City officials, member of the Police and Fire Department, and the general public gathered on Saturday to observe the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

On Saturday, the City of Somerville held a ceremony and procession in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Services, honoring the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.

The procession began at Cedar Street and followed the Somerville Community Path towards Davis Square. It was led by members of the Somerville Police and Fire Departments.

Behind them was Mayor Joe Curtatone, City Council President Matt McLaughlin, and other members of the City Council such as Wilfred Mbah. Various members of the public were at the back of the solemn procession.

The ceremony began early at 9:30 a.m. with a brief moment of silence. Afterward, the procession began, taking approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Throughout the route, different passers-by and community members lined the path as the procession passed by. Once the group reached the end of the Community Path, it took a left turn towards the 9/11 memorial in front of Dave’s Fresh Pasta.

As the procession crossed Highland Ave., members of the Somerville Fire Department saluted the procession, with a large American flag hanging off one of the SFD engines.

Once the procession reached the memorial in Davis Square, a short ceremony was held to honor the victims of 9/11. Another brief moment of silence was observed in their honor.

An opening prayer was said by Father Paul Coughlin, from St. Raphael Parish.

After this, Mayor Joe Curtatone gave some remarks on the tragic events of September 11 and his surprise at the fact that 20 years have passed since that fateful day.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been two decades since that awful and tragic day. Eerily, the weather was kind of like today, it was a beautiful day,” Curtatone said, “We can all agree that nothing will lessen the tragedy of that day, not even the passing of time.”

After remarks by Mayor Curtatone, City Council President McLaughlin followed up with some remarks on the tragic date.

“The moment that we were united as one people, I think there was a point where we could get back to being one people and sometimes it takes that collective suffering which is a universal thing that all human beings feel,” McLaughlin said.

Following these remarks, members of the public were invited to place flowers onto the 9/11 memorial and another moment of silence was observed.

Finally, a closing prayer was said by Father Coughlin, which ended the ceremony.