“9/11 Ten Years Later” from the September 2011 Tidings

I visited Ground Zero in April 2002 on the 4th Sunday of Easter. It had been months since Saint Paul’s had sent two teams to help out. A friend with me had served as a Marine Captain in Vietnam. He said that even after seven months, he could still detect the smell of burnt flesh like what he had known in battle. For me, it felt like my visit to the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington – somberness, deep compassion, and ache for those lost. This month we mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11. At worship we will offer special prayers, there will be a display at the back of the church, and the Faith Forum will be given over to a study of that day and its significance for our current faith and life. We will also publish a booklet of reminiscences by Saint Paul’s members who went to Ground Zero in November 2001 and January 2002 to help out. Beginning on 9/12, the day after the attack, the Episcopal Church had two priests “in the pile” in round the clock  shifts for six months. Saint Paul’s Chestnut Hill gave support on two occasions to that merciful presence. Today we recall with gratitude all those who served.