9/11 memorial at Cemetery of Holy Rood invites families to submit names

In a small, quiet, island-like section in the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, a black monolith with more than 520 engraved names stands in front of a Japanese maple tree.

A replica of Michelangelo’s Pietà, a depiction of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus after he is taken down from the cross, symbolizes the love people continue to have after a person is gone, said Ann Anderson, cemetery associate director.

It is in this space where Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island invites family of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks or from related illnesses to remember their loved ones by engraving their names.

"Whenever I walk past it, I think how lovely it is," Andersen said.

The cemetery encourages families of victims and first responders to submit forms to be engraved on its 9/11 memorial as part of the 2025 remembrance of the attacks, and in preparation for its 25th anniversary in 2026.

Andersen said not long after the attacks, Catholic Cemeteries created the memorial, free of charge for families of loved ones.

"At the time when this happened, many of the victims were from Long Island," Andersen said. "So, we gathered together and tried to figure out what we could do to help these people."

When the monument was erected in 2004, the cemetery engraved 398 names of mostly Long Islanders who were killed on Sept. 11 on its front.

Its backside is reserved for names of people who died from 9/11 illnesses.

There is room, Andersen said, on both the back and front for new names.

"To have the name on the memorial just gives them some peace, some closure, it’s an honor," Andersen said.

Those who wish to have a name engraved by Sept. 11 this year should fill out a form on their website or in person. Those who lost their lives later due to illnesses from exposure at Ground Zero and lower Manhattan also are eligible, Andersen said.

Forms must be completed by relatives, such as a spouse or child of a loved one. If the person died from an illness, the cemetery may ask for proof, such as an application to victims’ compensation.

The cemetery does not require those honored to be Catholic or be buried in one of its four locations.

Nearly 500 Long Islanders were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Newsday previously reported.

More than 21 years after the attacks, 9/11 related cancer cases almost doubled from 14,030 through June 30, 2019, to 28,434, through June 30, 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"It sounds sad, but ... a memorial stone, on a grave, seeing their name does give them some comfort, " Andersen said about families of victims.