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The terrifying moment when a group of us saw the
second plane hit the World Trade Center on September 11 was
the beginning of a roller-coaster ride of emotions for the Trinity family.
First there was the deep anxiety and fear. Our
building was filled with children, with guests attending the taping of a
television show, and with staff. There was absolute confusion. Was it safer
to stay in our building or would it be destroyed, too? When the first tower
collapsed, we thought we, too, might be under attack. Our building began to
fill with dust, sucked in by our ventilation systems. We had no choice but
to get out.
After escaping, we experienced something of what it
must be like to be a refugee. Staff were widely dispersed, many having left
their possessions at their desks. Telephone systems were congested. Bridges
and subways were closed. Our e-mail was down. Many reached home only a day
or two later. We didn't know whether everyone was alive. We couldn't contact
some for days.
 We also learned how it feels to be a victim.
Trinity is a parish with a large staff and extensive programs. We are accustomed to taking initiatives, to being in control. Suddenly we realized
how radically different it is to be at the receiving end of ministry, to be
ministered to by others instead of offering it ourselves. Churches in the
Global South sent us deeply touching assurances of prayers and love from
their situations of tumult and strife. Church leaders such as the Archbishop
of Canterbury and Bishop Tutu called or wrote out of pastoral concern. As we picked ourselves up, other parishes and church agencies stepped in to
minister to rescue workers.
We come out of the experiences described in these
pages with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. We thank God for preserving
us. We thank the Trinity family for its courage and its calmness. We thank
Canon Peter Larom and his colleagues at the Seamen 's Church Institute who,
with the help of students and staff at The General Theological Seminary and
other volunteers, displayed remarkable creativity and imagination in
launching the ministry to rescue workers at St. Paul's Chapel. We thank all
of you from around the nation and the world for the compassion and caring
with which you have flooded us.
The Reverend Dr. Daniel Paul
Matthew, Rector
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