VIDEO: FDNY Battalion 57 Marches Across Brooklyn Bridge to Mass at Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — In the decades since Sept. 11, 2001, those who responded and recovered have found countless ways to honor fallen heroes. On Friday, one tribute took to the streets as firefighters from Battalion 57 led a march across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Under blue skies, hundreds walked shoulder to shoulder, carrying more than just flags. With them was the weight of 343 fallen brothers and the promise that none of them would ever be forgotten. The procession across the bridge was eventually met by Diocese of Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan, who was there to walk with them to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph for a Mass to remember those lost.
A quarter century has passed, but for the firefighters who ran toward the disaster, the memories remain.
“The focus today is on the sacrifice made. There are so many things that test us in life that maybe will turn you away from your faith, but you cannot allow that to happen. You have to keep it. You have to stay with it. It’s one of the core things that keep you together as a human being,” said Ladder Company 105 Retired Capt. William Burke.
“Evil, sin, violence is real. It exists in the world, we know that, that’s the reality of the cross. That’s not the final answer — the cross isn’t the final answer. This attack is not the final answer, but that God always raises up goodness,” said Bishop Brennan.
Firefighters from across the globe joined the march and Mass in solidarity.