Masses mark first anniversary of deadly Rhode Island nightclub fire

Published: 2004-02-25

CRANSTON, R.I. (CNS) -- Catholic leaders offered messages of solace and hope during Masses and services marking the first anniversary of the deadly fire that killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others on Feb. 20, 2003, at The Station nightclub in West Warwick. At a Feb. 20 memorial Mass at St. Ann Church in Cranston, Bishop Robert E. Mulvee of Providence recalled how the media reports of the fire a year earlier raised the number of fatalities each hour. "It hardly seemed real," he said. "As the events continued to unfold, the tragedy became far too real." In a state as compact as Rhode Island, it seemed that everyone knew someone affected by the tragedy, Bishop Mulvee said. It was the fourth largest fatality total from a fire in U.S. history. "It was no longer something happening at a distance, but a catastrophe that was touching each of our lives here in Rhode Island," the bishop said. "Those painful memories are still vividly in our minds 12 months later. Rhode Island has not forgotten."

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