Washington D.C., Aug 30, 2006 / 22:00 pm
With the fifth anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching, the testimonies of Catholic clergy who ministered at Ground Zero and accompanied families of those who died in Flight 93 indicate just how the attacks and the aftermath changed their lives forever.
Their testimonies are recorded in a moving 30-page booklet, called “Catholic Priests and How they Responded … In their Own Words”. Though published by the U.S. bishops’ Office for Vocations and Priestly Formation in 2003, they seem timeless and offer to all readers a moment for reflection and prayer as the memorial date nears.
In the book, Msgr. John Delendick, a fire chaplain for the City of New York, recalls funeral and memorial services, up to 16 per day, for the New York Fire Department which suffered the loss of 343 men. He would escort families of deceased firefighters to the site.
"I would ask the family members to be quiet and to speak to their loved ones in their hearts and then take a few minutes to listen for their loved ones to speak back," Delendick said. "From here we would escort them to a makeshift memorial, where we prayed, and they left their flowers or teddy bears or pictures."