There will be ceremonies across the Northeast on Friday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Father Judge
Father Judge High School, 3301 Solly Ave., will hold a prayer service at 7:30 a.m. to remember and honor those who lost their lives that day.
The Rev. Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, Director of Salesian Spirituality & Mission, will lead the ceremony. Kolodziej will be joined by local first responders.
The prayer service will take place in front of the Father Judge 27 Memorial. The number 27 represents the 27 graduates of the school who died in the Vietnam War. Their names are enshrined on a wall on the front lawn of the school.
FOP Lodge 5
State Sen. Joe Picozzi will hold a Standing Together ceremony on Friday at 8 a.m. at FOP Lodge 5, 11630 Caroline Road, to commemorate the anniversary of the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. and the plane that crashed near Shanksville, Somerset County after brave passengers fought with the knife-wielding hijackers to prevent them from crashing the aircraft into an unknown target.
The public is invited.
Picozzi will be joined by FOP Lodge 5 President Roosevelt L. Poplar, IAFF Local 22 President Mike Bresnan, city elections commissioner Seth Bluestein, state Reps. Martina White, Pat Gallagher, Sean Dougherty and Joe Hohenstein and City Councilmen Brian O’Neill and Mike Driscoll.
The ceremony will honor all 2,977 victims, including 343 firefighters and 72 law enforcement officers who died while responding to the attacks. More than 6,000 individuals were injured during the attacks.
St. Martha Parish
St. Martha Church, 11301 Academy Road, will hold a Mass of Remembrance at 8:15 a.m.
That will be followed at 8:52 a.m. by a Memorial Stair Climb performed by students on the rectory lawn.
The climb will honor the brave heroes who ran into the World Trade Center, climbing stairwells to save lives. Students will collectively climb 110 flights of stairs (equivalent to 2,200 steps), symbolizing the ascent members of the Fire Department of New York and other first responders undertook that day as part of rescue efforts.
The school will use an inflatable stairs/climb to allow the youngest students to participate.
St. James Lutheran Church
St. James Lutheran Church, at Castor Avenue and Pratt Street, invites the public to its annual service to remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The service to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Friday.
The service will include participation by police officers, firefighters and civic members.
There will be a bagpiper, patriotic music, an appearance by the Frankford High School Junior ROTC and special guest speakers.
Protestant Home
Like St. James, the Philadelphia Protestant Home, 6401 Martins Mill Road, holds an annual ceremony on Sept. 11.
The 25th Patriot Day Flag-Raising Ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m., honoring the courage, sacrifice and service of firefighters, police officers, EMS personnel and other first responders while marking a quarter‑century of remembrance for the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
This year’s ceremony will feature appearances by state Rep. Anthony Bellmon, City Councilman Anthony Phillips, first responders, civic leaders, residents, staff and community partners. ••
