I was 12 that Tuesday; one in ten American adults today was born after it. Between now and Friday’s anniversary, I will name the Catholic heroes of 9/11 and tell you where Robert Prevost was when the towers fell.
I was 43 and living in NYC. We saw the second plane hit in disbelief. The days that followed are a blur of humanity; the smell; and the feeling was surreal. We grieved. What changed? Everything. We lasted 5 more years but could not tolerate nor change the direction of our country. We left 20 years ago. More happened that day to change our people and nation than anyone will ever admit. I am pleased to see you, even so young at the time, understand.
My mother is an alum of Boston College. There's an article in a recent issue of the alumni magazine about Welles Crother. I've wanted to read it. I wish the New York archdiocese would advances the canonization causes for Crother and Judge... There were probably other heroes Catholic and otherwise to honor. I guess Cardinal Dolan had a few disagreements with Judge and that's why his cause is stalled, but I'm unsure if there's any reason for holdup with Crother.
The police officer in the photo meeting Pope Francis I believe is Detective Steven McDonald. And he there are arguments made for his sainthood. He lived an incredible life. He was paralyzed in 1986. Recently married and with a baby on the way. So badly wounded that it was a miracle he survived. He forgave the 15 year-old that shot him, encouraged him to turn his life around. McDonald went on to do a lot of amazing things including promoting non-violent conflict resolution in Northern Ireland with Father Mychal Judge. After 9/11, he organized a walk of remembrance for Father Judge that continues to this day on the Sunday before the anniversary of 9/11. An amazing and inspiring catholic.
I’m 78 years old , and a life long New Yorker. On that day I was at work as a Special Education Teaching Assistant in a school in the Hudson Valley, an area that was home to many NYPD officers and FDNY firefighters. My own parish lost three men that day, and one of the children in my school lost his father, an FDNY firefighter. My husband worked on 14th St. in Manhattan and saw the second plane hit, and both towers fall. He still cannot even speak of that morning without crying. I know that all Americans who were old enough to remember were deeply affected by this horror, but the events of that day are absolutely seared into the minds and hearts of New Yorkers, and forgetting is not possible. We don’t speak about it much, even after 25 years, but I often think about the children in my school district who lost their father, the school secretary who lost her brother, and the families of the three parishioners who lost their lives. I pray that in the intervening years that God has granted them a measure of peace.
Thank you. your work always makes me think and more important reflect on what's really important.
I remember a lot about that day. it was to be a celebration -- a party at 21 to celebrate a court case we won -- that ended up so differently. Instead of hosting that dinner party, my boss went to St Patrick's that night with two colleagues from work who had lost spouses in the towers, while I returned to suburban Connecticut on a train where many passengers were dust-covered, to a parking lot where cars remained unmoved and it gradually over the course of the week dawned on us what that meant.
Let us pray that the Lord is caring for those we lost that day, and that those who became lost because of it may find their way back to the light.
I remember the beginning of that day. I was driving to the High School I was teaching at; which happened to be the High School I graduated from. Traffic was so chaotic. I had just left my youngest at the daycare and I was still listening to his music. Children’s music. So I was able to drive normal because I was not listening to the news on the radio. The classroom before my classroom was watching the news. The last plane hit at that moment. I asked the other teachers; what is going on. They told me. We tried to teach something that day but I don’t even remember what it was. When I got home that day; I told my older sons, I had no idea what to think other than to pray for the dead, the injured and their families. We turned off the TV. They were just repeating. That could not be heathy for my sons. Life went on for our family since it was so far away. We live in Texas. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I no longer lived in NYC in 2001 but from the time I did live there practically everyone knew who Father Judge was. I walked past that fire station many times to Penn Station for the LIRR. I pray that Fr, Judge remembers me.
I was at home,a day off from work.I was busy tidying up my house,so I turned on the tv,muted it so my older kids could do their homeschooling for that day,and I noticed that my muted Home Shopping Network wasn't doing selling,something else was on.Then I saw the placard on the screen,"Our programming is suspended today due to the tragedy."
Tidying up forgotten,I grabbed the remote and changed the channel to a news station.I was in shock,and called my Ma's roommate who was from NYC.She was talking about how she couldn't raise anyone,because all the phone line were jammed.Soon we knew it was on purpose,and watched in horror as the plane did a u-turn in mid air and rammed into the building.
For days,no sports,cartoons,music videos,just all news for like a whole week.Slowly normal programming came back,and it took awhile to get to a place that began to feel somewhat normal.
In September 2007,I started a new job,and during that first week,my granddaughter was born on September 11.My youngest daughter,who was 4 when 9/11 happened,had no memory of it.So we were giving my granddaughter a 2nd birthday party,and she overheard us talking about 9/11.She didn't understand why it was so important,so I dug out a box of collected newspapers from that week for her to read,and got her the movie to watch about flight 93.
I still have that job,just in a different place,and my lovely granddaughter turns 19 this week.
September 11, 2001...
The Day America Wept.
