Father Ako Walker recited the names of the six men who died while working overnight on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed a year ago.

The crowd during a memorial Wednesday at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Dundalk responded by saying their names and pausing for a moment of silence.

Photos of the men, Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, Carlos Daniel Hernández, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, José Mynor López and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, were on display near the altar in this one-year commemoration of the tragedy.

“They died serving Baltimore and the state of Maryland. Let us be people who do service and goodwill. Let us want the best for one another,” said Ako, who acted as spiritual support for the six men’s families following their deaths. “Let goodness prevail.”

The night of the collapse, Mt. Olive Baptist Church opened its doors for a “community vigil, offering space for collective mourning, prayer and solidarity.” Wednesday night’s memorial had a similar motive.

Walker ended his remarks by reciting a prayer in Spanish for the victims and their families, who were not in attendance, and saying their names again with crowd responses and moments of silence.

Dozens of people filled the Dundalk church’s pews to honor the six men. Attendees stood, clapped their hands and rocked side to side to the music. They sang along with the seven-member choir in joyous thunder in the small church.

First responders lined the pews to the front left. Seated to the right were state and local leaders Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Reps. Kweisi Mfume and Johnny Olszewski Jr., Baltimore Deputy Mayor John David “J.D.” Merrill, City Councilmember Phylicia Porter and Baltimore County Executive Katherine A. Klausmeier — all of whom gave remarks.

Miller described March 26, 2024, as “a day of heartbreak, courage. A day that changed all of our timelines.”

“We gathered today because we will not forget. We stand with the families who lost so much,” Miller said.

Leaders who followed honored the men who died and the first responders who aided in the recovery. In commemorating the lives lost and those who served, Merrill said he thought about University of Maryland basketball star Derik Queen’s famed line: “I’m from Baltimore.”

“When we think about the victims and we think about the first responders, I can’t help but think about that phrase,” Merrill said. “It meant quick thinking, confidence, leadership, courage.”