It was a bittersweet moment as a small group of Rockville Centre residents paused Sunday night at the Village Green to remember those our community lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and to stand with love and in support of the families of the victims.

Many held candles that glowed under a still and beautiful autumn sky as night fell, listening to words of hope and promise, and pledges to never forget those individuals, their beauty and the significance of their lives. Despite the years that have passed, the painful ache of loss still tugs at many hearts.

The group was joined by Mayor Mary Bossart, Deputy Mayor Chuck Joyce, village trustees Dave Krasula, Kevin Glynn, Ed Oppenheimer and Tony Brunetta, as well as Sen Dean Skelos, Assemblyman Bob Barra, Councilman Anthony Santino and Chris Browne, Republican and Conservative candidate for the Nassau County Legislature.

Between an invocation by Rabbi Dr. Barry Dov Schwartz, a benediction by Msgr. Walter Koenig and brief speeches by Bossart, Skelos, and Teresa Cove, who lost her husband that day, family members lit and carried five candles to the village memorial after which the names of the lost were read.