Memorial transcends religious differences

By Peggy Lowe, News Staff Writer

In the morning, she attended a Catholic mass with her husband and three children. Sunday afternoon, she went solo to an interfaith memorial service for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Myers, of Greenwood Village, said there are many ways to be with God, not just "one true path."

"I think it's important to stand with people of all nations and all faiths during this calamity," Myers said. "The solution to our problems will come by us standing together."

Myers was one of about 75 people who gathered in the Civic Center's Greek Amphitheater Sunday afternoon at the same time New Yorkers prayed together in Yankee Stadium.

Clergy from Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, Buddhist and Christian faiths spoke at the service, organized by the Colorado Council of Churches. Denver Mayor Wellington Webb reminded the crowd that the many victims of the attack, no matter their faith or income level, all had red blood.

Rabbi Bernard Gerson, president of the Rocky Mountain Rabbinical Council, said people now identify with Job, the Biblical figure who suffered many hardships and wondered why God would punish a good man.

"Just because we are good does not mean we are protected from bad," Gerson said.

Archibishop Charles Chaput also talked about how to stay hopeful at such a tragic time. Seeing the victims and survivors reminded him of the Columbine High School tragedy.

"It's easy to preach about hope," Chaput said. "It's another thing to watch parents bury their children."

Imam Ibrahim Kazerooni of the Islamic Center of Ahi-Al-Beit said the terrorists should not rejoice in what they did because, "For them awaits a painful punishment."

He prayed that God would shower the victims with love. "No amount of sympathy and condolence can compensate for their loss," he said.