Interfaith Human Relations Committee of the Cranford Clergy Council to Hold Sept 11th Memorial

The number of people affected by the Sept. 11th attacks on the World Trade Center remain astounding, even over a decade after the actual attack. As of calculations from 2012, 2,753 people were killed in the attacks in New York. 422,000 New Yorkers are estimated to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder due to the events. On average, those
lost were between 35 and 39 years old. 

In the small town of Cranford, NJ, residents and family members remember year after year the six Cranford residents who lost their lives during the attacks, Dean Eberling, Christopher Grady, Robert Lynch, Gregory Milanowycz, Thomas Regan, and Leonard Snyder. This
year, the Interfaith Human Relations Committee of the Cranford Clergy Council
invites the public to attend a memorial service at the 9/11 Memorial Park, at the intersection of

Springfield and North Union Ave, at 7PM on Wed, Sept. 11th to honor the fallen and show that we have not forgotten.

This year, a color guard from Boy Scout Troop 80 will meet with the family members affected by the attacks at the First Presbyterian Church of Cranford. The Eberlings, Gradys, Lynchs, Milanowyczs, Regans, and Snyders will then be escorted across the street, where the public is invited to attend a service. Gerald Dobbins, Chair of the nonprofit group Cranford WTC Memorial Fund Committee, will be offering words of welcome, and introduce the Pledge of Allegiance. The six names of the fallen will then be read as a wreath is placed down. The First Presbyterian Church of Cranford will ring its bells six times in honor of the men and prayers will be read. Finally, those in attendance are invited to stay to reflect on the event or to depart in silence.

Reverend John
Kile, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranford, echoes from when he
spoke at the 2011 memorial service, “Let’s remember this day, for hate and
anger and fear does not hold sway… And if you look around, just at the faces here, it has proved positive that faith, hope, and love, will win the day.”

The 9/11 Memorial Park was dedicated on Sept. 11, 2003 and
has been the site of the Sept. 11th Memorial Services ever since. Donations for the perpetual maintenance of the park
can be sent to Cranford WTC Fund, Box 265, Cranford, NJ 07016.

ABOUT INTERFAITH
HUMAN RELATIONS COMMITTEE OF THE CRANFORD CLERGY COUNCIL:

The Interfaith Human
Relations Committee of the Cranford Clergy Council consists of members from all houses of worship in Cranford, and Osceola Church in Clark. The group has sponsored anti-bullying events, service days,
and interfaith religious services. This year, the group plans to hold a book
club, a Thanksgiving dinner, a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, and a
Holocaust Remembrance Service, amongst other events.