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“The greatest memorial to those who died ten years ago will be a world more inclined toward peace.” Katherine Jefferts Schiori, 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
This day marks the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, a day that will be emblazoned on the hearts, souls, and memories of everyone who witnessed or heard of the events taking place in the air, in New York City and in Arlington, VA. I was thousands of miles away from the epicenters of the tragic events of that most hallowed day, but I can still remember responding, as an ordained person of faith, to events that should change the way we live.
On that day, I was the chaplain of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. The news of a plane crashing into one of the World Trade Center buildings was first heard just minutes before the opening bell of that school day. The details and the significance were not yet known. I turned on the television in an empty classroom to attempt to pick up a signal (no cable and no antenna). The picture was snowy, and Dan Rather’s voice shaky as he described events as they happened. It became clear that the country, we thought so safe and secure, was under attack. CNN’s internet server couldn’t keep up with the onslaught of queries, so our knowledge of events unfolding were sketchy, at best. The picture on the screen was no clearer, but the picture of what was happening to us and to the world we knew was becoming clearer every moment. Many people were losing their lives as gigantic and iconic buildings fell to the ground as we watched. Only later, would we learn of the events at the Pentagon, just a few miles from St. Patrick’s, and I’m sure much more traumatically evident to those of you living in this area, at that time. As more information became known, we heard the stories of heroes on the plane that ended its flight in the fields of Shanksville, PA.
What I remember was wondering what to do as chaplain of a school charged with the spiritual lives of hundreds of children. My colleagues and I decided to share what little we knew with our Middle School students. It was not an announcement made over a loud speaker or even by shuffling between classrooms. We gathered, as we did everyday, in the chapel. The buzz was palpable as we described what we knew and then prayed. Prayer for the many lives lost, for the safety of others, and that fearful events would end. The uncertain future in that moment was palpable. Teachers and students alike had never experienced such historic tragedy. What was next was clouded by what had already taken place.
