Never Forget...

11 September 2009

A little bit of a different post on this day of remembrance...

St. Pauls Chapel
Across the street from Ground Zero in lower Manhatten is St. Paul's Chapel. As I have visited Ground Zero a few times with my mom and sisters, this is where we are drawn to. It is a reverent sanctuary.

During the attacks, not one window was broken in the chapel, yet as I looked at the buildings all around, they received significant damages from the debris of the towers falling. Coincidence?

From the informational plaque: This stump is all that remains of a 100 year-old Sycamore that once stood in the northwest corner of St. Paul's churchyard. The tree was toppled on September 11th, 2001, when the collapse of the World Trade Center sent tons of debris hurtling towards the church, including a large steel beam from the North Tower. Miraculously, the Chapel's trees shielded it from damage and not a single pane of glass was broken throughout the church.It was built in 1766 and is the oldest public building in continuous use in New York City. It survived the Great New York City Fire of 1776 when a quarter of New York City (then the area around Wall Street) burned following the British capture of the city in the in the American Revolutionary War. (source: Wiki )

This chapel was a refuge for all of the workers and volunteers at Ground Zero. This was the chapel that George Washington prayed at before his inauguration. It still houses his bench,

pic by Jason and Kelley

and the original painting of the great seal of the United States:
pic source

I just wanted to share this special place with you today...

To all those who gave and lost in the attacks on September 11, 2001~
We will never forget...
God bless this country.

13 comments

  1. what a beautiful post! Thank you....

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  2. I know that chapel! When we were there in January 02, there was still trash in the trees around it...and I think there was a clock that had stopped working, but that was it. It was pretty amazing. AWESOME.

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  3. Wow, that really is a special place. I remember reading about a chapel that wasn't harmed at all and this one must be it. Thanks for the interesting and thoughtful post. It's so important that we remember what really happened that day but it's also important to see how amazing it is that this one little place withstood it all.

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  4. Still makes me cry to relive that day in my memory.

    I've never been to New York, but I'm dying to go and would love to visit this little chapel. If I ever get to go to NY, now I'll know to visit it there. :)

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  5. Such a beautiful post! Thank you for sharing that chapel with us!!

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  6. Great information! Beautiful place!

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  7. Coincidence? I think not! What a remarkable little church to withstand all that happened around it! I never heard of this church and have not been to the city since 1998, but will go there when we do get back up there. I want so badly to go at Christmastime! Thanks for the story and have a wonderful Sunday!

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  8. I visited this area this past May and was able to see this church and learn about it---wonderful place! Thanks for sharing this with others! Also, I love your blog--from the title to all the day-to-day living with your sweet family!

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  9. I have been to this chapel several times and enjoy it every time. There were protestors at Ground Zero the last time we were there which took away some of the reverence usually felt in that area. The chapel, though, was still a very emotional place to visit.

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  10. Would love to see this if I go to NYC one day. There has to be a special reason to have become a place of refuge over the years....

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  11. Thank you so much for this very meaningful post. That chapel is so obviously God-blessed.

    Please stop by my brand-new blog: Beauty and Blessings. I entered my first post yesterday. (Interestingly, it is about 9/11).
    Share the love and leave me a comment-- it would be nice to know someone is aware of me and my new blog.

    Blessings....Cynthia K.

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  12. I wonder why I never heard of this chapel, considering all the news coverage I watched at the time. What a great little place of refuge. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  13. How truly amazing... if someone didn't have faith before reading this entry I would dare them not to after reading it!!! Thank you for sharing! ox

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