Walls of Reflection return to 9/11 memorial in Lower Makefield Twp., Bucks County

LOWER MAKEFIELD TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — The Walls of Reflection have returned to the 9/11 Memorial Garden of Reflection in Lower Makefield Township as the community prepares to mark 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The exhibit allows visitors to leave handwritten messages to loved ones lost in the attacks, as well as prayers and tributes. Officials with the 9/11 Memorial Garden of Reflection brought back the walls ahead of a landmark commemoration of Sept. 11.

According to organizers, thousands of people have left messages, prayers and expressions of hope on the walls over the years.

Ellen Saracini, founder of the 9/11 Memorial Garden of Reflection, said the panels provide a place for families and community members to share their thoughts and memories.

“The wall is put up in this Oak Arboretum Plaza, and it brings our families, our community, together, but they can collectively write a message of hope, of desire to remember, and honor all of those we lost,” Saracini said.

Saracini said the tradition holds deep personal meaning. Her husband, Capt. Victor Saracini, was the pilot of United Airlines Flight 175, which struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

“Since then, I’ve been an advocate for honoring and remembering. I have been very integral over the past 24 1/2 years to fundraisers and to build the Garden of Reflection and to also help in its preservation,” Saracini said.

She said her work with the memorial has been driven by a promise made in the aftermath of the attacks.

“On September 12, 2001, we all came together and we promised something. We promised to never forget, and so 25 years later, we keep that vow,” Saracini said.

The Walls of Reflection will give visitors an opportunity to share messages of remembrance and hope as the community honors those lost in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Two more panels will be erected there on Wednesday.

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