Take an Extra 12% OFF With Code: CYBERDAYS
Shop All Scrapbooking Cardmaking Inspiration Watch Creative Kindness More

Cheers

Give a Cheer
Profile photo
Sharon Fritchey
September 5, 2011

The Little Chapel That Stood

Give cheer Give a Cheer
Favorite

My daughter, Katie, and I watched a special about the 9/11 attacks on the history channel yesterday. It stirred up many emotions in me, and afterwards, I felt the need to make a scrapbook page about it.
When my family and I visited Ground Zero a few years after the attacks, I was most affected by the story of "The Little Chapel That Stood." My sister even bought me the children's book written about it - by A.B. Curtiss.
My journaling reads as follows:
Throughout history, St. Paul's chapel has offered comfort and spiritual guidance. The chapel opened for worship on October 30, 1766 and is where the first president of the United States, George Washington, worshipped. The brownstone chapel survived new York's great fire in 1776. It is Manhattan's oldest public building in continuous use, and it is the only remaining colonial church. Over the years, St. Paul's Chapel sat in the shadow of the towering World Trade Center towers. The entrance of the chapel was directly across the street from the towers, not more than 50 yards away.
When terrorists attacked the towers resulting in their collapse on September 11, 2001, St. Paul's Chapel miraculously survived, virtually undamaged. It became known as The Little Chapel That Stood.
It not only stood structurally, it stood spiritually. In the days, weeks, and months that followed the attacks, the chapel served as a relief center for the firefighters and rescue workers. The chapel provided workers with refuge, food, medical attention, space to rest, and a place to pray. The iron fence that surrounds the chapel served as a place for family members of missing victims to post photos and messages to their loved ones. St. Paul's Chapel was a gathering place for everyone who needed physical and emotional support following the worst terror attack in the history of this country.
As the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, St. Paul's Chapel is still a place were the memory of the victims of the attacks in honored. When you look at the altar inside the church, you look back at the faces of all of those whos lives were lost. Their photos remind us all of our terrible loss. The faces are of mothers, fathers, husbands & wives, and brothers & sisters. Many worked in the World Trade Center, but some went into the building while everyone else was trying to escape. That day, 2,753 people lost there lives in the World Trade Center. 343 of them were firefighters, 60 were police officers, and 8 were private emergency medical technicians and paramedics. The faces of these people are represented on the altar.
St. Paul's Chapel provides an island of peace, quiet, and serenity in the midst of turmoil. It has done this for 245 years! It stands as a quiet and compelling place in a chaotic world.

I want to thank you all, so much, for stopping by and writing encouraging words. I really appreciate your friendship here on sb.com! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.


layouts scrapbooking
Report

Cheer sent!

Thanks for spreading positivity!

SavedRemovedChanged