- The oldest surviving church building in Manhattan.
- George Washington, along with members of the United States Congress, prayed at St. Paul's Chapel on his Inauguration Day, on April 30, 1789.
- Washington also attended services at St. Paul's during the two years, while New York City was the country's capital.
- The rear of St. Paul's Chapel faces Church Street, opposite the east side of the World Trade Center site. After the attack on September 11, 2001, which led to the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, St. Paul's Chapel served as a place of rest and refuge for recovery workers at the WTC site.
- For 8 months, hundreds of volunteers worked 12 hour shifts around the clock. They served meals, made beds, counseled and prayed with fire fighters, construction workers, police and others.
http://www.stpaulscathedral.org/
http://www.newyorkpartyshuttle.com/new-york-attractions/st-pauls-chapel-new-york.php
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/september-11-attacks/8755634/September-11-St-Pauls-Cathedral-marks-10th-anniversary.html
(bibliographies)
There are some remarkable photos here - of the Twin Towers - yes - towering over St. Paul's and of the chapel in the hours and days after 9-11. To me, it's amazing that a place where George Washington prayed served as the relief station and sanctuary for the firefighters who were both physically and emotionally challenged by their work at the World Trade Center site.
ReplyDeleteThe American flags on the fence remind me of the surge of patriotism in the days and weeks after the attack ... one saw flags everywhere, on cars, draped from windows, etc. Why do you think it is that people "rally around the flag" in times of crisis but tend to lose or mute that patriotism in so-called "normal" times?
ReplyDeleteIts great that St. Paul's Chapel is a beautiful place that helped many stand up on their feet again. After 9/11 NYC became such a strong and helpful place. New Yorkers were stong and brave,and many people were so helpful. And to think that St. Pauls was just one bit of that helpfulness is great. I believe people are are more patriotic during the times of crisis because they want to help their country rise. They also feel like they are all in this together, and they have a heart because they know how bad the situation is.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that the church served to aid those affected greatly by 9/11, and how people found the church as a place of comfort, disregarding religion. Personally, as a religious person, I feel that churches should always serve to help people in need without the interference of religion.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Josue. Its beautiful how they put differences in religion away, and how the focused on helping each other, while looking up to one supreme Power. I feel that this should always be the case. And I'm glad the church could help many people.
ReplyDeleteThe church's beauty was outstanding, and the fact that it was used as a place of refuge for so long makes it an even more meaningful location. Just as we were about to leave, I spotted a small ribbon tied to the fence that had words meant to bless those affected by 9/11. The selflessness exhibited by so many people is inspiring, as was this little message that was certainly not as insignificant as one might think.
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