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George Mason Joins Local Interfaith Group to Remember Sept. 11
By Robin Herron
The Center for the Arts Concert Hall will be the setting for “A Day
of Remembrance: An Interfaith Gathering United for Peace” on Wednesday,
Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. The Fairfax County-supported Faith Communities in Action (FCIA)
initiated the gathering, which will commemorate victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks and call for peace. Representatives from faith communities throughout
the county, George Mason students, and faculty and staff members will conduct
the ceremony. The community is invited.
Alan Merten, George Mason president; Shirene Rasheed, Student Government president;
Katherine Hanley, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chair; and Rev. Ronald Christian,
FCIA chair, will jointly welcome attendees.
Rasheed says the Student Government was pleased to be invited to participate
in the event. “It’s a time of togetherness and unity, and a call for
moving forward, with representatives of all different faiths getting together,”
she says. As a result of Student Government’s involvement in the planning,
George Mason students will participate in many aspects of the program. The George
Mason University Orchestra will play, the George Mason University Dance Company
will perform, students will sing in the adult chorus, and student leaders will
read a commemorative poem. At the conclusion of the program, Student Government
has arranged for a walk to the George Mason pond, where 184 candles—one
for each victim at the Pentagon—will be lit and floated on the water.
The program will include calls for prayer by a variety of faiths and the lighting
of a unity candle. To remember those lost and injured on Sept. 11, the program
will include a dance, a rendition of “America the Beautiful,” and
a silent moment. Clergy members will read short texts about unity and peace, and
a litany for peace will be recited, with responses given in different languages.
Fairfax County elementary and high school students will also sing.
FCIA, an interfaith coalition that shares information to better address human
services needs, is supported by the county’s Department of Systems Management.
“This is a good opportunity to show unity and have our diverse faith groups
join together in solidarity for peace,” says Sandy Chisholm of the Fairfax
County Community Interfaith Liaison Office.
For more information, call (703) 324-3453.
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