 9/11” will be presented by Dr. John Anderson, professor emeritus of History at the College of the Holy Cross, and former City Councilor for the City of Worcester, at 11:15 a.m. Mass will be offered at 5:00 p.m. and in what promises to be a moving site, a candle light march will make its way around the campus beginning at 8:30 p.m. Bagpipers will lead the way as students, faculty, and staff join in a procession that will begin in the Valley and make its way to the Chapel lawn. After a short prayer service, the Garden of Remembrance, which is being constructed in the memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, will be unveiled and dedicated.

Other highlights of the week include:

On Sunday, September 8 at 7:00 p.m., the traditional Mass of the Holy Spirit, an annual rite at the College that blesses all those involved in the noble pursuit of education, will take place at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

On Tuesday, September 10 at 4:00 p.m. “Reflections on Being an American” will be the topic of a panel discussion led by Dean Mary Lou Anderson and participated in by four faculty members. The discussion will take place in the Hagan Campus Center Hall. At 10:00 p.m. that evening, the weekly Candlelight Prayer will focus on the theme of “Heroes.”

On Thursday, September 12 at 9:00 p.m. the Brother Robert Francis memorial Service for Student Athletes and Coaches will take place in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

On Saturday, September 14 at 8:00 p.m. the first HUMANARTS concert of the semester will feature the Choir of Trinity College from Cambridge, England. It will take place in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

In addition to these events, a custom made American Flag will hang at the Hagan Campus Center/Laska Gymnasium for the week. Also, two Books of Remembrance will be available for signing throughout the week. One will be in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, and the other will be at the Information Booth in the Hagan Campus Center.

For more information on any of these events, please contact my office at the number listed above.