New York (CNN) -- Nine Septembers have come and gone and yet, the many days that separate America now from a chilling day in its history did not dull remembrance Saturday.





Once again, the nation paused in silence to mark the times when hijacked jets crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and nearly 3,000 lives were lost in a matter of minutes.





But this year, a national debate over a proposed Islamic center near ground zero hovered over the day's heart-stopping sorrow, and the president once again pleaded for the tolerance that has come to define America. Rallies in favor of and against the center were held later in the day.





At Manhattan's Zuccotti Park, adjacent to the September 11 memorial site, thousands gathered, wanting to be as close as they could to hallowed ground.





As has become customary, the names of the 2,752 who perished at the World Trade Center were read out aloud -- each belonging to a mother or father, son or daughter, husband or wife, a friend, or even a stranger.





"We have returned to this sacred site to join our hearts together with the names of those we loved and lost," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the start of the ceremony.





"No other public tragedy has cut our city so deeply," he said. "No other place is as filled with our compassion, our love, and our solidarity."





Silence befell New York at 8:46 a.m., the time when the first plane struck the North Tower. Another moment of quiet followed a few minutes later, at 9:03 a.m., when a second jet pierced through the South Tower.





Shortly after the second moment of silence, Vice President Joe Biden read a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.





"Build today, then strong and sure with a firm and ample base; and ascending and secure shall tomorrow find its place. "





With each toll of the bell, an emotional chord struck hearts. Family members stepped forward to talk about those who were lost. And with each word, hot tears rolled down cheeks.





A woman remembered her mother, Larissa Ceylon Taylor.





"Although I was 11 years old when you passed, you were my best friend and the greatest mom. We all love you and we miss you. God bless you, Mom. I love you."





Another spoke of her sister, Deborah Ann Dimartino. "We will hold you close to our hearts."





And a brother, Christopher Epps, who was a Star Wars fan.





"Christopher, so handsome and, oh, so fine. With a heart of gold, why, oh why did you have to leave us behind? And I said to myself, I know why. God was looking for a captain of a ship, someone who qualifies as a jedi. So go on, dear brother, don't be shy. Your ship awaits you with 2,000 and more to stand by your side, to travel with you on your journey into the sky. May the force be with you, Christopher Epps. We love you and you are embedded in our hearts forever."





In his weekly address, President Barack Obama highlighted the scope of America's loss.





"We think about the milestones that have passed over the course of nine years -- births and christenings, weddings and graduations -- all with an empty chair," he said.





"On this day, we also honor those who died so that others might live: the firefighters and first responders who climbed the stairs of two burning towers; the passengers who stormed a cockpit; and the men and women who have, in the years since, borne the uniform of this country and given their lives so that our children could grow up in a safer world," Obama said.





Later, Obama laid a wreath at the Pentagon, where American Airlines Flight 77 struck and killed 184 people, and sounded again a message of tolerance, keenly aware that this anniversary was cast under a different light.





Beyond
Where was Obama speaking? What were the rallies held for? What did Obama do? Were rallies held?
Pentagon, proposed Islamic center near ground zero laid a wreath at the Pentagon, later in the day.
question: Where was Obama speaking?, answer: Pentagon, | question: What were the rallies held for?, answer: proposed Islamic center near ground zero | question: What did Obama do?, answer: laid a wreath at the Pentagon, | question: Were rallies held?, answer: later in the day.