Sept. 11 remembered this week at ceremonies

COLLIER COUNTY — There will be no video tributes to fallen heroes this year. The speeches will most certainly be toned down.

But the message will be the same.

For the first time since 2005, there will be no big-production ceremony at the First Baptist Church in North Naples this year commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In it’s place, the Gulf Coast Retired Firefighters Association is sponsoring a 5:30 p.m. memorial mass Friday at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 5130 Rattlesnake Hammock Road.

The mass is open to the public.

“It’s going to be quiet,” said Jerry Sanford, the North Naples fire official and former New York City firefighter who has organized the events since 2004. “People can come and pray and remember what happened that day eight years ago.”

Over the years, Sanford has become known as the driving force behind Collier County’s biggest Sept. 11 ceremony, regularly flying down survivors and heroes from the attacks.

Every year, more than 1,000 people stop by the church for his ceremony, which usually features a local high school band, a pipe and thistle band, and emotional speeches. But due to a personal matter, Sanford was not able to organize this year’s ceremony.

In stepped the retired firefighters.

“The guys stepped up and said we’ll have a smaller ceremony and we’ll have a Mass,” Sanford said.

Judy Wright, the director of music at St. Peter, said that Rev. Gerard Critch - known in the church as “Father G” - helped in the recovery efforts after the terrorist attacks.

“Some of the retired firemen thought that since father was involved in the recovery effort, why not have it at St. Peter,” Wright said. “So they called the father and he was more than happy to do it.”

Sanford will be one of the readers during the Mass, along with a retired officer from the Port Authority of New York. They’re also hoping to get a New York police officer and a military member to read, Sanford said.

The St. Peter choir will perform at the Mass, and twisted pieces of steel from the World Trade Center and a model of the planned Freedom Memorial in Naples will also be on display. Sanford said the church will be open all day for those who would like to stop by to pray.

“It will be moving,” Wright said. “I think it will be very moving.”

Sanford said he hopes to get back in the driver’s seat and return the ceremony to First Baptist next year.

Other Sept. 11 ceremonies in Southwest Florida include:

■ At 9 a.m. Friday, the East Naples and North Naples fire departments are hosting a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at the Grey Oaks Public Safety Facility, 2795 Airport-Pulling Road, on the entrance road to Poinciana Elementary School. The 30-minute ceremony will feature a speech by Staff Sgt. Michael Blount, a Florida National Guard veteran who recently returned to Naples from Iraq.

“It’s a very important event in the lives of a lot of people, a very important event in the history of our country now, and it comes to the heart of just about any firefighter in the business,” East Naples fire spokesman Greg Speers said.

■ At 9 a.m. Friday, Golden Gate High School and middle school students, personnel, civic leaders and local emergency responders will hold a commemorative service in the courtyard of the Golden Gate Government Center, next to the Community Center on Golden Gate Parkway. Those in attendance are asked to bring lawn chairs.

■ At 7 p.m. Friday, the Barron Collier High School Band will honor all veterans and emergency personnel at Cougar stadium, 5600 Cougar Drive. Those arriving in uniform or military wear will be provided VIP seating and will appear with the band during the half-time performance.