PROSPECT HEIGHTS — FDNY firefighters from Brooklyn’s Battalion 57 marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to honor the heroes who lost their lives during the 9/11 terror attack, showing that “9/11 We Never Forget” is more than a motto; it’s a living pledge carried forward with each step they take.  

Bishop Robert Brennan said the “poignant” procession is an act of solidarity that not only acknowledges the lives lost, but also the continuing sacrifices of first responders.  

“We remember the sacrifice and the horror of that day, and then honor them for their bravery, and with a sense of gratitude because our first responders allow us to conduct life around here and keep us safe,” Bishop Brennan said. “Then we pray … I’ve been praying myself along the way, but we will be praying together at holy Mass at the Co-Cathedral.” 

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On Sept. 11, 24 years after the attack, the FDNY Battalion 57 marched from Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge, passing firehouses on their way to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. Bishop Brennan met them and walked in solidarity, honoring the fallen alongside them. 

As part of the procession, the firefighters carried 25 flags — one American flag and 24 FDNY flags, representing the 23 members of Battalion 57 who died on 9/11, along with one additional flag in honor of a battalion member’s brother who also lost his life in the attack.  

Battalion 57, also known as “The Pride of Brooklyn,” consists of several fire stations and companies, including four Battalion Chiefs, Engine Companies 217, 219, 230, and 235, as well as Ladder Companies 102 and 105. 

Bishop Brennan celebrated Mass, and Father Anthony Palombo, a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark and son of firefighter Frank Palombo, who was among the many killed during the terror attacks, was the homilist. 

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Father Palombo shared with parishioners that his initial reaction to his father’s death was “wicked,” leading him to a deep disdain for God. Yet, during his grief, he said he realized a life-changing truth — “God simply wanted to show me that he loved me as I was.” 

He said it was this “powerful and transformative” love that pulled him out of his anger and sorrow and into the priesthood. 

“That opened a new possibility in my life, where previously, I had seen myself trapped with no way out,” Father Palombo told The Tablet. “[I have] gratitude for God for saving me from the hell I was experiencing and also discovering that through the death of my father, God wanted to show me he was my father [too].”