I was 43 and living in NYC. We saw the second plane hit in disbelief. The days that followed are a blur of humanity; the smell; and the feeling was surreal. We grieved. What changed? Everything. We lasted 5 more years but could not tolerate nor change the direction of our country. We left 20 years ago. More happened that day to change our people and nation than anyone will ever admit. I am pleased to see you, even so young at the time, understand.
Thank you for sharing this, Cherie. Praying for you and those you love.
My mother is an alum of Boston College. There's an article in a recent issue of the alumni magazine about Welles Crother. I've wanted to read it. I wish the New York archdiocese would advances the canonization causes for Crother and Judge... There were probably other heroes Catholic and otherwise to honor. I guess Cardinal Dolan had a few disagreements with Judge and that's why his cause is stalled, but I'm unsure if there's any reason for holdup with Crother.
I plan on bringing that up with Archbishop Hicks later this month. I’ll keep you abreast! They’re both unquestionably saints.
Cardinal Dolan is an asshole.
The police officer in the photo meeting Pope Francis I believe is Detective Steven McDonald. And he there are arguments made for his sainthood. He lived an incredible life. He was paralyzed in 1986. Recently married and with a baby on the way. So badly wounded that it was a miracle he survived. He forgave the 15 year-old that shot him, encouraged him to turn his life around. McDonald went on to do a lot of amazing things including promoting non-violent conflict resolution in Northern Ireland with Father Mychal Judge. After 9/11, he organized a walk of remembrance for Father Judge that continues to this day on the Sunday before the anniversary of 9/11. An amazing and inspiring catholic.
I’m 78 years old , and a life long New Yorker. On that day I was at work as a Special Education Teaching Assistant in a school in the Hudson Valley, an area that was home to many NYPD officers and FDNY firefighters. My own parish lost three men that day, and one of the children in my school lost his father, an FDNY firefighter. My husband worked on 14th St. in Manhattan and saw the second plane hit, and both towers fall. He still cannot even speak of that morning without crying. I know that all Americans who were old enough to remember were deeply affected by this horror, but the events of that day are absolutely seared into the minds and hearts of New Yorkers, and forgetting is not possible. We don’t speak about it much, even after 25 years, but I often think about the children in my school district who lost their father, the school secretary who lost her brother, and the families of the three parishioners who lost their lives. I pray that in the intervening years that God has granted them a measure of peace.
Thank you. your work always makes me think and more important reflect on what's really important.
I remember a lot about that day. it was to be a celebration -- a party at 21 to celebrate a court case we won -- that ended up so differently. Instead of hosting that dinner party, my boss went to St Patrick's that night with two colleagues from work who had lost spouses in the towers, while I returned to suburban Connecticut on a train where many passengers were dust-covered, to a parking lot where cars remained unmoved and it gradually over the course of the week dawned on us what that meant.
Let us pray that the Lord is caring for those we lost that day, and that those who became lost because of it may find their way back to the light.
I remember the beginning of that day. I was driving to the High School I was teaching at; which happened to be the High School I graduated from. Traffic was so chaotic. I had just left my youngest at the daycare and I was still listening to his music. Children’s music. So I was able to drive normal because I was not listening to the news on the radio. The classroom before my classroom was watching the news. The last plane hit at that moment. I asked the other teachers; what is going on. They told me. We tried to teach something that day but I don’t even remember what it was. When I got home that day; I told my older sons, I had no idea what to think other than to pray for the dead, the injured and their families. We turned off the TV. They were just repeating. That could not be heathy for my sons. Life went on for our family since it was so far away. We live in Texas. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I no longer lived in NYC in 2001 but from the time I did live there practically everyone knew who Father Judge was. I walked past that fire station many times to Penn Station for the LIRR. I pray that Fr, Judge remembers me.
I have a photo of the steel beams being erected for the frame of the Towers. I worked on Water Street and we watched the progress each day.
I was at home,a day off from work.I was busy tidying up my house,so I turned on the tv,muted it so my older kids could do their homeschooling for that day,and I noticed that my muted Home Shopping Network wasn't doing selling,something else was on.Then I saw the placard on the screen,"Our programming is suspended today due to the tragedy."
Tidying up forgotten,I grabbed the remote and changed the channel to a news station.I was in shock,and called my Ma's roommate who was from NYC.She was talking about how she couldn't raise anyone,because all the phone line were jammed.Soon we knew it was on purpose,and watched in horror as the plane did a u-turn in mid air and rammed into the building.
For days,no sports,cartoons,music videos,just all news for like a whole week.Slowly normal programming came back,and it took awhile to get to a place that began to feel somewhat normal.
In September 2007,I started a new job,and during that first week,my granddaughter was born on September 11.My youngest daughter,who was 4 when 9/11 happened,had no memory of it.So we were giving my granddaughter a 2nd birthday party,and she overheard us talking about 9/11.She didn't understand why it was so important,so I dug out a box of collected newspapers from that week for her to read,and got her the movie to watch about flight 93.
I still have that job,just in a different place,and my lovely granddaughter turns 19 this week.