Rev. Rhoda Treherne-Thomas, St. Simon, Staten Island, participated in a memorial service with her parish, top.

Photo courtesy of THE STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

The anniversary of September 11 was especially meaningful for St. Paul's, middle, which is located only two blocks from Ground Zero.

Photo courtesy of LEO SOREL

Bishop E. Don Taylor led the service at St. Mary's, Manhattan, on September 11, bottom.

Photo courtesy of ST. MARY'S, MANHATTAN

WIND WORD 9/11/2002

On that pristine September morning

it took only an hour or so for the towers to fall.

It took nearly four months for the fires to quit.

Five more months it took for the mountains of twisted steel and tons of particles of dust

to become an enormous non-construction hole in the earth.

It took only an instant for their faces to be etched in our minds,

and in that same instant, for hearts to quake and fissure.

Yet that same window of our mind's eye keeps them present,

and their presence in God's love gives hope and strange reason

for even fuller life in the midst of great hate and violent death.

For while we know it will require years for the heart to heal,

even unto functional scar, likewise in moment and breath,

as each name is spoken, we know surely they live, we live.

And we with all who seek the death of hate and fear,

in the pax, shalom, salaam, la paz, peace, which passes understanding,

will surely hope, and prosper, and conquer.

the REV. RAND FREW

One year later, to the minute, church bells throughout the city, throughout the diocese and throughout the world began tolling in remembrance of the infamous events that occurred on the 11 of September 2001. The sky in New York was clear and blue, and strong gusts of wind pierced the steady quiet of the day. Native Americans believe that the Spirit has arrived when the wind begins to blow. It seems the Spirit visited the area very often that day.

United in Remembrance
Church doors opened early and closed late. Bells tolled, some timed to the airplane crashes, others ringing one time for each life lost that day. Eucharists, memorials and other services were offered throughout the day and the previous evening, providing everyone the opportunity to stop in and reflect on the somber occasion.

Candles played an important part in many services. At St. James, Hyde Park, everyone lit a candle and “proceeded out into the world to share the light of peace,” as the Rev. Chuck Kramer explained. St. Augustine’s, Manhattan, along with other nearby churches, held a program that began with an outdoor candlelight procession, followed by prayers and music.

It was a day of mourning, not only for the 3,400 who died, but also for the loss of innocence. There were prayers for the victims and also prayers for peace, justice and forgiveness. At Trinity Church, Ossining, the Burial Office was read. Music acted as a solace and inspiration during the day. At Holy Trinity, Manhattan, a packed church listened to Mozart’s Requiem. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine also had a special music program at the evening service.

Above all, it was a day for uniting across the boundaries of ethnicity, nationality and religion. On Sept. 10, the Episcopal Diocese of New York participated in an interfaith service sponsored by the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Commission of Religious Leaders of New York City. While verses of the Qu’ran were quoted by Shayhk Abd’Allah Latif Ali of the Imam’s Council of New York and Rabbi Bruce Cole of the Free Synagogue of Flushing read from Psalm 121, Archdeacon Michael Kendall reminded the peoples of many faiths, “We are all God’s children, and He is the God of Peace.” Archdeacon Kendall and Shayhk Ali also took part in a memorial service at Abyssinian Baptist Church organized by the Council of Churches of the City of New York. Representatives from the Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Scientology and Greek Orthodox churches took part as well. The Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts, III, opened the memorial, asking, “If God be for us, who then can be against us?” Shayhk Ali urged everyone, “In these periods of darkness, lean on your heart. That’s your strength, the real you.” Several other parishes joined in interfaith liturgies, including St. James, Fordham, St. Gregory’s, Woodstock, San Juan Bautista, the Bronx, and St. Simon’s, Staten Island.

Day of Hope and Healing
In a solemn service that started with the traditional songs America the Beautiful and God Bless America and featured a bell from England called The Bell Of Hope, Trinity Wall Street, whose location is mere paces from Ground Zero, remembered and honored the victims of September 11 in an Evensong filled with prayer and music.

