On the 23rd anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11, the City of O’Fallon, in conjunction with Assumption Elementary School and St. Dominic, hosted a memorial service at city hall. The memorial honored all who’ve lost their lives, or anyone who lost their loved ones in the terrorist attacks, as well as using the platform to honor our armed forces and first responders.
The service’s Master of Ceremonies was senior Taylor Holdmeier, and was opened by Assumption Elementary’s 8th grade students leading the Pledge of Allegiance. The accompaniment for the ceremony was found in St. Dominic’s concert choir, which performed the “Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” as well as a performance of “Taps” by St. Dominic’s very own music director Greg Cissell.
Mr. Cissell was proud of the choir’s performance following the ceremony, and noted that this year’s preparation for St. Dominic’s vocalist was different than before.
“In the past, we’ve had a soloist, maybe a trio of singers for the event to do the national anthem when Dominic is asked to lead. Mr. Welby thought it would be neat to switch things up and have our whole choir do it,” Mr. Cissell said
After securing a bus to transport the class, Mr. Cissell used an arrangement of both songs he was familiar with having used in the past with former choirs. As someone taking part in the performance and overseeing St. Dominic’s Choir, Mr. Cissell found a great deal of fulfillment in helping orchestrate ways to support veterans in particular. Mr. Cissell added that prior to working at St. Dominic, he worked in the veterans home, and the respect he’s had for those who serve our country has never left him. It is clear Mr. Cissell takes great pride in being able to show his support for those who serve our country, and his involvement in O’Fallon’s Memorial service is no exception.
The service featured speeches from St. Dominic senior TJ Blattel and O’Fallon Chief of Police Frank Mininni. With an appearance by O’Fallon Mayor Bill Hennessy, as well as a timeline of the events given by Navy sailors, the service’s tone was one of honor and respect to all who have served our country, and all who still grieve the events of September 11th, 2001.
The memorial’s ending moments saw honored guests place a wreath prominently in front of the tribute to First Responders monument near O’Fallon City Hall, followed by a blessing in the form of Benediction. Following the Benediction, every member of the community in attendance would place red and white roses underneath the wreath, showing the unity of O’Fallon civilians intended to give thanks to all who’ve sacrificed for the protection and preservation of our nation.
