Various commemorative events are planned on Staten Island to mark the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks

STATEN ISLAND, NY — On and around the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, several memorial events are planned on Staten Island to provide an opportunity for reflection and to ensure that those who lost their lives on that tragic day are not forgotten.

There will also be a minute of silence throughout the city to commemorate the moment the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

And in places of worship across the city, bells will ring to commemorate the moment the September 11 attacks began.

In addition, firefighters at fire stations across New York City will observe moments of silence and ring bells in their own way to commemorate the tragic moments of 2001.

10 September Events

Angel Circle

A September 11th memorial service will be held on September 10th at 7 p.m. at Angels' Circle.

Angels' Circle at the intersection of Hylan Boulevard and Fingerboard Road is a memorial garden featuring the faces of the more than 200 Staten Island residents who lost their lives on September 11.

Photographs attached to stakes embedded in the ground join the statues of angels scattered throughout the memorial, commemorating the “angels” who lost their lives in the attacks.

The ceremony will be moderated by the Circle's founder, Wendy Pellegrino, a pioneer of its success. After the performance, with music from Staten Island Pipes and Drums, Reverend Michael Martine will lead a prayer.

“God Bless America” and other inspirational songs will be performed by Maria Crupi, and representatives of Girl Scout Troop 5001 – Giana Pizzo and Mary Kate Russo – will recite “The Broken Chain.”

Louise Cagnetta, a Staten Island singer for 35 years, will perform “You Raise Me Up” and other beautiful songs, and the names of civilians, firefighters and police officers lost on September 11 will be read.

Captain Luigi Carrubba, commanding officer of the 122nd Precinct, will address the assembly.

At this year's ceremony, 14-year-old Christopher Azzolini will be honored with an award for his annual commitment to the ceremony, Pellegrino said.

Azzolini began handing out programs at the annual ceremony at age 3, she said. “He helped me the whole time,” Pellegrino recalls.

Also honored during the ceremony will be Marty Higgins, a community member who visits the monument daily to maintain and clean it.

“I don’t know what I would do without him,” said Pellegrino, who now lives in New Jersey.

She said Higgins sweeps, picks up trash and keeps the memorial looking good. “It's incredible what he does,” she said. “Every single day.”

Notre Dame Club of Staten Island

The Notre Dame Club of Staten Island will hold its eve of solemn remembrance service on September 10 at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of Pity Church, 1616 Richmond Ave., Bulls Head.

The event, which is open to members of all faiths, begins with an indoor presentation of inspirational sacred music by the Molloy Group and an outdoor presentation by Staten Island Pipes and Drums.

At 7:30 p.m. there will be a joint mass with Bishop Peter Byrne, the Episcopal Vicar of Staten Island, and other celebrants.

During the mass, the names of all victims of that day on Staten Island, as well as all Staten Island residents who have died from 9/11-related illnesses, will be read. A candlelight tribute will be held while members of the Staten Island Pipes and Drums play “Amazing Grace.”

It is open to the public and people of all faiths are invited, said Joseph Delaney, director of the Notre Dame Club's Eve of Solemn Remembrance.

“The whole concept of this service is to bring healing and comfort to the families of the victims and the friends of those who lost their lives on 9/11, whom we never want to forget,” Daleney said.

Staten Island High School students will help read the names, Delaney said.

“The beautiful thing about it is that many of these children were not even born on 9/11, and we are trying to give them an idea of ​​what this ceremony means to so many people on Staten Island,” he said.

Events of September 11

Postcards Monument

Borough President Vito Fossella will host the annual September 11th Remembrance Ceremony on Wednesday, September 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Postcards Memorial. Clock

The Borough President's Ceremony is a solemn tribute to the Staten Islanders who died in the September 11 attacks, as well as to the Staten Island first responders who have since died due to health complications related to their work at Ground Zero.

The annual ceremony will include the recital of the names of Staten Island residents who tragically lost their lives on September 11, as well as the reading of the names of first responders who have died since that day. In addition, a memorial video will show the names and pictures of the fallen.

“It is an honor to once again host this ceremony and reaffirm that we will never forget,” Fossella said. “We invite all who wish to pay their respects to those who tragically lost their lives on September 11th and those who have sadly lost their lives since then to come to this solemn remembrance.”

The ceremony is open to the public. Parking is available at the Empire Outlets in the Wall Street Garage. Participants may enter the grounds from Richmond Terrace at Hamilton Avenue or from SIUH Community Park.

Staten Island University Hospital

On September 11, Staten Island University Hospital will host a memorial service at 8:45 a.m. where hospital staff will remember the lives lost and honor our nation's resilience.

The events will take place in front of the entrances to the Ocean Breeze and Princes Bay locations and are open to the public.

They include blessings and heartfelt renditions of “Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America.”

University of Richmond Medical Center

Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) staff, along with members of the FDNY, NYPD, military veterans and law enforcement, will participate in an annual remembrance ceremony on Wednesday, September 11 at 12:00 p.m.

The ceremony will take place near the Memorial Garden and flagpole in the employee parking lot behind 355 Bard Ave., West Brighton.

A flag raising ceremony will be performed by the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club along with the Blue Knights and Rolling Fire.

A memorial wreath is donated by the RUMC Relief Association.

To access the hospital memorial, participants should use the rear entrance to the parking lot from Castleton Avenue.

FDNY Rescue 5

FDNY Rescue 5 in Concord, the only fire station on Staten Island to lose all of its members on September 11, invites members of the community to attend a memorial service on Monday, September 11, at 11:30 a.m. at Holy Rosary Church, 80 Jerome Ave., South Beach.

Beforehand, there will also be a minute's silence at the fire station on Clove Road, beginning at 8:46 a.m., the moment Flight 11 hit the North Tower.

In addition, a private reception for Rescue 5 members and their families will be held at the firehouse following the service.

In Manhattan

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum, which stands on the foundations of the collapsed Twin Towers, will again hold a private memorial ceremony on September 11. The program can be viewed on the 9/11 Memorial Museum website.

The ceremony begins on September 11 at 8:46 a.m. with a citywide moment of silence to commemorate the impact of the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Bells will also be rung in places of worship to commemorate the beginning of the September 11 attacks.

After the minute of silence, the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks and the 1993 bombing begin reading the names of all the victims. The reading itself lasts until about 12:30 p.m. and is interrupted only five times:

• 9:03 a.m., when the hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center;
• 9:37 a.m., when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon;
• 9:59 a.m., when the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed;
• 10:03 a.m. when the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, PA; and
• 10:28 a.m. when the north tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.

Tribute in the Light

On September 11, the Tribute in Light will return to the Manhattan skyline at sunset to commemorate the collapsed World Trade Center.

Presented by Con Edison, the twin beams of light will be visible from St. George and other areas on Staten Island's North Shore, as well as parts of Brooklyn. People can also gather at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza, which will remain open until midnight.

Sunset on September 11th is at 7:11 p.m. The Tribute in Light will remain illuminated until dawn on September 12th..

As an extension of Tribute in Light, the Museum is once again partnering with New York City Tourism and Conventions and buildings across the city to illuminate their facades and roofs in sky blue on the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

“'Tribute in Light' is a unique yet simple gesture of collective remembrance that illuminates the city from dusk to dawn each year on the evening of September 11,” the museum's website states.

Participants in the 23rd anniversary celebration include ConEdison, the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, The Oculus, City Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Rockefeller Center, Javits Center, The Phoenix at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island, and Empire State Plaza, as well as bridges and tunnels in and outside of New York City.