On Thursday of this week, President George W. Bush officially designated September 14, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. In his proclamation he stated: "We mourn with those who have suffered great and disastrous loss. All our hearts have been seared by the sudden and senseless taking of innocent lives. We pray for healing and for the strength to serve and encourage one another in hope and faith."

We gather today in solidarity with our President as we remember the victims of the September 11th massacre – men, women, and children who were sacrificed at the altar of hate.

We remember family and friends who anxiously await notification that a loved one has been rescued.

We remember millions of Americans who are joined with international friends in prayer and hope for compassion in a world ravished by violence and fear.

Most of all, we remember our own Bowling Green Community:

Our students whose lives will never be quite the same because of September 11th, yet who are unable to discern what has really changed. Only time and critical reflection can answer this haunting question.

Our faculty and staff, conditioned by Vietnam and wars of our past, yet were overwhelmed by the savage brutality which erupted without warning in the heart of democracy.

Our numerous alumni in New York and Washington, D.C. who are living through the hell we are viewing on TV, and especially the family of Mrs. Kathleen (Hawk) Nickosia a 1969 Bowling Green graduate who was on the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center, and Georgine (Brough) Corrigan, a former student, who died in the Pennsylvania plane crash.

As we ponder what we have lost, let us also remember that while a terrorist can take a life, we must never allow terrorism to kill the Human Spirit. In this time of National grief, I call on each of you to respond with compassion, self-reflection and determination.

Never let it be said that our spiritual sensitivity and intelligence succumbed to violence and hatred.

Terrorists can destroy life and property, but only LOVE can restore them.

Closing Prayer

Most merciful God, be for us a light in times of darkness,
Our strength when we are weak,
Wisdom in our confusion,
Healing in time of tragedy,
And courage to work through life’s problems and difficulties.
Give us Joy when we are sad,
Bread to feed our hunger, and
Eternal life to defeat the power of death…
In these troubled times, Pray for our Nation and World