*Photo Submitted by St. Joseph High School

Press Release 9/11/15

METUCHEN- On Friday, September 11, 2015, the entire student body, faculty and staff of St. Joseph High School joined together for a prayer service in remembrance of the tragic events that occurred 14 years ago. Every year, the St. Joseph High School Community has come together to honor and pay tribute to the thousands of people who lost their lives, especially St. Joseph High School alumni: William Fallon ‘66, James Lynch ‘72 and R. Andrew Spencer ‘84.

Justin Fleetwood, the newly-appointed Principal of St. Joseph High School, began the ceremony with remarks about how difficult it is to capture what this anniversary means to us as Americans, as Catholic Christians. Mr. Fleetwood asked the assemblage, “As we come before the presence of God and one another with our prayers and petitions, our questions, our grief and our anger, we hear these words from the ancient prophet: ‘Forgive your neighbors in justice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Think of the Commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults’.”

Lucas Pick, a member of the senior class, recalled, at the age of three, that he was sitting at home watching television while the screen went blank and his Mom tried to fix the set to no avail. Once the cable was restored, they changed the channel from PBS to NBC. Lucas said that he would “never forget the horrifying image that flashed across the screen that cloudless blue morning. While unable to comprehend the meaning of these attacks, I knew a tragedy had just transpired before my very eyes.”  Like thousands of families that day, his parents sat anxiously by the phone waiting for news of friends and relatives who worked in downtown New York City.

Lucas shared the story of his Uncle Ted, a trained EMT, who made his daily commute into the city that day and after the attack spent his entire day caring for the wounded and comforting the distressed. It was not for over 24 hours that his family did finally receive word that he was safe. Lucas concluded his thoughts by saying, “As we recall the events of 9/11, let us keep in mind our roles as Americans, students of a Catholic school, and members of the human race. This is why we gathered here today: to remember those who were lost, to pray for those who sinned, and to serve one another as Christ served us.”

Student members of the school’s Campus and Music Ministries led the student body in prayer and song. Mr. Fleetwood ended the concluded with the Prayer at Ground Zero by Pope Benedict XI.