A Different Memorial Downtown

By Tom Deignan

IT was one of many places in downtown Manhattan where the green, white and gold mixed with the red, white and blue.

What happened at St. Paul’s Chapel, across the street from the World Trade Center site, in the wake of the attacks of 9/11 was breathtaking.

On that terrible day the chapel had opened its doors as a place for spiritual as well as physical healing, with clergy, doctors and firefighters rubbing ash-stained elbows.

It is said that on September 11, a mortally wounded Father Mychal Judge was taken to St. Paul’s.

But what happened at the Episcopal house of worship in the days and weeks and months afterwards was equally profound.

The wrought iron fence ringing the centuries-old church became a public memorial. Frankly, it was such a touching image that it is hard to imagine that the memorial they do come up with at Ground Zero will be any more effective.

People simply came to St. Paul’s and wrote notes. They hung flags, mostly American ones, but Irish ones, as well as British, Italian, Mexican and countless other flags.

There were written greetings from abroad, too, from Ireland and all over. For weeks people continued to add artifacts, until the fence, bounded by Broadway and Vesey, Fulton and Church streets, was covered with artifacts, two, three, four, five layers deep.

Then people came just to see this impromptu memorial. According to St. Paul’s officials, the one millionth visitor came around St. Patrick’s Day.

To the credit of Rev. Dr. Daniel Paul Matthews, Rector of St. Paul’s Chapel – where it is said George Washington worshipped – the artifacts on the fence hung for months and months, even though the wind and rain and seasons took their toll.

At some point last year, the artifacts finally did come down, as they had to.

This week, however, some of them came back. And St. Paul’s reminded New Yorkers of the pivotal, poignant – though often quiet – role it played downtown.

Many of the artifacts from the St. Paul’s fence, as well as others from an earlier exhibit, have been incorporated into “Unwavering Spirit: Hope and Healing at Ground Zero,” a new exhibit at the church.

Dr. Matthews, Rector of St. Paul’s, as well as Trinity Church, said the chapel embraces the role of healer that was forced upon it.

“We have been overwhelmed at the public response to the story of the chapel’s extraordinary ministry to World Trade Center recovery workers,” said Dr. Matthews. 

“We developed the current exhibit at the chapel within the space of a few weeks before the first anniversary of the attacks, thinking it would have a life of a few months at the most. 

“Instead, it has drawn more than a million visitors in 18 months, showing that St. Paul’s has become a place of pilgrimage for Americans and international visitors. Given the enormous response from ‘Ground Zero pilgrims,’ we wanted to take the chapel to the next level.”

New York-based ESI Design was called on to help “create exhibits that engage visitors and invite them to share their thoughts and feelings,” as Dr. Matthews put it.

Dr. Matthews and Ed Schlossberg, from ESI Design, said that the exhibit would intentionally distinguish itself from the planned, “official” World Trade Center memorial, over which there has been quite a bit of fighting. 

“Everyone – from relief workers to ‘Ground Zero pilgrims’ – has their own story related to September 11,” Schlossberg noted. 

“The new exhibit program invites visitors to share their stories – in images and text – with others. And, by focusing on the relief effort following 9/11, it will be differentiated from the planned memorial at the World Trade Center site.”

The exhibit will also cover the history of St. Paul’s, beginning with its founding during the colonial era, in 1766, and including the role it played in George Washington’s inauguration as the first president of the United States in 1789.

At the risk of sounding sour, it is worth noting that back in those days Irish immigrants and other Catholics were not exactly welcomed in New York City. In fact, various anti-Catholic laws covering voting, the holding of political office, and other aspects of everyday life, were passed at the end of the 18th Century.

Of course, times have changed. And St. Paul’s is now a vivid symbol of New York City’s melting pot tradition.

Contact Sidewalks at tdeignan@irishvoice.com .