FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: RABBI SAMUEL M. COHON, 327-4501
SAT BIR KAUR KHALSA, 490-1165
PASTOR TOM DUNHAM, 982-7115

Together We Remember: September 11, 2012

September 11th, 2012 marks the eleventh anniversary of the events that changed our country and our world in the most profound ways. In Tucson we seek to commemorate this day as both a memorial remembrance and an inspiration to help build our community, our country, and our world for good, for life, and for peace. Out of our diversity of backgrounds, creeds, and races we embrace a deep unity that employs our collective gifts to remember 9/11 and to be inspired to strive for a better, brighter future for us all.

Tuesday, September 11, 2011 at 7:00 pm, the Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance will hold a community prayer service entitled “Together We Remember: September 11” at Streams in the Desert Lutheran Church, 5360 E. Pima. Clergy representatives of many different faith communities and civic leaders will participate in a ceremony of prayer, music, and reflection.

Everyone is invited to attend and remember. Attendees are asked to bring a can of non-perishable food for the Community Food Bank.

The Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance is a multi-faith group dedicated to building mutual understanding and community across the boundary lines of religion, race, creed, orientation, and ability. Its members commit themselves to an ongoing dialogue, and resolve to learn, teach, pray, and act together to bring an open religious and spiritual dimension to public life in Tucson.

Call (520) 327-4501 for more information

This summer my husband and I listened to a lecture by the architect Michael Arad about the memorial at the site of the former World Trade Towers in NYC. He won the design competition in 2004 for this huge project, and spoke of the long process it took to create a beautiful & respectful memorial for the families of the nearly 3,000 victims. Read the New York Times article about Mr. Arad: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/arts/design/how-the-911-memorial-changed-its-architect-michael-arad.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all.

Later in August my husband was in NYC and was able to view this memorial in person for the first time, and he said it was “deeply moving”. He added that “the silence and physical depth of the memorial was awesome”. I hope to see it someday.

For every year’s anniversary of 9/11/01 the Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance has held a memorial service to reflect upon the national tragedy of that fateful day. Tonight the 10th memorial service was held at St. Augustine’s Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Avenue in downtown Tucson.

Here’s tonight’s program with some of my notes of the reflections/prayers:

Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon & Rabbi Jason Holtz, Temple Emanu-El – sounding of the Shofar (ram’s horn)

Davis-Monthan Color Guard (presentation of Colors)

Patricia Flores, Yoeme/Maya Nation: Ome Malintzna (Sacred Fire Woman, Mexica) – Yoeme Blessing

Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas, Catholic Bishop of Tucson – welcome

Reverend Raven Gaston, Catalina United Methodist Church – “Moses & the Shepherd”, from the writings of Rumi (13th-century mystic)

Reverend Allen Breckenridge, St. Mathew’s Episcopal Church, & Reverend Tom Dunham, Streams of the Desert Lutheran Church (choir) – “God We’ve Known Such Grief & Anger”

Huseyin Salim Sen, Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialogue – recitation of Qu’ran

Reverend Lee Milligan, Casas Adobes United Church of Christ – Prayer (“for all, to all, help us to remember”)

City of Tucson Councilmember Shirley Scott (ward 4) – reflection (“We are a country of kindness, strength, courage & resolve”)

Renu Phull, Tucson Sikh Sangat – Poem “One” by Dr. Cheryl Sawyer (“We are one color, one class, one generation, one gender, one faith, one language, one body, one family, one soul, one people, We are the Power of One, We are united, We are America”.)

Tucson Sikh Sangat – “Kirtan” (Sacred Music of the Sikhs), “Too Thakur Tum Peh Ardas” from Sukhmani Sahib, “The Lagoon of Peace” by Guru Arjan (16th Century)

Chair Ramon Valadez, Pima County Board of Supervisors (District 2) – reflection (“despite grief & pain, celebrate courage, compassion, humanity, caring & sharing, & faith”)

Reverend Kate Bradsen, Vicar, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church – prayer (“thanksgiving for diversity”)

Reverend Elwood McDowell, Trinity Missionary Baptist Church – reflection (“love & hope, love your enemies”)

Nicole Best, Baha’i Community – Baha’i prayer (“unity in diversity, religion is One, friendliness, fellowship”)

Supervisor Ray Carroll, Pima County Board of Supervisors (District 4) – reflection (“for those who sacrificed their lives, a call to sainthood, and also to honor those six who died on 1/8/11″.)

Pam Simon, Community Outreach Coordinator for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords – reflection (on the “similarities of 9/11/01 and 1/8/11 when the community came together, to make a better & more peaceful world”.) She was shot twice on 1/8/11 & recovered.

Streams of the Desert Lutheran Church Joy Choir – “In Memoriam” by Susan Naus Dengler and Lee Dengler

The Most Reverend Gerald F. Kicanas – memorial words (“think of what united us, not divided us, and the need to act now, to see where love is needed, to build peace, fight prejudice, help those in suffering.”)

“America the Beautiful” – music by Bill Kusack led by Sister Lois Paha

Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon – Closing benediction & Birkat Kohanim (priestly blessing – “let us be the next responders”)

Davis-Monthan Color Guard – retiring of the Colors

The Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance is a “multi-faith group dedicated to building mutual understanding and community across the boundary lines of religion, race, creed, orientation & ability. Its members commit themselves to an ongoing dialogue, and resolve to learn, teach, pray, and act together to bring an open religious & spiritual dimension to public life in Tucson.” For more info, contact Sat Bir Kaur Khalsa at 520-490-1165.

This memorial service tonight was in memory of the 2977 people who gave their lives on 9/11/01, 248 who were passengers on the four American Airlines or United Airlines planes, the others who died at the World Trade Center or at the Pentagon. I’ve attended probably every one of these memorial services and have been pleased to see these leaders from different religions (Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Baha’is, etc.) and political leaders all come together in common prayer & reflection upon such a tragedy.

Together we remember 9/11.

For eight years I have been attending the Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance’s commemoration services of 9/11/01. One of the positive outcomes of that day has been this annual service held at various churches/temples/synagogues on every 9/11 since.

Today’s service was held at high noon at the Temple Emanu-El at 225 N.Country Club Road. This service today brought speakers/performers from the Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Baha’i, and Sikh communities of Tucson. In the past there have been other representatives of Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Sufi, and Hindu religious communities as well.

Particularly moving today were the heartfelt stories of two Jewish former New Yorkers, Craig and Lori Sumberg, who lived in upper Manhattan on 9/11/01 and were there working/studying that day. They assisted with feeding rescue workers after that tragic event. Lori stated at the end of her remarks that we need to “fill the darkness with love, light, and hope” for the future.

Two “Sisters” one a lay minister from the Family Federation for World Peace and the other an Interfaith minister sang the Peace Walk Song one of them had written, expressing the image of “a flower blossoming daily in the hearts” of those who give and forgive. I thought that was particularly fitting for Tucson, especially as the song by Jayne Turconi starts with “I walk across the desert with a flower in my hand.”

Bringing all these representatives of different religions together in one service has been a positive outcome of 9/11, creating a new sense of community and working together in Tucson.

The Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance’s mission statement is “building mutual understanding and community across the boundary lines of religion, race, creed, orientation and ability.”
For more information contact Sat Bir Kaur Khalsa at 690-5715 or Loretta Tracy at 881-0183.

Their next multi-faith service is the annual Thanksgiving one, which my husband and I have attended for several years.

From the Peace Walk Song: “Peace, Shalom, Salaam Alaikum, Namaste…”

KGUN 9 has a link to this memorial service at www.kgun9.com, News, “Tucsonans of Faith Remember 9/11″.