The campus community came together this morning to remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to pray for peace.
As multiple sites in our nation encountered acts of terror, our reality was changed forever, said Chaplain Paul Sittason Stark, who led the service.
“Today, we gather to pray, to meditate, to remember prayers for peace in our world,” he said. “Today, we remember that this not only affected us but all nations of the world."
Symbolically, the service was held at Heidelberg’s Peace Pole in front of the Campus Center. The Peace Pole represents the greatest majority of languages, the greatest majority of faith traditions and the native tongue of northwest Ohio: English, Chinese, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese, German, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Pali and Wyandotte. Each translates to the message “May peace prevail on Earth.”
Those gathered observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the 9/11 victims, followed by readings of prayers from various faith traditions, including Buddhist, Muslim, Native American, Sikh, Hindu, Baha’i and Christian. The service concluded when everyone, in unison, exclaimed “May peace prevail on Earth.”