On the 19th anniversary of the terror attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center and numerous buildings in the area, a memorial service was held at the construction site where St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is currently under construction.
Families clutched photos of sons and daughters who perished in the attacks as Archbishop Elpidophoros of America led the memorial service in front of the massive incomplete domed structure which will become the new St. Nicholas National Shrine.
The original church– located just a few hundred feet away from the new location, was built by Greek immigrants almost a century ago and was flattened by the falling rubble of the South Tower on the morning of September 11, 2001.
A long string of delays including financial and bureaucratic wrangling with local and state officials appear to be over and despite the Coronavirus pandemic, which further led to delays, construction is now moving forward.
Fr. Evagoras Constantinides, spokesperson of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, gave a tour to the local CBS News channel in New York in the video below.
In addition to serving the local Greek Orthodox community as a parish of the Archdiocese, which includes families of the original founders, St. Nicholas has been designated as a National Shrine of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The facility will include a non-denominational bereavement center for people from all faith backgrounds to visit and pray, according to John Catsimatidis, one of the founders of “Friends of St. Nicholas,” which helped raise almost $50 million for the completion of the Church.
CBS News on St. Nicholas:
