Sept. 11 Mass being held

Saturday will mark the three-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Unlike past years, Boston University will not be holding a formal memorial. However, a number of organizations including the Student Activities Office and the Catholic Center will be holding special events in commemoration.

A 12:10 p.m. Mass today at the Catholic Center Chapel, located at 211 Bay State Road, will focus on promoting peace, seeking justice and praying for those who were injured, killed or otherwise suffered because of the Sept. 11 events, said Father Paul Helfrich, the University Chaplain from the BU Catholic Center, in an email sent Tuesday.

Helfrich said the Chapel will remain open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today for students and members of the BU community “who would like to prayerfully remember the tragic events of that day.”

Many seniors were just beginning their freshman year when the terrorist attacks hit.

College of Communication senior Kate Kalber was a freshman at the time and said the experience directly affected her college experience.

Kalber said she did not know anything was going on until she saw a group of classmates and professors gathered outside an office.

“I remember my professor saying ‘this could be the start of World War III,'” she said. “It was a scary feeling.”

It was especially difficult for freshmen because they were experiencing this tragedy during their first week away from home, Kalber said.

“I remember watching students in my classes who were from New York City or surrounding areas just waiting for phone calls to make sure their families were OK and thinking how scary it was for them to be away from their family for the first time and not knowing if they were OK,” she said.

Kalber said for her and many of her classmates the events triggered the effects of homesickness.

“The last place I wanted to be was the city,” she said. “Everyone just wanted to go home.”

For College of Arts and Sciences senior Irene Resenly, Sept. 11 was not only scary, but also an opportunity to bond with new friends as they supported one another.

“I think it brought our class or groups in our class together in such a unique and powerful way,” she said. “I remember becoming friends with my group of girls … Everyone was flooding back from class – we all huddled around the TV together. We were all there to support each other and share cell phones and computers … to contact people.”

Resenly said the day was especially scary for her because her best friend was a new student at New York University and she was unable to reach her.

“Not only were we adjusting to a new world at BU, but even the external world was changing by the minute that day,” she said. “At least with my group, that brought us closer together.”