Captain John Newall of the Newtown Township Police Department bows his head in prayer during a Sept. 11 Blue Mass at St. Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square.

Quoting St. Francis de Sales, Oblate Father Steven Wetzel said “fear is the opposite of hope” in his homily during a Sept. 11 Blue Mass at St. Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square.

Parochial vicar Father Brandon Artman was the principal celebrant of a Sept. 11 Blue Mass at St. Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square, joined by (left to right) Oblate Father Steven Wetzel, permanent Deacon Chris Hilden and Harrisburg Diocese priest Father Kevin Coyle.

A firefighter’s hat rests in a pew during a Sept. 11 Blue Mass celebrated at St. Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square.

Delaware County law enforcement officials kneel during a Sept. 11 Blue Mass at St. Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square, marking the 20th anniversary of the worst terror attack on U.S. soil. (Gina Christian)

Timothy Boyce, director of Delaware County’s Emergency Services Department, said first responders rushed to save people, not institutions, during the attacks of 9/11.

Delaware County first responders and law enforcement officials gathered with celebrants after a Sept. 11 Blue Mass at St. Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square.

Oblate Father Steven Wetzel greets Radnor Township Police Officer Richard Boland following a Sept. 11 Blue Mass at St. Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square.