Remembering September 11 With Prayers, and With a Special Mass on Saturday. All Are Invited.

Twenty years ago this week, terrorists attacked the United States. As many in our country reflect on the terrible toll of that day and its aftermath, Bishop Alfred Schlert has issued the following message:

“On the 20th Anniversary of the September 11 attacks on our Nation, we pray for the continued healing of all those who lost their loved ones in the attacks on our homeland, those who have died protecting our country from terrorism, and those who continue to carry the trauma of that day.”

To help mark the anniversary, Bishop Schlert will celebrate the Diocesan Red, White, and Blue Mass for police, firefighters, first responders, health care workers, military, legal professionals, elected officials, and their families on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 3 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, Orefield.

Deacon Greg Kandra of the Brooklyn Diocese, whose blog “The Deacon’s Bench” has garnered 20 million readers around the world, and who co-wrote an acclaimed documentary on the Sept. 11 attacks, will speak at a reception afterward.

The Mass, which satisfies the Sunday obligation, and the reception are open to the public. The Mass will be preceded by a display of emergency response vehicles beginning at 2 p.m.

RSVP to stewardship@allentowndiocese.org. For more information, visit the web page, www.allentowndiocese.org/redwhitebluemass.