The 20-foot-tall cross from Ground Zero is moved to its temporary resting place at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church. |
20-foot-tall cross of two I-beams, the last piece of World Trade Center steel left at Ground Zero, has become a potent symbol for many who lost relatives and friends on Sept. 11, 2001. By the hundreds Thursday, they followed the cross, believed to have come from 6 World Trade Center, as it was carried on a flatbed truck up Church Street to a temporary perch in front of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, near the corner of Barclay Street. It will stay there for the duration of the rebuilding at Ground Zero, with the idea that it will return there as part of a permanent memorial to the victims of the terror attacks.
Here is a sampling of what people had to say about the cross Thursday.
"I've been to lots of the services down by the cross. It has provided a focus for some kind of spiritual connection. We need something to rally around that lets you know their spirits are here."
REMAINS OF THE DAY Frank Silecchia tells Mike Kelly about his experience finding the cross and what preserving the cross means to him. |
Diane Horning, 59, of Scotch Plains. Her son, Matthew, 26, worked for Marsh & McLennan Cos. on the 95th floor of the north tower. He was killed in the attack. "I came because it's important to other people, not so much myself. But it is a show of support for people who see it as a sign of faith. It's just out of respect for people who lost someone." Tom Beatini, 54, of Hackensack. His brother, Paul, 40, who was at a business meeting in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, was killed in the attack.
"It's a symbol of faith. That's what this country is based on. Faith has no religion. Faith is our country, our freedom." Frank Silecchia, 52, a construction worker, formerly of Little Ferry, who discovered the cross in the rubble of the trade center two days after the attacks. "People come to visit [the cross] the way they would to Bethlehem or Jerusalem. People come here as tourists and, after seeing things at the site like the cross, they leave as pilgrims." Lisa Bellan-Boyer, of Jersey City, who said she is in her 40s. She leads "Faith Walks at Ground Zero" tours for Koinonia NYC, a Lutheran group. "Even though I lost my sister, I know that God was with her at that moment. [The cross] became a focal point for remembering Sept. 11, and I hope it gets put back on the site so people can see it." Patricia Reilly, 42, of Staten Island. Her sister, Lorraine, 36, worked for Aon Consulting on the 101st floor of the south tower.
Fast facts
The 20-foot-tall artifact was found two days after the Sept. 11 attacks.
- The intact cross is believed to come from 6 World Trade Center.
- The cross has become a symbol for visitors and workers at the site.
- The cross was moved Thursday to St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, a few blocks from Ground Zero.
- The move was needed so construction on the 1,776-foot-tall Freedom Tower can begin.
