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BY JOHN SANFORD In many religious traditions the official period of mourning is one year, the Rev. Scotty McLennan, dean for religious life, told hundreds of Stanford community members on the one-year anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.
President John Hennessy sprinkles wildflower seeds in closing ritual of memorial service. Photo: Steve Castillo While emphasizing that those who died in the terrorist attacks will never be forgotten, McLennan also counseled people to look to the future. "After one year, the emphasis changes to re-entering life and recommitting ourselves to life-sustaining and life-enhancing tasks that, indeed, the dead would want of us," he said. The half-hour remembrance service on the Main Quad featured prayers and music from a variety of religious faiths, as well as a symbolic gesture of hope: the scattering of wildflower seeds in four wooden planters. President John Hennessy, who delivered the keynote address, said the terrorist attacks had deepened his "appreciation for the core values on which this country and this university are based." "The principles we take for granted -- a democratically elected government, freedom of the press and of religious choice, equality of individuals -- were, in my mind, targets of the attacks," he said. "We might ask ourselves what we should do so that the victims of 9/11 shall not have died in vain. Certainly, we must take steps to prevent such acts of terror in the future. If in taking those steps, however, we renege on the principles on which this country stands, our enhanced security will be but a tarnished memorial to the victims of Sept. 11." The service featured the Muslim call to prayer; the Hindu Gayatri Mantra; musical offerings by a Catholic and a Protestant; and the sounding of a shofar (a Jewish tradition). Toward the end, a Buddhist prayer bell was struck, and people formed lines in front of the planters. The seeds they dispersed then were taken to be sown in the center median of Campus Drive. "Later this academic year, the wildflowers will be blooming all around the campus," McLennan said. "May the seeds that we plant here mark a new beginning for each of us and for all of us. In honor of those who died on Sept. 11 of last year, may we recommit ourselves to the highest and best of which we are capable -- individually, together here at Stanford and as members of the human community around the globe." Rolling Requiem At 8:46 a.m. EDT on Sept. 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, initiating the grimmest day of death and destruction on American soil in more than a century. At 8:46 a.m. PDT on Sept. 11, 2002, the high sandstone arches of Memorial Church resonated with the warmth of about 220 voices singing Mozart's Requiem. Schola Cantorum, a Mountain View-based choir, was joined by dozens of other Bay Area choral members to perform the piece in conjunction with the Rolling Requiem (www.rollingrequiem.org), a tribute to those who died and those who risked their lives last year on Sept. 11. Initiated by members of the Seattle Symphony Chorale, the project involved more than 15,000 volunteers in 26 countries. The result was an almost continuous 24-hour performance of the requiem; choirs around the world began singing at 8:46 a.m. in their time zone, starting with Auckland, New Zealand, and ending with American Samoa. Gregory Wait, Schola Cantorum's music director and a senior
lecturer in music at Stanford, conducted the choir in Memorial
Church. When the piece was over, the audience and singers left in
silence. |
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Stanford Report, September 25, 2002
