An American flags sits in the name Mychal F. Judge, a chaplain for the New York Fire Department who was the first certified casualty during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 on the World Trade Center towers (Photo by Mike Segar-Pool/Getty Images)
On the 24th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Vice President JD Vance was set to visit Ground Zero in New York City, joined by his wife, Usha Vance, to mark one of the most solemn days in American memory. A practicing Catholic, Vance’s planned presence underscores the spiritual weight of the day. However, his office announced the morning of Sept. 11, 2025, that the couple would instead travel to Utah in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University.
Catholics and people of faith across the country are joining in prayer for Kirk and his family. Meanwhile, they will still gather In churches, schools, and cemeteries across the country to offer prayers for the souls lost and for the healing of the nation after the 9/11 attacks. Many Catholic parishes will hold memorial Masses and Eucharistic Adoration, and Catholic schools will pause for moments of silence and lead students in intercessory prayers. Cemeteries, especially those with memorials for local first responders and victims, are sites of reflection, with candles lit and rosaries prayed.
At the center of these remembrances is the story of Father Mychal Judge, OFM, the chaplain of the New York City Fire Department and the first recorded fatality of the attacks. Known for his tireless work among the marginalized and deep prayer life, Fr. Judge died administering last rites at the World Trade Center. He remains a powerful example of Catholic witness in the face of terror. The 9/11 Walk of Remembrance is held each year to honor him and New York Police Department Detective Steven McDonald, who also perished in the attacks. This year’s walk was held Sept. 7 and began with praying the Rosary outside St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church on 31st Street in New York City and concluded at St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Barclay Street.
President Trump will mark the day with a visit to the Pentagon, later attending a New York Yankees game in the Bronx, according to The Hill.
Last year, ahead of the 2024 election, Trump, Vance, former President Joe Biden, and former Vice President Kamala Harris visited the memorial. In August 2024, Vance publicly condemned a Biden administration-backed plea deal with key 9/11 suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, The Hill reported. The agreement would have allowed the accused to escape the death penalty in exchange for life sentences. In July, a federal court overturned the deal in a 2-1 decision.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum notes that 2,977 people died in the attacks — 2,753 in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 on Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.
“Lord, take me where you want me to go;
Let me meet who you want me to meet;
Tell me what you want me to say, and
Keep me out of your way. Amen.”
— Fr. Mychal Judge, OFM., chaplain, New York City Fire Department
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10:25 a.m. on Sept. 11 to reflect Vice President JD Vance’s change in travel plans in light of the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
