'This is a Sacred Place'
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
As daylight streamed through the large picturesque windows in a foyer area known as the “Small Tower” in St. David the King Parish, West Winsdor, parishioners solemnly gathered with their pastor, Father Timothy Capewell, after the 11:30 a.m. Mass to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks and witness the dedication of a new Wall of Remembrance.
“This is a place of prayer,” said Father Capewell, as he blessed the wall with holy water and lit the “eternal flame” candle placed before it. “This is a holy place, a sacred place, a place where we can continue to be in contact with those people who perished 10 years ago.”
Describing the Wall of Remembrance’s simple yet elegant design which was created by Father Capewell, along with Caryn Wohn, a Mercer County architect, Father Capewell said the two large, black rectangular-shaped tile panels that are mounted to the wall represent the twin towers. On each of the black panels are two shorter grey tile panels that were retrieved from one of the tower buildings. Inscribed on the left grey panel are the names of the three parishioners who perished in the attacks – Michael J. Cunningham, John J. Ryan and David Scott Suarez, while inscribed on the right panel are the nine names of relatives and friends of parishioners who died in the attacks.
The two small steel crosses on each panel were made from original World Trade Center tower steel beams. At the center of the two towers is a light tile pattern in the shape of a cross, and placed right next to the Wall of Remembrance, is the passage from the Gospel of Luke (10:18-20): Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightening from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
As parishioner Suely Sandiford gently placed her hand on one of the steel crosses, tears welled in her eyes as she reflected on the events of 10 years ago.
“I was one of the lucky ones,” Sandiford softly said. “I have gratitude to God because my husband’s life was spared that day.”
Sandiford’s husband, Raymond, who had worked on the 73rd floor of the World Trade Center, had escaped the building by taking the stairs. However, it took several hours and phone call attempts before his anxious family had finally received word of his safety.
“Ray didn’t have a cell phone, so he gave our phone number to a stranger and asked him to call our house and let us know that he was OK,” Sandiford recalled.
But in the midst of the commotion, “Ray forgot to give his name to the person who called us, so we just didn’t know,” Sandiford said. “And then when the second tower fell, and we worried that Ray might have been caught in the debris.”
Once again Sandiford’s husband prevailed on a stranger to contact his home and just to be certain, Sandiford asked the caller for a description of the man.
“It was him,” Sandiford said. “We knew for sure that Ray was OK.”
At the dedication and in his homily at Mass, Father Capewell directed his thoughts on the day’s readings which emphasized the acts of forgiveness, compassion and mercy.
Though it can be extremely difficult to forgive another, and some may find it impossible to forgive those responsible for the tragedy that befell the nation 10 years ago, Father Capewell implored his congregation to remember that “forgiveness is something in which there are not to be any restrictions, any reservations.“
“And that’s what God does, he forgives without reservation; he challenges us to do the same and what empowers us to forgive is God’s grace,” Father Capewell said, adding that “it has taken, and still continues to take, a huge amount of grace to forgive those who murdered so many innocent people, including children on that day.”
As for how one can come to an understanding of forgiveness, Father Capewell offered his parishioners a simple suggestion – to recall occasions in their lives when they were the unexpected receivers of forgiveness.
“ Today we are asked to forgive,” Father Capewell said, “even though it’s not that easy to do.”
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As daylight streamed through the large picturesque windows in a foyer area known as the “Small Tower” in St. David the King Parish, West Winsdor, parishioners solemnly gathered with their pastor, Father Timothy Capewell, after the 11:30 a.m. Mass to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks and witness the dedication of a new Wall of Remembrance.
“This is a place of prayer,” said Father Capewell, as he blessed the wall with holy water and lit the “eternal flame” candle placed before it. “This is a holy place, a sacred place, a place where we can continue to be in contact with those people who perished 10 years ago.”
Describing the Wall of Remembrance’s simple yet elegant design which was created by Father Capewell, along with Caryn Wohn, a Mercer County architect, Father Capewell said the two large, black rectangular-shaped tile panels that are mounted to the wall represent the twin towers. On each of the black panels are two shorter grey tile panels that were retrieved from one of the tower buildings. Inscribed on the left grey panel are the names of the three parishioners who perished in the attacks – Michael J. Cunningham, John J. Ryan and David Scott Suarez, while inscribed on the right panel are the nine names of relatives and friends of parishioners who died in the attacks.
The two small steel crosses on each panel were made from original World Trade Center tower steel beams. At the center of the two towers is a light tile pattern in the shape of a cross, and placed right next to the Wall of Remembrance, is the passage from the Gospel of Luke (10:18-20): Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightening from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
As parishioner Suely Sandiford gently placed her hand on one of the steel crosses, tears welled in her eyes as she reflected on the events of 10 years ago.
“I was one of the lucky ones,” Sandiford softly said. “I have gratitude to God because my husband’s life was spared that day.”
Sandiford’s husband, Raymond, who had worked on the 73rd floor of the World Trade Center, had escaped the building by taking the stairs. However, it took several hours and phone call attempts before his anxious family had finally received word of his safety.
“Ray didn’t have a cell phone, so he gave our phone number to a stranger and asked him to call our house and let us know that he was OK,” Sandiford recalled.
But in the midst of the commotion, “Ray forgot to give his name to the person who called us, so we just didn’t know,” Sandiford said. “And then when the second tower fell, and we worried that Ray might have been caught in the debris.”
Once again Sandiford’s husband prevailed on a stranger to contact his home and just to be certain, Sandiford asked the caller for a description of the man.
“It was him,” Sandiford said. “We knew for sure that Ray was OK.”
At the dedication and in his homily at Mass, Father Capewell directed his thoughts on the day’s readings which emphasized the acts of forgiveness, compassion and mercy.
Though it can be extremely difficult to forgive another, and some may find it impossible to forgive those responsible for the tragedy that befell the nation 10 years ago, Father Capewell implored his congregation to remember that “forgiveness is something in which there are not to be any restrictions, any reservations.“
“And that’s what God does, he forgives without reservation; he challenges us to do the same and what empowers us to forgive is God’s grace,” Father Capewell said, adding that “it has taken, and still continues to take, a huge amount of grace to forgive those who murdered so many innocent people, including children on that day.”
As for how one can come to an understanding of forgiveness, Father Capewell offered his parishioners a simple suggestion – to recall occasions in their lives when they were the unexpected receivers of forgiveness.
“ Today we are asked to forgive,” Father Capewell said, “even though it’s not that easy to do.”
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