At 8:46 a.m., the bells of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Allenstown began to toll, marking the exact time American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower in New York City 23 years ago. Solemn vibrations echoed throughout the church and carried through the rest of the town. When the sound ceased, silence settled in its place.

To commemorate the 2,977 lives lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Allenstown Fire Department, in partnership with the church, held a ceremony Wednesday morning for community members. Attendees went to hear remarks, say a prayer or light a candle if they wanted, and pay tribute to the dead, including the 343 firefighters who responded to the scene at the Twin Towers that day.

While Allenstown has previously commemorated 9/11 in different ways, this ceremony is the first of its kind for the town. Firefighter Ben Savage organized the event to acknowledge the widespread effects of the attacks, still felt over two decades later, while bringing the community closer together.

“Everyone that day was someone to another someone,” Savage said. “Behind each number is a somebody.”

He spoke about the connections people had to the victims and mentioned that the pilot of one of the hijacked planes lived in a town near him growing up. Savage recalled how the pilot always waggled his wings as he flew overhead.

“People here lost mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, church friends, spouses,” Savage said.

After the initial 8:46 a.m. ringing of the bells, they tolled again an additional five times: 9:03 a.m when Flight 175 struck the South Tower, 9:37 a.m. when Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, 9:59 a.m. when the South Tower collapsed, 10:03 a.m. when Flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Penn., and 10:28 a.m. when the North Tower collapsed.

Senior firefighter Tom Modini spoke about the first responders who went up into the towers to rescue people and never came back down.

“I remember the firefighters that day,” Modini said. “We go in when everyone else wants to leave. We see people on their worst days.”

The firefighters who responded to the scene that day ultimately inspired Savage to pursue this profession.

“These guys saw they had a job to do, and they kept going up. I’m just honored to be part of a profession that puts service above self,” he said.

He described sitting in the fire station the other day and trying to recall the exact color of the sky 23 years ago on Sept. 11. Savage said he did so out of inspiration from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, which features an installation of blue watercolor squares. The Virgil quote “No day shall erase you from the memory of time” sits in the middle of the squares, each one a different shade of blue in memory of the sky that day.

“I’m hoping we reengage the younger generation because this is something they regard as a historical event and reengage the community and show that it means more than platitudes,” Savage said. “We will still remember those who came before us.”

Father Michael Gendron delivered a prayer, and Fire Chief Eric Lambert emphasized the importance of remembrance.

“It’s to remember everybody. It’s good to have services to make sure everybody doesn’t forget,” Lambert said.

Diane Adinolfo’s husband works in the fire department, and she has numerous other family members who work as first responders. She also belongs to St. John the Baptist and wanted to attend the ceremony to support her husband and say a prayer for the lives lost.

“People forget really quickly, and that’s unfortunate,” Adinolfo said. “Hopefully this becomes a yearly thing and more towns nearby get involved as well.”

Savage hoped that, as people heard the bells tolling throughout the morning, they paused to remember, even for a moment, the human scope of the tragedy.

“We’re trying to do the right thing for those who came before,” Savage added.

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com.