Charles Nailen/The Hoya Members of the Georgetown community gather in front of Healy at noon Friday to honor the victims of last week’s terrorist attacks with a moment of silence.

The lively bustle of Red Square, traditional for a Friday afternoon, was silenced last week when clusters of students gathered to remember the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Georgetown University observed Friday, Sept. 14, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance as declared by President George W. Bush.

All classes on the main campus ended at 11:50 a.m. and the rest of the day was devoted to remembering the tragic events of Sept. 11.

At noon on Friday the bell of Healy Tower tolled for several minutes, signaling the campus to observe a moment of silence to honor the victims of the attacks.

“I thought it was good to take time out of the day to remember and to recognize that Georgetown is part of a greater community,” Gloria Gasca (COL ’03) said. “Although the bell did not ring for the announced five minutes, the two or three minutes that we were all gathered there in the circle were well worth the effort.”

In addition to the moment of silence observed on campus, Campus inistry planned an array of religious services to celebrate the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance.

The Requiem of Bells was followed by Roman Catholic Mass in Dahlgren Chapel. Open Muslim Prayer in Copley Formal Lounge and Protestant Service in St. William Chapel were also held in the afternoon.

“There was a tremendous sense of unity and togetherness on Friday. I attended both the Jewish Shabbat Services and the Protestant Service and was pleased to see people of different faiths gathered together at each service,” Doran Arik (COL ’04) said. “While standing together and listening to the bells toll, I really felt connected to other Georgetown students.”

Other students felt that the university’s return to a normal schedule was hasty.

“Although I thought we shouldn’t have been rushed back to class on Wednesday, I understand that we need to regain a sense of normalcy. But I was pleased with how the campus honored Friday. Standing in silence with other students even after the bells stopped ringing and thinking about the events was moving,” Sandy Kreis (COL ’04) said.

Jewish Shabbat Services, although scheduled to be held in the LXR Multipurpose Room, were in Copley Formal Lounge, due to a larger than expected attendance. They were followed by a Candlelight Remembrance at 9 p.m. in the Dahlgren Quadrangle.