OUR SEVENTH OCTOBER 8 COMMEMORATION

Dear friends,
I wish to give the cronacle of our seventh anniversary,

At 10:30 a.m., His Excellency Monsignor Franco Giulio Brambilla – Auxiliary Bishop of Milan and the bishopric vicar of culture -- celebrated Holy Mass at the Saint Ambrose Basilica that was followed with devotion and silence by the public that filled every available seat in the church.
Once again, the San Carlo College choir of Milan and Soprano Enrica Fassio, who sang the beautiful Ave Verum and Quondam tu solus by Mozart, added a special touch to the ceremony.

Milan Mayor Letizia Moratti, Town Council President Manfredi Palmeri, many members of the town council, and military officers attended. Also present were Province Vice President Alberto Mattioli, Regional Councilor Antonella Maiolo, the representatives of many townships, SEA President Giuseppe Bonomi, and officials from the consulates of Finland, France, Denmark, Island, Australia, Sweden and Norway, who all came to the pulpit to read from the roll call listing the names of the victims.
During the Homily, after Monsignor Brambilla conveyed the uplifting, heartfelt messages of Cardinals Carlo Maria Martini and Dionigi Tettamanzi, he praised the work accomplished by our committee and reminded everyone of the value of remembrance that, in his opinion, “is also a way to change our lives. It reminds us that things must change.”
After the roll call listing the names of the victims, which were also read this year by the Scandinavian consuls, Paolo Pettinaroli, the President of the October 8 Foundation and Committee spoke to the congregation and mentioned the presence of Gennaro Brigliadoro of the Finance Police. Seven years ago, when all hell broke loose at Linate, Gennaro had the presence of mind and heart to save Pasquale Padovano from certain death.
Fortunately, time heals all wounds. Pettinaroli, visibly moved, proudly mentioned the results obtained by the association in promoting air safety. He spoke of the new rules, infrastructures, and procedures launched in Italy after the disaster. "This is our mission and destiny. “We will not stop,” he said from the altar, “not even when we are faced with obstacles set upon our path by people who sometimes try to stand in our way. Our battle for air safety, of which education and information is an important aspect, is fundamental and must be continued so that our loved ones will not have died in vain.” He added, “Time fortunately heals all wounds, and the tears we still shed express the composed pride we feel when we remember our loved ones.”

At the end of the Mass, two SAS flight attendants collected the 118 white roses at the foot of the altar that were later taken to the Bosco dei Faggi and were followed by 40 banners representing the cities of the victims, region, province, and city of Milan. Afterwards, at the Bosco dei Faggi, the flowers were placed on the memorial markers and a candle, carried this year by SAS General Manager Krister Greften, was lit.

At 9:00 p.m. the traditional memorial concert was held at the La Scala Opera House in Milan. Maestro Bruno Casoni and the Scala Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus performed:

- Magnificat by Carlo Pedini, for chorus, bells, clarinet, and string quartet.

- Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein, for chorus, voice, organ, harp, and percussion.
Maestro Casoni concluded the memorial evening with a splendid rendition of Mozart’s Ave Verum

This year, as usual, the theater was full. Family members and friends, political, religious and military authorities, and everyone who supports and shares the objectives of the October 8 Foundation attended the event.

Manfredi Palmeri, who spoke before the concert along with Paolo Pettinaroli, said, “Every day is October 8 for Milan. Even in other moments of the year, we feel the responsibility of preserving the memory of Linate and working for airport safety, which benefits not just our city, but everyone.” President Palmeri also announced, “The town council and the October 8 Committee will present “Linate. October 8, 2001. The Disaster”, an artistic reenactment of the tragedy, again this month. After the premiere performance last June 10 at the Alessi Auditorium in Palazzo Marino, we will present new performances at the new Ciak Theater on Via Proacaccini, open to the public, in continuation of this memorial day.”
An ambrace.
Paolo