The Lord Mayor of the City of London, the Right Honorable Michael Oliver, presented the Bell of Hope, forged in the same site as the Liberty Bell and marked with the inscription: To the great glory of God and in recognition of the enduring links between the City of London and the City of New York. Forged in Adversity 11 September 2001.

“May it ring out with good news of hope and healing to all who hear its peal, and may its sound call us to stand united in the cause of freedom and justice for all people here and everywhere,” Oliver said. The Rev. Dr. Dan Matthews, rector of Trinity Wall Street, added, “This magnanimous gesture signifies the close links between two great cities. The bell is to be housed at Trinity St. Paul’s in recognition of the relationship between Trinity Church and the Church of St. Mary-leBow, Cheapside, in the heart of London.”

Bishop Mark Sisk thanked the Lord Mayor on behalf of the diocese and the city “for this gift in recognition of our shared heritage.” With that, he rang the bell three times, with its sound thundering throughout the packed church. Other special guests at the service included the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, and Bishops Catherine Roskam and Herbert Donovan.

In his sermon, Archbishop Carey recalled the events of last year, assuring Americans that the tragedy was not weathered alone. “At this hour exactly one year ago, the part of lower Manhattan in which we are gathered was in the grip of a waking nightmare. The scale of the human tragedy of September 11, 2001, was not, could not, be clear. But the extent of the physical devastation in New York was certainly becoming evident, despite the choking pall of smoke and dust that obscured most things. By this time both of the Twin Towers - just a few hundred yards away - had collapsed, and in their place Ground Zero was coming eerily into existence.”

He continued, “For we also recall with humility and gratitude the many acts of heroism - individual and collective - that helped to save lives and provide comfort and support to those in need and distress. It is fitting that among us now are some of the firefighters, medics, and members of emergency services who worked so selflessly. It is fitting also that we honor the work of this Church and of its Rector, Dan Matthews, and his many colleagues. And we give thanks especially for the vision and compassion that turned your sister Chapel of St Paul’s, on the edge of Ground Zero, into an emergency center, a spiritual haven, and more recently a place of pilgrimage. I can assure you, you were not alone in your suffering then, just as you are not alone in commemoration now.”

Archbishop Carey also addressed terrorism in the world. “Now let’s be very clear about it, the fight against terrorism must continue, because what happened on September 11 last year was an act of evil and of profound wickedness. Nothing has changed or will change that fact. Nothing can excuse it. Evil and the threat of evil are constantly with us. That is a fundamental part of our Christian understanding, and as Christians we are called to combat and to resist it, to do all we can to help the light prevail over the darkness.” He concluded, “For it’s on a Christian understanding of the equality and dignity of all human beings, of both the potential and the limits of human power, that America has grown up over the centuries and continues to proclaim today ‘In God we trust’. That trust, and the moral tradition which has flowed from it, are both the beginning and the best of America. That is the bell of hope we ring today!”

“Grief is the Price We Pay for Love”
The victims of 9/11 were intently going about their work as people do in our free society, the Rev. Andrew Mead told the overflowing church at St. Thomas, Manhattan. "The souls of those victims are in the hands of God where no one can hurt them. They were killed for being free people."

On September 10 at the request of the British Government, St. Thomas conducted a Choral Evensong as a memorial service for the British community in New York, remembering the 67 British nationals who were killed in the attack. Side by side in the church were family members of the British victims, Americans gathered for the service, the Lord Mayor of London and other London dignitaries, and 300 English police and fireman in their immediately recognizable “bobby” hats. The British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Hon Jack Straw, read a statement from Queen Elizabeth. Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey dedicated an image of Christ Crucified, located next to the pulpit, in memory of David Alger of St. Thomas and all the victims of September 11. Last year, in the Queen’s message to the British Nationals read at St. Thomas, she said, “Grief is the price we pay for love.” Those words were used as the inscription on the memorial and were echoed by Dr. Carey in his dedication.

