Brothers of the Gamma Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Delta held their annual Candlelight Vigil in commemoration of the tragedies from Sept. 11, 2001.

A far back as active brothers can remember, the Vigil has become a tradition for the fraternity. It has been practiced at Pace for the past 10 to 15 years.

The Gamma Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Delta at Pace has a history of holding events in honor of those who have served our country. In addition, the chapter has active members who are veterans for our country,  The purpose of this Vigil, along with other events is, “to honor the people that we lost, to honor the sacrificed, and the first responders,”  stated Mike Beovich.

“This year, the fact that the 9/11 memorial was closed this year made it even more important to try and do it this year. Even with having a fifty percent capacity limit,” Beovich mentioned.

It is important for the Pace community to be mindful of the tragedies that happened while many of us were still in a crib. Many people may walk by the memorial that Pace has in front of the library, and pay little to no mind to appreciate it, or read it, or even look at it. The least we can do is appreciate it on 9/11,” Beovich added.

Founded by an alumnus of the fraternity, the Vigil is very immediate to this specific chapter of the fraternity as New York City is only a short ride away. “It’s still our neighborhood, many people are still affected,” Sukh Singh noted. He continues, “it’s important to remember history and remember who we are as a nation, the things we have overcome, and the things that we can overcome.”

The Vigil featured a special guest, Colonel Peter Riley who spoke on his experience on the tragic day. During his speech, he made sure to note, “how he was really happy and proud to see even during times like this, we still could come together as a community to celebrate the tragedy that happened,” Daniel Gomez-Quintero recalled.

Typically, the event is held inside in the Gottesman room in the Kessel Student Center. A slideshow and YouTube video are presented, followed by the lighting of candles where students walk around the Choate Pond and place the candles around the memorial. With the occupancy limit, as well as the number of candles, this was all decided against as the event was held completely outside.

This Candelight Vigil is not the only event the fraternity holds that honors our country and its veterans. Things like Fitness with Veterans, the Purple Hearts Gala, and more are held by Alpha Phi Delta. They are known for events like this, and typically hold events similar to the Vigil during the spring semester.

The fraternity is planning on holding more events that honors our veterans and honors our country. More information can be found on their social medias, or by speaking with brothers.