Charlotte Bacon, 6

Daniel Barden, 7

Rachel D’Avino, 29

Olivia Engel, 6

Josephine Gay, 7

Dawn Hochsprung, 47

Dylan Hockley, 6

Madeleine Hsu, 6

Catherine Hubbard, 6

Chase Kowalski, 7

Jesse Lewis, 6

Ana Márquez-Greene, 6

James Mattioli, 6

Grace McDonnell, 7

Anne Marie Murphy, 52

Emilie Parker, 6

Jack Pinto, 6

Noah Pozner, 6

Caroline Previdi, 6

Jessica Rekos, 6

Avielle Richman, 6

Lauren Rousseau, 30

Mary Sherlach, 56

Victoria Leigh Soto, 27

Benjamin Wheeler, 6

Allison Wyatt, 6

Newtown will never forget these names.

They are the children, and wives, and mothers, neighbors and friends, and heroic educators who were taken from us by an individual who, after killing his own mother, used his deadly weapons on 20 of the most vulnerable and innocent among us and six self-sacrificing adults before taking his own life.

The tragedy of December 14, 2012 is nine years in the past, but it may as well be yesterday for the immediate survivors and all the others who were injured physically or emotionally; the countless responders — including those who witnessed the most heartbreaking, devastating results of this targeted act of violence; and all those from whatever proximity to the scene who have suffered or may yet suffer with survivor’s guilt or post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, emotional distress, and other aftereffects.

This year, Newtown as a community, and all of us who were tied to or touched by the events of 12/14, will face heightened grim reminders in the media, although many of us suffer through every publicized mass shooting event including the most recent attacks at Michigan’s Oxford High School.

To offer some assistance in coping, The Resiliency Center of Newtown will be open on Tuesday, December 14, for anyone who needs additional support or is looking for a quiet place to reflect. The agency will have therapists on staff throughout the day. Appointments are available upon request between 9 am and 4 pm. Just call the center at 203-364-9750 to set one up or to get more information.

To find some consolation in numbers and the power of prayer, an Interfaith Gathering will happen that evening at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary of Trinity Episcopal Church, 36 Main Street. Faith leaders from Newtown’s religious communities will read from sacred texts, offer prayers, and times of silence for individual reflection. Regardless of vaccination status, all attendees will be asked to wear masks. There will also be a livestream offering through the Trinity Church website, trinitynewtownct.org.

In addition to the daily Mass at 6:45 and 9 am on December 14, St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church will offer a special Mass that will also be live streamed at 7 pm at www.strosechurch.com/live-stream. Unvaccinated attendees are requested to attend with appropriate face covering.

On Tuesday, Dylan’s Wings of Change, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to the memory of Dylan Hockley, one of the first grade victims of the mass shooting, is seeking participants for its “10 Seconds For Hope” challenge. The goal is to flood social media with personal, heartfelt videos of hope to help transform tragedy into messages to others that they are not alone and they matter.

Take part by creating a short video expressing what hope means to you, and begin with “I’m joining the 10 Seconds of Hope Challenge ....” Then post your video on social media tagging @thewingmanmovement, #10seconds4hopechallenge, and any others you know who are spreading the word.

We share founder Ian Hockley’s observation that after the crushing events of 12/14, the world embraced our small community and gave us hope for the future. Since 2018, Dylan’s Wings of Change has continued to pay that hope forward with this activity, while being respectful of the lives lost and those that were changed forever.

No matter how you spend your time reflecting next Tuesday, remember their names and never forget the 26 beautiful, cheerful, talented, and inspiring souls who were ripped away from us that still December morning nine years ago.