St. Michael's Cemetery Holds 9/11 Memorial on Sept. 8

On Saturday. September 8, St. Michael's Cemetery, 72-02 Astoria Blvd., East Elmhurst, will be the site of the sixth annual memorial service for the New York City firefighters, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officers and New York City police officers who died saving others on Sept. 11, 2001. The service is open to the public and admission is free. This year, a permanent monument will be dedicated to the New York City police officers who died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, standing with the monuments already in place that commemorate the lives and careers of the 76 New York City firefighters from Queens and 37 PAPD officers who died on 9/11.

Retired New York City Fire Department Deputy Chief Alexander Santora and his wife, Maureen, will lead FDNY members and their families at the service. Their only son, Christopher Santora, at 23 years of age was the youngest FDNY firefighter to die in the 9/11 attacks.

Like his mother, Maureen, Christopher Santora had been a teacher in the New York City public school system, but left teaching to become a firefighter. Christopher Santora had been a member of Engine 4, Manhattan, for only two months before he lost his life responding on 9/11. Remains found weeks after by the Medical Examiner as those of Firefighter Jose Guadalupe. After the Guadalupe family had held services and buried the remains, DNA analysis revealed the remains to be those of Christopher Santora. Santora was reinterred in a mausoleum at St. Michael's Cemetery and the Santora family conceived the idea of a memorial to Christopher and other firefighters from Queens. Both firefighters' names are inscribed on the memorial.

Congressmember Joseph Crowley is also scheduled to speak in memory and on behalf of his cousin, FDNY Battalion Chief John Moran, who also died at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Crowley has led efforts to create and dedicate the memorial to New York City Police Department officers at St, Michael's Cemetery, acting as liaison with the NYPD and making a personal donation to the memorial.

A pictorial presentation of photographs and other memorabilia of the murdered police officers will be offered at the conclusion of the service. For more information or to participate, call St. Michael's cemetery Director of Community Affairs Edward Horn at St. Michael's Cemetery, 72-02 Astoria Blvd., East Elmhurst, 718- 278-3240.