September 16, 2026
St. John’s University commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks with several events designed to preserve the meaning of that fateful day for a generation that never experienced it. The University accomplished this challenging mandate through prayer, reflection, service and remembrance activities, student art, and theater.
Two remembrance Masses were held September 11 at St. Thomas More Church on the Queens, NY, campus. The Rev. Aidan R. Rooney, C.M., M.Div., M.Th. ’78NDC, Executive Vice President for Mission, was principal celebrant and homilist at the afternoon Mass. During his homily, he stressed that those alive on September 10, 2001, were unaware what the next day would demand of them, but had trained all their lives for such a moment.
It wasn’t simply the police officers, firefighters, and first responders who were in training, but everyday citizens who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances, Fr. Rooney said. “We couldn’t have known. We didn’t know that we were getting ready for that day.”
Senior Jack Collins, a member of the President’s Society and an altar server at Mass, said, “For those of us who weren’t alive on 9/11, it’s our mission to carry on and never forget.”
He added, “We mourn the world as it used to be—one that felt free from fear, where we never imagined something like that could happen. But through those dark times, people came together. This is something that everyone can unite around, and our faith is what helps us stay strong.”
On September 10, a Paint and Reflect evening was held at St. Thomas More Church in which participants were invited to explore their emotions through creative expression. A candlelight procession and prayer service followed.
Junior Evan Abreu lost an uncle he never met in the South Tower on September 11. “In my freshman year during a seminar, we toured the Queens campus. We went to the St. Vincent staircase where you can see the skyline of Manhattan and imagine where the towers once stood. Then we visited the memorial inside St. Thomas More Church. It was moving.” Evan planned to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City the following day.
The grandfather of Christopher Camarda, also a junior, escaped the South Tower after finishing an overnight shift as an electrician. “It’s just an enormous tragedy—needless violence that sprang from the desire to spread terror,” Christopher said. “It did not have to happen. We need to really think about that.”
“My middle school English teacher was five when he lost his father in the World Trade Center,” noted freshman Kelin Romero Hernandez. “He would say that whenever he looked at a clock, it seemed to read 9:11. It was just very traumatic for him.”
The Chappell Players Theatre Group was rehearsing a production of Come from Away, a musical about the residents of Gander, Newfoundland, who welcomed thousands of stranded airline passengers after US airspace closed following the September 11 attacks. The shows are scheduled for October 16–18 and 22–24.
The father and aunt of junior Mara Wild, president of the theatre group, both escaped the Pentagon on September 11. “We thought it would be a good way to honor the memories of the people who died, but we also felt the show tells a very different story,” Mara offered. “This story is really about September 12 and what happened in the aftermath of 9/11. That’s the story we wanted to showcase, because students were not alive that day. We really wanted to pick a production that showcased that sense of community and strength in people.”
On September 11, the St. John’s chapter of fraternity Sigma Pi sponsored a Tunnel to Towers Foundation remembrance event in front of Lourdes Hall. Frank Rodriguez, a representative of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), noted that this was his sixth or seventh such event at St. John’s.
“It’s a very somber day,” he said. “You think about the impact it had on everybody’s lives—the family members, friends, coworkers, and all those who were affected. We come here to remember and pay respect to everyone we lost.”
Mr. Rodriguez added, “I like coming to St. John’s because the University does a good tribute. Twenty-five years later, it’s important to see the younger generation still acknowledging 9/11 and showing respect to those who were lost.”
Senior Ben Lamberty, Sigma Pi President, said, “This marks the 10th year that our fraternity has held this walk. It’s something very near and dear to our hearts. A lot of our members have family connections to first responders or hope to become firefighters themselves. Many people were affected by 9/11 in some way, and we want to keep that connection to the community alive.”
Ben noted that an alumnus recently lost his father to a 9/11-related illness, “so we dedicated today’s walk in his honor. We’re grateful that the FDNY members came out to join us and support this tribute.”
Rounding out the tributes was a 9-11 memorial display in the D’Angelo Center foyer. The annual display of student reflections, curated over 13 years by retired Adjunct Professor Paulette Hughes, was originally featured on the former Staten Island, NY, campus of St. John’s, but found a home in Queens last year.
Leticia M. Romero, Director of Mission and Inclusive Formation at St. John’s University, remarked that it was wonderful to see Staten Island alumni represented through the display, which told the story of 9/11 and its aftermath from the perspective of those in Professor Hughes’s classes from 2011 to 2024.
“On a day like today,” Fr. Rooney stressed, “we want to remember people we have lost and the gift that people gave, and commit ourselves and be ready to be Christian on the day [we are challenged], to love without distinction and fulfill the commands of God. Let’s ask God for the grace to be ready.”