SFU Students Join Nation in World Day of Prayer

SFU+Students+Join+Nation+in+World+Day+of+Prayer

Members of SFU’s Campus Ministry and the Knights of Columbus banded together on Friday, Sept. 11, in a World Day of Prayer at the Immaculate Conception Chapel.

This Prayer-for-Peace Service marked the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Four Saint Francis alumni were in the Twin Towers at the time of the attack and lost their lives that day: Frederick R. Kelly, Class of 1966; Larry J. Senko, Class of 1989; Mary Ellen Tiesi, Class of 1984; and Robert A. Zampieri, Class of 1994.

The prayer service lasted a half hour and consisted of prayer for peace in a troubled world.

“You can’t turn on the television without seeing some type of terrorist attack, or a beheading, or a war,” said Paul Girardi, SFU’s Associate Director of Campus Ministry. “And it’s not a ‘Catholic thing’ – this is for all people of good will, who frankly, look at today’s world and see violence. And they can’t do anything about it.

“But the one thing they can do is pray to the one God who can do it.”

Saint Francis’ chapter of the Knights of Columbus, which helped make the event possible, first participated in a World Day of Prayer for Peace in 2004.

Junior Jill Clark described last week’s event as a “standard prayer service.”

“It resembled a Catholic mass,” said Clark.

Roughly 25 people attended the event.

Girardi hopes this event will encourage others to pray for peace.

“I consider this just a small, brief pause during the day to stop and think about all the problems this world has – all the violence, all the suffering, all the poverty,” said Girardi.

“And maybe just lifting up our minds and our hearts to God, asking him for his assistance for just a moment.”