Residents Transform Duffy Park into a Sanctuary Before Opening Football Game

In the shocking aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, one of the only thing many Americans could do was pray. Even people with hardly any religious beliefs took hands and heart to prayer. Tragedy seems to bring people to that.

Ten years later, millions of Americans across the nation joined together again to commemorate fallen heroes and victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. One prayer community in Evergreen Park brought prayer outdoors to .

 has made it a tradition to Since the morning also happened to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11, before taking to the gridiron, the football team and cheerleaders prayed alongside members of their church and other Evergreen Park residents. With sunny skies and a light breeze tempering the moderate temperatures,  the weather cooperated.

Rev. James Hyland, presiding at the outdoor Mass with several hundred people in attendance, began his sermon talking about forgiveness and the Golden Rule.

“Jesus calls us to forgive without limit,” said Hyland.

Hyland said that forgiveness doesn’t mean we don’t as a country defend ourselves or respond when attacked but that “we don’t respond with evil.”

Member of Most Holy Redeemer Steve Lidga concluded the Mass with a prayer for healing, wisdom and peace.

The Demiks, an Evergreen Park family of four, walked to the Mass in the park from their home a few blocks away. Spouses Phil and Kim and their children Brittney and Vincent all wore shirts commemorating firefighters who became heroes at Ground Zero. During a point in the service, following bread-breaking, Kim and Brittney held hands sitting in folding chairs – a mother and daughter in silent prayer.

Phil Demik has several friends in the New York Fire Department. 

The family came to “take time to remember people who lost their lives,” Demik said. He planned to spend the rest of the day with his family in reflection.

One elderly resident in attendance said she regretted turning on her television before church. All the images were those that will forever mark Sept. 11 as a date in history. Smoke billowing from a falling World Trade Center and audio of people debilitated by the shock of the moment they were in.

Once Mass ended, church attendees became fans at a football game. But before the game started,  marched out in procession to the 50-yard line. There was a moment of silence and the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. And then, after fans reflected together, the middle school boys took to the field for the coin flip and start of the game.

Football, like prayer, brings people together for a common cause. Sports, like religion, bring meaning to lives. Cheering for a favorite team can bring stability to folks when a lot of things don’t make sense. Simply put, it was apropos that the Most Holy Redeemer football team took to the field after the Mass.

One of the best ways to commemorate is to somehow find a way to move forward after a tragedy. All Americans, from those who lost loved ones in the World Trade Center to those who watched footage on a television from a distance, had to find a way to continue after the attack. We’re still searching in many ways.