9/11: Reflections and Remembrances

September 11, 2001 —Those Who Were There Remember

A Muslim Serves her Country
"I feel the resiliency of my faith as the biggest strength in helping build bridges of understanding with my fellow Americans."
-Lt. Col. Shareda Hosein, U.S. Army Reserves, Muslim chaplain

Choosing Action in the Face of Evil
"Tom was a hero on Flight 93. He and his fellow passengers were drafted unknowingly as the first citizen-soldiers in the war on terrorism."
-Beverly and Thomas Burnett, Sr., parents of Tom Burnett

In this hell I found grace. -Fr. James Martin

One Firefighter Spared Twice That Day
"I still try to figure out what God was thinking and why I deserved to be spared twice that day."
-Kenneth Zaveckas, New York City firefighter

Suffering, Death and Resurrection: a Pastor's Experience of 9/11
"The preciousness and also the precarious and vulnerable nature of the fundamental gift of life burned its way into the depth of our souls."
 -Monsignor Anthony Sherman, Brooklyn pastor

An Instrument of Peace at Ground Zero 
"I did not see the devil's face at Ground Zero. I saw the face of God in the people working, caring, sweating, crying, rescuing, recovering and being very spiritual in their very humanness."
-Franciscan Father Joseph Bayne, chief chaplain of New York's Erie County Emergency Services

We Stood Together on September 11
"People came together in unity that day. We can all remember where we were on 9/11 because we were all together."
-Paulist Father Paul Wierichs, a former chaplain to the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Parable of Ground Zero
"I thought 'what is God like? God is like the firefighter who rushes into a burning building to save someone. That's how much God loves us."
-Jesuit Father James Martin, culture editor of America magazine

A People Changed by 9/11
"The years have gone by, but the memories remain for all who were involved in that one single day and its aftermath that changed the lives of so many and of our nation."
-Monsignor Robert J. Romano

Experiencing 9/11 From Afar
"I sat the whole day in front of the TV watching the video of the tragedy and listening to the commentary."
-Deacon Tom Aumen 

Minnesota Twins at a Ground Zero Hospital
"What I learned about faith is that it is active."
-Father Jeff Ethen, of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota

Forgiveness and Unity at Ground Zero
"How in awe I was seeing the crowds along the New York streets praying and saluting as we wheeled the American flag-draped bodies to the makeshift morgue."
-Father Bruce Nieli, C.S.P.

Remembering 9/11
"It was a time of great pain and great love. It was a time of testing and a time of faith. It was a time of endings and beginnings."
-Father James E. Devlin, pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in the Diocese of Brooklyn

A Memoir of 9/11
"We all thought it was a joke."
-Meg C. DeBoe, resident of Annandale, Virginia