January 9, 2009
Prayer Service at Yankee Stadium
Saying it was too soon for a memorial service, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced yesterday that a prayer service will be conducted Sunday at Yankee Stadium for the thousands killed in last week's attack on the World Trade Center.
The 3 p.m. service, "mostly for families and those directly affected by the tragedy," he said, will also be shown over jumbo television screens at the new KeySpan Park in Coney Island, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones.
City officials will devise a ticket system for the event as overwhelming numbers of requests are expected. More details were to be announced today.
"We all thought it was important to have a service of prayer, but it was too early to have a memorial service, and too early in the recovery and relief effort, and too early in the grieving process," Giuliani said.
A memorial service will be planned for a future date, Giuliani said.
The prayer service was arranged after a memorial service planned for this Sunday in Central Park was called off. A million people were expected to attend the event.
"Given the enormous strain on the police, the National Guard and other officials in the city, the idea of having a million people, although beautiful, would not be a good idea," Giuliani said.
For anyone looking to thank those involved in the rescue effort, the New York City Post Office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency yesterday designated a post office box for letters of recognition. Letters should be sent to Search and Rescue, P.O. Box 2551, New York, N.Y. 10166.
The letters will be circulated among firefighters, police officers and other rescue workers and will be posted in the living quarters of the FEMA task force members, authorities said.
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