“His Eye is on the Sparrow”
The bells at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine began their mournful tolling at 8:46 a.m., the moment on Sept. 11, 2001, when the first plane struck the north tower of the World Trade Center. Exactly one year later, upward of 500 people sat quietly inside the great cathedral. The mood was somber.

As the bells sounded, Cathedral School eighth grader Tovah Leibowitz walked to a podium near the steps leading to the High Altar and began to read the names of the people who perished in the terrorist attacks. Other readers followed.

Throughout the morning, a steady stream of people visited the cathedral during the recitation of the names of the dead, which was broken occasionally by musical meditations. More than a few wiped tears from their eyes. Many lit candles or paused to pay their respects at the Firemen Memorial inside the cathedral.

At 12:15 p.m. the pealing ceased, announcing a Requiem Eucharist at which the Cathedral Dean, the Rev. Dr. James A. Kowalski, presided and preached. The crowd of about 750, including scores of firefighters in their dress uniforms, filled the Great Choir and overflowed into the crossing, where additional chairs were quickly placed.

The solemn day concluded with a 7 p.m. service of remembrance and hope at which Bishop Mark S. Sisk greeted the crowd of over 2,500. On hand for the evening was a stellar group of guest artists, including Richie Havens, Tony award-winner Jason Robert Brown, Joan Osborne, Sussan Deyhim and Bang On A Can All-Stars. Punctuating the musical offerings were prayers by clergy and poignant readings by several people who lost ones on Sept. 11. As Darius DeHaas sang “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” light filled the cathedral as the thousands in attendance lit candles. Dean Kowalski closed the long day with a final blessing.

“No Longer is Toleration Sufficient”
The Center for Jewish-Christian-Muslim Understanding, created a year ago, sponsored a full-house program at the Westchester Muslim Center in Mount Vernon on September 10.

The Center’s president, the Rev. Dr. Charles R. Colwell, Rector of St. Barnabas in Irvington, said, “No longer is toleration sufficient. We are called as Christians to grow beyond mere toleration, beyond exclusivism which is a terrible barrier to peacemaking. I believe that God sees us all, as God’s children. In light of 9/11 and world tensions we, the Children of Abraham, must look each other in the eyes and see the face of God as well as affirm the call of God to work together. We, the three Abrahamic Faiths can have a tremendous influence on our society as President Khatami of the Republic of Iran told us last fall at the Cathedral. The stakes are high and civilization itself is threatened. We must work together!”

The meeting at the Mt. Vernon mosque was attended by 400. Rabbi Barry Kenter of the Greenburgh Hebrew Center and board member of CJCMU said, “All of us have only one Parent who asks that we get along with one another.” Dr. Mahjabeen Hassan, a Muslim area plastic surgeon and Board Member quoting the Qur’an said, “If God wanted he would have made you one people. Our religion requires us to respect all people.” At sundown, Christians and Jews attended evening prayers in the mosque and were provided a sumptuous dinner.

A Special Invitation
The Rev. Deacon Herb Trimpe volunteered approximately once a week in the temporary morgue at Ground Zero during the recovery operations, through the American Red Cross and the work of the Rev. Thomas Faulkner. Because of these efforts, the Red Cross asked Trimpe to help out at the anniversary ceremonies at Ground Zero, and he was assigned the evening shift at Battery Park for the lighting of the Eternal Flame.

Even though he was a volunteer with the Red Cross, Trimpe almost wasn’t given access to the site after being delayed. His chances of being admitted were very slim because of the tight security. However, he then met up with two women wearing Red Cross shirts, one of whom lost a family member on one of the airplanes. With her help, Trimpe was finally able to attend to those who needed him.

Trimpe said the lighting of the Eternal Flame ceremony was short and most of the family and friends were ready to leave, having been there since 6 a.m. that morning. After Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke, the flame was lit and everyone sang “America the Beautiful.”

Contributing to this article were Mary Beth Diss, Neva Rae Fox, the Rev. Rand Frew, Herb Katz, the Rev. Chuck Kramer, the Rev. Deacon Herb Trimpe and others.