Marian devotion in the United States, strength for the familyIt is hard to believe that 22 years have passed since 9/11. That day is etched in the memory of those who lived through it and for the many who lost loved ones.
Most of us who are old enough to remember and were in New York will agree that it was a beautiful New York morning: the sky was very clear and especially blue. It was still summer, not yet autumn, but all the vacationers had gone back to work and the school year had just begun. The Tuesday morning rush hour hadn't dissipated, but lower Manhattan employees were almost settled in their offices, and a quieter hour was coming. But all that was about to change.
The terrible 9/11
On September 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
Eighteen minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the south tower near the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that threw burning debris onto buildings in the area. The Pentagon would be the next target, and it was clear that America was under the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.
The days, weeks and months that followed brought little resolution and peace to the families of the victims trapped in the rubble and the countless others who remained unidentified. And, for many American citizens, the fear of another attack paralyzed their daily activities.
Among the rubble were rescue workers, firefighters, medical examiners and countless volunteers who worked tirelessly to help locate anything: an heirloom, an article of clothing, a wallet, a piece of jewelry, an employee ID card, an article of clothing and, hopefully, the countless number of bodies or fragments that were lost in a sea of darkness.
But hope was not lost. Some people were found throughout the arduous search, others were not. And recently, after decades of efforts to return the deceased to their families, two victims were identified just days before the 22nd anniversary of the World Trade Center bombing. The search continues.
A prayer remembrance
An annual ceremony was held in Lower Manhattan to honor the nearly 3,000 people who died that horrible day. The St. Peter's ChurchNew York's oldest Catholic church, located on Barclay Street, just steps from the World Trade Center, and the National 911 Memorial "became a center of rescue and recovery and a symbol of hope in one of America's darkest hours," reported The Good News Room.
Father Jarlath Quinn is the pastor of Saint Peter's and celebrated the memorial Mass. He spoke of the church's association with the events of that day, "Part of the landing gear of the plane landed here on the roof and damaged it, then this whole church became a warehouse for the government for months, so here we were involved." He continued, "Many of us down here, like myself, see this as our Good Friday."
Father Quinn also shared the story of Reverend Mychal Judge, a New York Fire Department chaplain who "was left lying in front of the altar" and was the first recorded fatality. Father Judge, 68, stood in the lobby of the north tower and prayed for the firefighters who rushed past him to save the trapped and for the desperate who had no choice but to jump out of windows to an inescapable death. Debris from the north tower killed Father Judge.
The church also held an interface remembrance service organized by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. They remembered the 84 employees who died on 9/11. The service began with the National Anthem, and Catholic, Jewish and Protestant representatives recited prayers.
Kevin J. O'Toole, Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was in attendance and said, "We miss them, we respect them and we love them." He believes that although "after 22 years, the memories have faded," and we must move on "we must never forget and educate the next generation, those who were not even born in 2001, about this tragedy, about this love, about how we have to move on and remember what they committed to us and what they left behind, and who they are in spirit."
A united country
That day you could see the remnants of evil in its pure state; it was palpable, tormenting and repulsive to the core. However, it was also the moment when United States came together and the good Samaritans worked overtime to help each other overcome a grotesque manifestation of hatred. Love, good deeds and community were in the air. It was God in everyone who realized that we are better together than alone. As St. John said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
And we unite as a nation with all our beautiful differences, we unite with our love of country, and each other because we are and always will be one nation under God.
