Church Destroyed On 9/11 Has Yet To Be Rebuilt

Facientque mihi sanctuarium, et habitabo in medio eorum. (Exodus 25:8)

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, founded nearly a century ago, stood just south of the Twin Towers at Ground Zero, and was destroyed by their collapse on 9/11.

Since then, the Church’s leaders have not been able to reach an agreement with the Port Authority over where and how to rebuild, and the two sides have not spoken for over two years.

The Greek Orthodox Archbishop said, "This is not going to continue this way, the need for rebuilding is urgent and immediate".

The Port Authority has been using the Church’s land without permission to build an underground parking garage for the World Trade Center.

An old friend of mine since 1990 from the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation at the Upper West Side, Tamias Ben-Magid, worked as financial editor at the World Trade Center and used to go to St. Nicholas every Wednesday.

Ben-Magid said, "I would love to come back to pray here".

And of course he should.

When I think of all the couples who had their weddings at the Church at Ground Zero, and of all the children who got baptized there, I think it is a real scandal that the Church has not yet been rebuilt at Ground Zero.

Next year is an election year.

Maybe that could change things?

"Sine offensione estote Iudaeis et Graecis et ecclesiae Dei", 1 Corinthians 10:32.