Biden, Mamdani at NYC Mass with Hicks for 9/11 Memorial
Archbishop Ronald Hicks held an invitation‑only memorial vigil Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on September 10, 2026, marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Former President Joe Biden, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the Mass, with Biden’s unannounced arrival drawing warm applause from the congregation. During the homily, Archbishop Hicks emphasized hope, faith, and solidarity in the face of loss, urging the community to remember and rebuild. After the Mass, Mayor Mamdani posted a message on X praising New Yorkers’ unity and calling for continued efforts to build a better city.
18 days ago
Former President Joe Biden, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended an invitation-only memorial Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on September 10, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Archbishop Ronald Hicks presided, with Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan concelebrating.
The Mass was held at 5 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of New York. Biden’s arrival was unannounced and received warm applause from victims’ families in attendance.
In his homily, Archbishop Hicks remembered those who died, praised the courage of first responders, and emphasized faith, hope, and communal solidarity in the face of suffering. He also thanked attendees, describing the gathering as an expression of healing and hope.
Mamdani’s attendance followed his decision to skip Hicks’ installation Mass in February, a departure from a long-standing tradition that drew criticism. The mayor later met privately with Hicks and attended a St. Patrick’s Day Mass with him.
Mamdani also attended a Sunday Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on September 6, where he and Hicks exchanged greetings. His office did not explain the purpose of that visit.
After the memorial Mass, Mamdani said that New Yorkers had responded to the attacks with “love, sacrifice, and solidarity.” He called for continued remembrance of those who died and for building a better city in keeping with their legacy.
The cathedral’s Mass was part of wider commemorations marking 25 years since the attacks. At Ground Zero, victims’ names were read and a moment of silence honored people who died from illnesses linked to the aftermath of September 11. Vice President JD Vance and all living former presidents attended that ceremony.
President Donald Trump and the first lady attended a separate memorial ceremony at the Pentagon, which was also attacked on September 11, 2001. St. Patrick’s Cathedral additionally invited people who were in New York in the days after the attacks to share their experiences.
"How Catholic liturgy shapes communal healing after national tragedy."
Catholic liturgy helps communities heal after national tragedy by giving public form to grief, gathering people beyond political and social divisions, interpreting suffering through Christ’s death and Resurrection, and sending believers into concrete solidarity. It does not erase trauma or offer simplistic explanations. Rather, it places wounded people within a shared prayer and a hope stronger than death.
National tragedies often leave people with shock, anger, silence, and unanswered questions. Liturgy gives these experiences a legitimate place before God. The Mass can include mourning, intercession, Scripture, silence, music, and the commemoration of the dead. In this way, private suffering becomes a sorrow carried by the whole Church.
The Church’s liturgical life is fundamentally communal: Christians are not merely individuals praying near one another but a people gathered by God. The Eucharistic community is formed through shared worship, common words, bodily gestures, and participation in the one sacrifice of Christ.
This is especially important after collective trauma. A memorial liturgy publicly acknowledges that the victims mattered, that their families are not abandoned, and that the nation’s grief deserves more than political speeches or media coverage. At the funeral Masses following the earthquake in L’Aquila, Benedict XVI described the Christian community as gathering closely around the deceased to offer a final farewell and share the anguish of those who mourned.
Catholic liturgy does not claim that tragedy is good or that God directly caused it. Instead, it brings human suffering into contact with the Paschal Mystery: Christ’s Passion, death, and Resurrection. Through the liturgy, Christ’s saving work becomes present within human history and personal experience.
This gives suffering a horizon without denying its horror. The Cross allows the Church to say that God is not distant from victims: Christ himself entered human abandonment, violence, grief, and death. The Resurrection then prevents death and destruction from having the final word. Benedict XVI therefore described Christ’s Passion, death, and Resurrection as a source of comfort capable of opening hearts to the hope of a life in which mourning, pain, and death are overcome.
The liturgy’s hope is not optimism. It does not promise that recovery will be quick or that every question will receive an immediate answer. It is the theological conviction that God can bring new life from what appears irreparable. The liturgical proclamation of Christ’s Resurrection therefore helps a wounded society move from despair toward patient hope.
Tragedy can deepen division: between political groups, ethnic communities, regions, religions, or generations. Catholic liturgy counters this fragmentation by gathering people into a communion that is larger than nationality or ideology. The Church’s unity is rooted not merely in shared opinions but in participation in Christ.
At Mass, people who may otherwise disagree stand together before God, hear the same Word, confess their need for mercy, and receive—or prepare to receive—the same Eucharistic Lord. This does not eliminate legitimate differences or resolve social conflicts automatically. But it establishes a deeper identity: those present are members of one human family and, within the Church, one body in Christ.
That communion also includes those who are absent: the dead, the injured, the displaced, emergency workers, families, and people unable to attend. The Church’s prayer thus widens the circle of remembrance and resists the isolation that often accompanies grief.
Catholic liturgy is not intended to end at the church doors. Because the Eucharist unites believers to Christ’s self-giving love, it forms them for service, justice, and mercy. Benedict XVI described participation in the liturgy as a “ministry of hope” and connected prayer with renewed social action and works of mercy.
This is why a liturgical response to tragedy should be joined to practical care: supporting bereaved families, assisting displaced people, defending the dignity of victims, accompanying the traumatized, and seeking justice where wrongdoing contributed to the disaster. The Church’s response to the L’Aquila earthquake was described in terms of cooperation among parishes, religious institutes, lay associations, public institutions, and others; solidarity was presented as essential to overcoming such sorrowful trials.
The Eucharist therefore shapes not only what a community believes but also how it acts. It teaches that healing is relational: people recover through the presence, patience, and service of others. Church pastoral guidance similarly emphasizes welcoming communities, accompaniment, family support, professional care, and liturgical celebrations involving sufferers, families, caregivers, and health workers.
A meaningful liturgy after tragedy must resist the temptation to explain suffering too quickly. Scripture and Catholic prayer make room for lament: crying out to God, asking “Why?”, confessing fear, and waiting without immediate resolution. Pope Leo XIV has emphasized that tears can express the wounded heart and that the Psalms teach people to turn their questions into pleas for justice and peace.
Silence is also a form of communal care. In silence, mourners are not forced to produce an explanation or display a particular emotion. They can remain before God together. Catholic reflection on tragedy repeatedly joins silence and prayer, insisting that human efforts alone cannot heal and reconcile completely, but require divine grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
After national tragedy, Catholic liturgy heals communally by remembering the dead, honoring grief, proclaiming Christ’s victory over death, restoring communion, and forming people for solidarity. Its healing is gradual and sacramental rather than merely emotional or political. The Mass does not make suffering disappear; it places suffering within the presence of Christ and within a community committed to carrying one another toward hope.