Brooklyn prepares to commemorate 16th anniversary of 9/11 with boroughwide tributes

More than a decade and a half after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Brooklyn is more united than ever.

That camaraderie will come in loud and clear at a number of now-annual 9/11 remembrance events throughout the borough.

State Senator Marty Golden will once again host his pair of annual 9/11 memorials to commemorate the 16th anniversary on Monday, September 11: a memorial in Marine Park, 3000 Fillmore Avenue, by the flagpole at 6 p.m. and a memorial on the American Veterans Memorial 69^th Street Pier, at Shore Road and Bay Ridge Avenue, at 7:30 p.m.

Both ceremonies will feature a patriotic program that will include 21-gun salute and a candle-lighting vigil.

“In the minutes following the attacks of September 11, almost instantly our community joined together to help those in need,” Golden said.  “Many of us lost someone we knew, neighbors, friends and colleagues, yet we responded in strength to help our city in the darkest days. That is why it is so important that we are together to remember those lost and console those who were left behind.”

Also on that Monday, the 16th Annual Bill Brown Park 9/11 Anniversary Memorial will take place in Sheepshead Bay starting at 6:30 p.m. near the Avenue X and Bedford Avenue entrance. Since its inception, attendees have utilized the remembrance as a means to pay their respects near the park’s painted mural on the handball court.

On Saturday, September 9, Saint Ephrem’s Parish in Dyker Heights will remember its nine parishioners who lost their lives on 9/11 at its annual remembrance liturgy.

The liturgy will take place at 5 p.m., starting in the church’s outdoor Memorial Garden, which the pastor will bless. There, parishioners will join in song and prayer before proceeding in for the remainder of the service.

“We commemorate 9/11 in the same way every year,” explained Mary Jane LaVache, the co-chair of the group that came together to work on the Memorial Garden. “We invite back the families of the victims, because we lost nine people in the parish, and we provide them at the end of mass with a bouquet of flowers, and then the family and friends of the lost loved ones are invited to go out to the memorial and have a quiet time of reflection.”

LaVache herself lost her mother on 9/11.

“It’s just our way of remembering the victims and keeping them in our prayers,” she said.

In addition, a newer tradition – a 9/11 remembrance service at Brooklyn Borough Hall – will take place the Thursday prior to the anniversary, September 7, at 9:30 a.m. outside the building. Presented by Borough President Eric Adams, the Borough Hall service is another means to honor the families of those who lost their lives on that tragic day.

Brooklyn Borough Hall is located at 209 Joralemon Street. There will be a reception to follow. Those interested in attending are urged to RSVP at www.brooklyn-usa.org/911remembrance.