Archbishop Ronald Hicks was among several religious leaders who attended the annual Interfaith Memorial Service in honor of all who perished in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The service was held in the midafternoon on Friday, Sept. 11, at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and Shrine, 130 Liberty St., near the Freedom Tower, Ground Zero. Speakers noted that the church was the only house of worship that was destroyed in the tragic attack, but that it was rebuilt through strong faith and resilience, reopening in 2022.

Archbishop Hicks read from Psalm 23 (22), “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul … Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord to the end of my days.”

Impromptu remarks

Later after the service, on Liberty Street, about a block from the church, the archbishop granted a few reporters a brief, impromptu press conference, saying in part that the Interfaith Service and other 9/11 gatherings this week were about people being “united in a common bond to love, to love each other as brother and sister.”

“I’ve seen so many instances of that, not only in the Roman Catholic tradition, but with our brothers and sisters in the ecumenical (community) and the different faith traditions that we have,” Archbishop Hicks continued. “It’s been a very powerful time to come together in a sense of real unity, as we continue to pray for peace.” He noted that he was in his native Chicago when 9/11 happened 25 years ago, adding, “And I was numb and in denial and watched every moment of it. And at the same time, I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like for New Yorkers to have lived that … My heart is united with all of them.”

In the Interfaith Memorial Service, words on the importance of resilience, faith, and love were offered by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and Rev. Protopresbyter Andreas Vithoulkas, presiding priest of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine.

“Our shared history as New Yorkers binds us together, together in solidarity with those who suffered such tragic loss,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said of the families who lost loved ones in the attacks. “And we join (them) with hearts and hands.” And he asserted about the tragedy, “Never again.”

Kindness summoned from within

Mayor Mamdani said, “We remember the horrific terror attacks, we remember all those killed, we remember the enormous devastation of that day … But that’s not all we remember; we remember the generosity that strangers showed to strangers, those who never made it home so that others could, the kindness so many summoned from deep within. We remember how many people helped … No other church was destroyed on Sept. 11. And yet this (church) community, like this city, is resilient. You found the strength to rebuild; you found the strength to renew. You found the strength to recover.”

Testimonials were offered by Anthoula Katsimatides and Rev. Protopresbyter Panteleimon Papadopoulos. Katsimatides spoke of the emotional pain of learning that her brother died in the attack while working in Tower One, and of her faith journey at St. Nicholas, “learning how to carry our love forward.” Rev. Papadopoulos spoke of being in Boston with the Greek Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios when they learned of the Sept. 11 attacks, and how they made their way back to New York, first by private car to Connecticut, then via a dispatched police vehicle escort.