September 10th, 2012
“The Little Chapel that Stood”, Trinity Church, St. Paul’s Chapel, 9/11, New York
I cannot believe that it has already been 6 months since I last visited New York with my cousins. New York did look so good.
Some things never change…street food…the horse drawn carriages, its people. Everyone rushing from one place to another. Not us, we were on vacation time.
Towards the end of our stay we decided that we better go down to the 9/11 Memorial and see if, by chance, we could get in. That was not to be. The line wrapped around to get the tickets that were going to be available for the day.
We could get into the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, though.
At the time this site was an exhibit. Plenty to see. The flag made out of all the names of the victims of 9/11. You could also see pieces of what would eventually go into the Memorial.
Across this preview site and also across from where the Twin Towers stood is a magnificent historic church.
Courtesy of Leo Sore/Trinity Wall Street
It is called St. Paul’s Chapel. The address is: 211 Broadway, between Fulton St. & Vesey St. In March they were doing some renovations; plenty of people were going inside.
St. Paul’s Chapel opened its doors in 1766. Trinity Church was founded in 1697. It is an Episcopal parish and home to St. Paul’s Chapel. St. Paul’s Chapel is also Manhattan’s oldest public building. George Washington worshiped at this chapel after his inauguration.
It is known as “The Little Chapel that Stood” because nothing happened to this chapel; most buildings around it were damaged when the Twin Towers came down. Plenty of debris all around its surroundings, though. It also survived the Great Fire of 1776.
St. Paul’s Chapel had a purpose on 9/11. It opened its doors to all 9/11 recovery workers. It was a place to get round-the-clock care, food, shelter, counseling and worship.
St. Paul’s Chapel became a place of peace, rest and reconciliation.
We went inside to see the Exhibit “Unwavering Spirit”. Everyone visiting was quiet. It was total peace. All of us were deep in thought.
Many of the exhibit pieces were left by recovery workers, police, and doctors.
Visitors too could leave something behind.
St. Paul’s Chapel is very active. To know more about it, please visit http://www.saintpaulschapel.org.
If you would like to see a 9/11 Timeline, please visit http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/news/features/911-timeline.
If you get the chance, please do visit. Then, go out back where the cemetery is located. You will be overcome with deep feelings. It is that kind of place; a sanctuary.
Never forget, right? Talk to you later.
Note: Information for this post was taken from the St. Paul’s Chapel website and a few other internet sites.
Tags: 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, 911, Episcopal Parish in New York, New York, St. Paul's Chapel, The Little Chapel that Stood, Touring New York City, Trinity Church, Unwavering Spirit Exhibit, Unwavering Spirit Exhibit at St. Paul's Chapel, Visiting New York, Visiting New York City
Last October I had the opportunity to visit the Little Chapel that Stood. I was truly moved by my visit and highly recommend anyone visiting the area not to miss this church that served as a resting place for the brave people who helped at the World Trade Center after the 9/11 disaster. God bless America !