Former president Joe Biden, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the 9/11 Memorial Mass with Archbishop Hicks.

The world changed forever on September 11, exactly 25 years ago. Anyone who was old enough to remember knows where they were when they heard the news.

While Americans and people all over the world honor the day with solemn remembrance, it has special poignance for New Yorkers, who were so intimately affected and live every day alongside the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. 

Archbishop Ronald Hicks, installed in February as archbishop of New York City, offered an invitation-only Memorial Vigil Mass on the evening of September 10 at 5:00 p.m. in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the seat of his archdiocese. Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn concelebrated it with him.

Former president Joe Biden, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the Memorial Mass. Biden’s unannounced arrival drew warm applause from the congregation of victims’ families. 

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where the 9/11 Memorial Mass was held

bluestork | Shutterstock

Earlier this year, Mamdani’s choice to skip Archbishop Hicks’ February installation Mass — breaking with long-standing tradition — drew criticism; he met privately with Archbishop Hicks days later, and the following month attended St. Patrick’s Day Mass with him.

Mayor Mamdani also quietly attended the 10:15 Sunday Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral the preceding Sunday, September 6, where “the archbishop and the mayor shook hands and exchanged pleasantries at both the beginning and end of Mass.” Why he made this private visit is unclear; his office did not respond to a request for comment.

After the Memorial Mass on September 10, Mayor Mamdani shared this message on X:

Today, I attended a memorial mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, led by Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks, in honor of those who died on 9/11.

25 years ago, we bore witness to unimaginable suffering. But New Yorkers met that moment with a spirit of love, sacrifice, and solidarity that guided us forward.

As we remember those we lost, let us continue to take refuge in one another. Let us recommit to the work of building a better city — one that is worthy of the legacy they left.

Archbishop Hicks and Mayor Mamdani at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade

WILLIAM VOLCOV | Brazil Photo Press via AFP

Hope in suffering

In his homily at the 9/11 Memorial Mass, Archbishop Hicks spoke of the lives lost, the first responders’ courage, and the need to hold onto hope in suffering. 

“At the core, when everything is falling apart, people go right back to God, to faith, to hope, to those core things that hold us together as a people,” he said.

He also made a point to thank everyone who attended, pausing at the end of Mass to say:

Before I give the final blessing, I just want to say to each and every one of you. Thank you for being here. What we have done today is right, and good, and beautiful, and powerful. It is not only an expression of faith, but it is an expression of our desire for both healing and hope.

The Memorial Mass was one of many, many ways New Yorkers honored the memories of those who died 25 years ago. 

Vice President JD Vance and all living former presidents attended Friday’s ceremony at Ground Zero, where 9/11 victims’ names were read and a moment of silence was held for those who died of illnesses in the aftermath of the attacks. (President Donald Trump and the First Lady attended a memorial ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, which was also attacked on 9/11.)

St. Patrick’s Cathedral invited those who were in NYC in the days after 9/11 to share their stories from that time, and you can see those stories here.