A small group of students, faculty and staff gathered together in front of the chapel steps on Monday morning to remember the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

As the church bells tolled at 8:45 a.m., Acting University Chaplain Mark Shiner welcomed the attendees. The group then observed a moment of silence before an opening prayer.

Student leaders of religious groups on campus then made offerings in the forms of readings taken from the literary traditions of their respective religions.

Senior leader of University Church Christine Duncan read a prayer written in the week following 9/11 by Reverand Karen Senecal of the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. The prayer was a supplication asking for tolerance and caring to replace war and injustice.

“I chose this prayer because I feel that it is an extremely relevant prayer for what is going on today that at the same time asks, appropriately, for God’s timeless help and guidance,” Duncan said.

Junior leader of the Colgate Jewish Fellowship Ian Maron-Kolitch read the prophecy of Isaiah’s son Amoz regarding Judah and Jerusalem from the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament.

“I am particularly struck by the often quoted, ‘Nation shall not take up sword against nation; they shall never again know war.’ It is my hope, my prayer, that one day this will become a reality,” Maron-Kolitch said. “I think that the interfaith service embodied what Isaiah was prophesizing: religions working with one another to facilitate Tikkun Olam-the fixing of the world. Hopefully, our nation will one day not take up sword against other nations and we will attain world peace.”

Senior leader of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship Greg Beyer read from an Orthodox prayer book.

“The prayer I read doesn’t really have a name but is designated as a morning prayer, and I felt it would be appropriate given the time of day at which the events of Sept. 11 took place,” Beyer said. “It is a prayer for understanding and faith even and, especially, in moments of weakness, and I think that was one of the particular challenges posed by the events of September 11.”

Junior Jenni Cavazos of the Colgate Christian Fellowship read from Psalm 91.”It is an excellent psalm of hope and assurance of the power that our Almighty has to comfort and provide for us. It is my favorite psalm. Even in the midst of crap, I can trust in my God, my Refuge, and my Fortress,” Cavazos said.

After the readings, attendees were offered the chance to speak the name of one person whom they lost on September 11 or for whom they would like the group to pray.

The event concluded with a prayer by Acting Protestant Chaplain Mark Mann.