Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral for hardhats died

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/04/25/2008-04-25_st_patricks_cathedral_honors_13_.html

snip

A Mass honoring the 13 construction workers killed on the job since last April is set for Monday, when a roll call of the departed will echo through the Fifth Ave. landmark.

The tribute to the hands that continue to build New York comes just 10 days after the Pope's historic stop in St.Patrick's.

Nearly half the victims died in the March 15 crane collapse; the most recent, Kevin Kelly, was killed on April 14 when he plunged from an East Side high-rise.

"We needed to do something with all the accidents in the city, with all the affected families, to show we keep them in our hearts and in our prayers," said Terry Moore of the Metallic Lathers and Reinforcing Ironworkers union, Local 46.

Relatives of the dead were expected to fill the front rows of the church, with an estimated 3,000 construction workers - in their hardhats - entering the church in a pre-Mass procession of solidarity.

Some work sites will likely close for the day to accommodate those attending the memorial.

The Rev. Brian Jordan, the Franciscan priest who will celebrate the Mass, said the hardhats are doing their version of the Lord's work: "As a priest's hands are sacred, so are the hands of these construction workers," he said.

The Mass was organized by the city's trade unions and construction management, an indication that both realize the inherent dangers of the work.

***
What a splendid and good idea! My prayers and thoughts are with the families and the colleagues of those who were lost.