On the 22nd anniversary of Sept. 11, the Villanova community showed it will never forget. Two Masses were held in Corr Chapel to remember the 15 Villanovans who lost their lives on that tragic day. In addition, a memorial service was set up in Corr Chapel and Falvey throughout the week.
Br. Michael Duffy, who was present at both masses, said it is important to “never forget.” He explained that the meaning of “never forget” isn’t just associated with Sept. 11, but other tragic events in history. The stained-glass window in Corr that depicts St. Teresa Benedicta, for example, has the words “never forget” in French, along with the Star of David. This is to signify the tragedy St. Teresa Benedicta, and at that time, Edith Stein, endured in the concentration camps during the Nazi regime. In this instance, the words “never forget” refer to the millions of Jewish individuals that lost their lives.
“That is why we pray to remember the dead,” Duffy said. “We grieve with hope to see them again, these innocent people, our fellow Wildcats.”
During the two Masses, the list of the 15 Villanovans was read aloud, followed by a gong to recognize the importance of remembering these men and women.
In addition to the names being read, words were spoken about each person. There were candles lit, and in the center, there was a flag.
“The flag represents everything that a flag normally represents for the country,” Duffy said. “It signifies that our country was strong enough to overcome this tragedy, but we must never forget.”
Not only was Corr Chapel a place of remembrance for the week, but it also has a yearlong memorial. One of the stained-glass windows encapsulates the tragedy that unfolded on that fateful day. This window was designed by Fr. Richard Cannuli, former Augustinian priest, artist and University professor.
The panel seen at the top of the window has the roman numerals “9/11.” The panels below are the four flight numbers in roman numerals. In the larger panels are the four planes, the two towers, the pentagon and the field where Flight 93 crashed. Beside the towers is the Virgin Mary holding the towers as they fall. Inscribed toward the bottom of the window are the 15 names of the Villanovans who lost their lives that day. Fourteen out of the 15 were working in the World Trade Center, and one was a flight attendant on one of the planes that crashed into the towers.
“The windows were installed and blessed around 2008,” Duffy said. “About seven years after Sept. 11.”
The Falvey Library also had a memorial at its entrance with two framed photos of the 15 Villanovans. There were also flowers and flags surrounding the photos.
Despite the time that has passed, the Villanova community will never forget the 2,977 people who lost their lives.
Villanova remembers W. David Bauer, Class of ’78; James P. Berger, Class of ’78; Dennis Michael Cook, Class of ’90; Jeannine Damiani-Jones, Class of ’94; Christopher M. Dincuff, Class of ’92; Jeffrey Mark Dingle, Class of ’90; Christopher M. Duffy, Class of ’00; William Fallon, Class of ’70; Peter Gelinas, Class of ’90; Michael Gould, Class of ’94; Amy Jarret, Class of ’94; Jennifer Lynn Kane, Class of ’97; Danielle Kousoulis, Class of ’93; Kaaria Mbaya, Class of ’86; and Matthew Vianna, Class of ’00.
