Illness kept me away from church services this year, unable to travel around to the various churches in the New York area that each offer completely unique Holy Week experiences.
Fortunately, thanks to friends near and far, I was kept in the spirit with photos and videos all week long. From Agia Markella in Astoria, which could have been out of any village in Greece, minus the train tracks overhead… to the “Greek Fashion Week” vibe at the Upper East Side’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, I got the convalescing version of the full Holy Week and Pascha experience.
So many beautiful services and traditions, so many beautiful churches throughout the area– but none moved me more than the photos and videos I received from St. Nicholas at Ground Zero.
I had several friends there both on Good Friday and for Anastasi services on Saturday and the videos and photos moved and shook me, not only for the visual awe of this magnificent marble temple amongst the high rise towers of Lower Manhattan, but more so of the symbolism of what these services at this church meant.
These were the very first Good Friday and Anastasi services at St. Nicholas since its rebuilding after its destruction on 9/11. So much symbolism.
Renewal, Resurrection.
Jesus emerging from the tomb just like this church emerging again from the rubble.
Love conquering hate. Light conquering darkness.
By so many accounts, this church shouldn’t be there today. Decades ago in the 1940s and 50s as the area began changing and evolving into the financial capital of the works, St. Nicholas fended off unscrupulous developers who wanted to snatch the land.
St. Nicholas persisted and remained a beacon of Greek Orthodoxy in the heart of the world’s financial hub until September 11, 2001 when the ultimate manifestation of hate would destroy the tiny building, along with the giant towers that surrounded it.
It was the only house of worship destroyed by the September 11th terrorists and it was on this day that the real saga of St. Nicholas would begin.
By all accounts, it seemed like a no-brainer that the church would be part of the rebuilding plan from the beginning. But superpowers like the Port Authority started wrangling with Greek Orthodox Church officials over land issues and location and by 2009, the Port Authority stated that it had stopped taking with church officials and had cancelled rebuilding St. Nicholas.
Two years later in February of 2011 the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America filed a lawsuit against the Port Authority and by October of that same year, a settlement had been reached and an agreement for the reconstruction of the church was signed that ended all legal action.
St. Nicholas persisted. Hope and light prevailed over darkness one more time.
Construction would eventually commence in October of 2014 with the laying of the cornerstone and an international sigh of relief would follow as the stunning structure emerged from the ground with marble imported from the same quarry used to build the Parthenon of Athens.
But this time, it would be people from within the community who almost caused the demise, yet again, of St. Nicholas. By 2017, despite having raised tens of millions of dollars in donations, the Archdiocese was unable to pay construction bills and the lead contractor announced it was withdrawing from the project.
What resulted was a domino effect of revelations, including cost overruns, financial mismanagement, a nearly-bankrupt Archdiocese that dipped into the St. Nicholas donations to stay afloat and an Archbishop who claimed he knew nothing.
Trust was lost by the community that donated millions, people at the Archdiocese lost their jobs and Archbishop Demetrios of America, was forced to resign, something unheard of in the Greek Orthodox tradition.
But the light of St. Nicholas was too bright to be extinguished and a new Archbishop made the church’s rebuilding a priority when he arrived in the United States. Furthermore, a group of Greek American businessmen took over the project and formed a new non-profit entity separate from the Church. Millions of dollars were raised to finish the building, construction started again and brick by brick, dollar by dollar, trust was regained.
St. Nicholas persisted again.
And this past weekend, on the holiest of days in the Greek Orthodox Church, chants were sung by crowds of faithful who had flocked from throughout the region to be a part of history.
The Epitaphios emerged from the church for the solemn procession while the lamentations were sung with dignity. Good Friday is the ultimate expression of hope by Greek Orthodox Christians as Jesus is in his tomb, and is mourned, yet hope prevails as the service ends and the greeting– Kali Anastasi, prevails throughout.
Official counts by church officials placed the crowd at over 2,000 people on Good Friday.
Finally, the following evening, once again thousands stood outside to hear the words that all Orthodox Christians throughout the world wait for all year… “Δεύτε λάβετε φως εκ του ανεσπέρου φωτός και δοξάσατε Χριστόν Τον Αναστάντα εκ νεκρών”
Come, receive the light from the unwaning light, and glorify Christ, Who has risen from the dead.”
And all together in unison, the thousands of faithful begin chanting Christos Anesti.
Indeed, light has prevailed over darkness and St. Nicholas will forever stand on that sacred ground for millions to see, our monument to resilience, to faith, to good over evil, to light over darkness that not only represents the Resurrection of Jesus Christ but also a beacon of Hellenism, which is inexorably linked to the history of this parish, as well as the community that helped rebuild this church.
St. Nicholas now proudly stands as a monument to light, open to the general public every day from 12pm to 3pm and attracting more than 1,000 people daily, to come, reflect and witness the light.
Special thanks to all of my friends who kept me “in church” all week long with your photos and videos while I was home and unable to attend services.
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