With the plaintive music of bagpipes, a police and fire honor guard, and the singing of the national anthem, the Fairfield University community once again gathered on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, to remember all who died in the 2001 terrorist attacks—including 14 alumni and the parent of a Class of ’04 alumna—and all whose lives were later claimed by 9/11-related illnesses.

A Memorial Rededication

In addition to the University’s annual Memorial Mass, commemorations of the 25th anniversary included a service on Bellarmine Campus and a rededication of the University’s Sept. 11 Memorial on the Main Campus. The memorial was restored this year with a replacement marble slab engraved with the names of the 14 alumni who died and with an additional plaque honoring FDNY Battalion Chief James Costello ’85, who died in the line of duty in 2015 from causes related to his work at Ground Zero.

Town of Fairfield Chief of Police Michael Paris and Fire Chief Kyran Dunn offered brief remarks at the unveiling and blessing of the restored memorial. Chief Paris reflected on the first responders who ran toward danger on Sept. 11.

“People were in danger, so they went,” he said. “They didn’t know the people waiting for them inside of those buildings. They didn’t ask where they were from, what they believed, or whether they deserved to be safe. They were strangers. And they went anyway.”

Honoring Those We Lost

Current student-athletes representing the Division I teams who lost alumni on 9/11 joined relatives and friends of the deceased for the unveiling and blessing of the restored Sept. 11 memorial, which includes the original 23.5” piece of steel beam recovered from Ground Zero.

Gary McGovern ’85 attended the ceremony to remember his friend, Battalion Chief Costello. Gary and his wife, Jane McGovern '85, were instrumental in having a plaque in honor of their classmate added to the Fairfield memorial.

Also present to honor the memory of a classmate was Joe Solimine ’89. Speaking on behalf of his Class of ’89 housemates—Andy Davis, Matt McLaughlin, and Dave Pooley—Solimine noted that the 25th hit them a little harder than past 9/11 anniversaries. “We say it every year, ‘Never Forget,’ but this year everyone truly remembered,” he said. “It brought back painful memories but it also brought back so many wonderful memories of our time with Mike (Andrews ’89) and how much of an impact he had on our lives and the lives of everyone who knew him at Fairfield.”

In the aftermath of 9/11, Solimine and his housemates started a scholarship fund named for Mike Andrews ’89. Together with four additional named 9/11 memorial funds, 91 Fairfield students have received a cumulative total of nearly $1.5 million to date, from:

• The Michael R. Andrews ’89 Memorial Scholarship Fund
• The Jonathan Neff Cappello ’00 Scholarship Fund
• The H. Joseph Heller and Michael P. Lunden Memorial Scholarship Fund
• The Michael Lunden ’86 Scholarship Fund
• The Christopher Slattery Fairfield Memorial Scholarship Fund

“Mike's death has impacted so many students’ lives in such positive ways through the scholarship established in his name,” said Solimine. “We miss Mike every day, but we take comfort in knowing his loss has brought so many Stags together to do something that we're sure makes him very proud.”

A Work of Love

In his homily at the annual Memorial Mass, Rev. John Mulreany, S.J., superior of the Fairfield Jesuit Community, described 9/11 as “a moment in history” for current undergraduates rather than something they experienced themselves. That distance, he suggested, makes the act of remembrance all the more important.

Fr. Mulreany described remembrance as “a work of love” that allows our lives to be shaped by those we’ve lost. “We find, in their memory,” he said, “encouragement to make the world a better place.”

At the luncheon that followed Mass, current students Jameson Reseau ’29 and Emiliano Carrera ’29 recalled first hearing about 9/11 in grade school through morning announcements and moments of silence. “We attended Sept. 11 observances, but we didn’t really learn much about it,” Carrera admitted.

Both students agreed on the importance of remembering the people at the heart of an event they have only known as history. “Things happen so fast nowadays that we sometimes forget how to appreciate life and how blessed we are to be in this moment,” said Reseau.

“It’s important for us to learn from those who lived through it as well as to pray for those who were lost,” said Carrera.

Bridgeport Firefighters at Fairfield Bellarmine

A bagpiper’s rendition of “Amazing Grace” drew the attention of Bridgeport neighbors and drivers passing by as the outdoor service of remembrance began at Bellarmine Campus. Bridgeport Fire Chief Mark Cody and eight members of Ladder Co. 10, C-Shift, on Boston Ave.—including Jeff Noble, brother of Nakia Létang, director of admission—joined the Bellarmine community to honor the heroic acts of Sept. 11. 

Chief Cody was a first responder at the Twin Towers in 2001. He recounted his experience and reminded those gathered why everyday acts of courage and service still matter, encouraging Fairfield Bellarmine students to never be afraid to step outside their comfort zones to do good.

For LéTang, a particularly significant moment came when Chief Cody asked everyone under the age of 25 to raise their hands. “Seeing every student with a hand raised was a powerful reminder of the passage of time,” she said. “At the conclusion of the ceremony, it was beautiful to watch our students make their way over to each of the firefighters to shake their hands and thank them for their service.”

Pejay Lucky, associate dean for student success, also found it meaningful to witness the students "engaging with this history not simply as something that happened in the past, but as a reminder of the values of service, sacrifice, courage, and care for one another."

View Photos for the Combined 9/11 Ceremonies

Related Stories