Andy Trayner, Maggie Murphy, Vera Murphy-Trayner, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Lori Jean Murphy and Tony Scarfo
NEWARK, NJ — Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, archbishop of Newark, commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11 by honoring those who died and consoling the loved ones they left behind during a special Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark on Sept. 8.
In his homily, Tobin acknowledged no one will ever forget the “national tragedy” that occurred 20 years ago. But he said those who are especially struggling after losing family in the “carnage” should know God shares the burden of life after experiencing it through Jesus.
“Because God became little and experienced our weakness, those who remember how a sunny morning disappeared into a dark night can be comforted that evil does not have the final word,” Tobin said, adding that people should turn to Mary in their grief. “May she comfort those who are overwhelmed in sadness as they remember 9/11. May she lead them to hope.”
Tobin also highlighted the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children, which organized the Mass to bring attention to three remembrance scholarships created in tribute to 9/11 victims. Vera Murphy-Trayner, who established one of those scholarships in 2006 to honor her husband Patrick S. Murphy, participated in the Mass as a gift bearer alongside her daughter, Maggie Murphy. The other two scholarships were newly-endowed by Mother Seton Regional High School in Clark and Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair.
To learn more about the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children or donate to its scholarships, visit https://www.sficnj.org/.
Photos Courtesy of the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children
About the Author
