Archbishop of America: Never again shall intolerance and hatred bring harm to this hallowed ground

25 years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero held a memorial service honoring the lives lost on one of the darkest days in American history.

Gathering on the sacred ground, steps from the World Trade Center Memorial, attendees experienced prayer, heard the personal experiences of September 11 and learned of the resilience of St. Nicholas Church, the only house of worship destroyed on 9/11.

Attendees included New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani; Ronald Hicks, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York; Consul General of Greece in New York Iphigenia Kanara; Consul General of Cyprus in New York Kyriakos Pogiatzis; Consul General of Romania in New York Mihaela-Simon Florea; interfaith leaders; public officials; first responders; survivors; family of victims; chaplains; clergy; and faithful.

Presiding over the service, Archbishop Elpidophoros called on those gathered to reject division and uphold the values the Shrine represents.

“Never again shall intolerance and hatred bring harm to this hallowed ground, nor to our city,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said. “The Saint Nicholas National Shrine stands to declare that mutual respect, dialogue, and understanding are the only way forward.”

Archbishop Elpidophoros also reflected on the Shrine’s unique role as a living memorial at Ground Zero.

“We could not bring back those who unjustly perished,” he said, “but we could enshrine their nobility, their heroism, their courage, and ultimately their humanity in a sacred space open to all.”

The Archbishop noted that an entire generation of Americans has now grown up after September 11, making the work of remembrance even more important.

“Our collective responsibility of being a living memory will only grow as the years go on,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said.

In his remarks, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani emphasized the extraordinary spirit of compassion displayed in the wake of the attacks.

“We remember the generosity 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. That memory can feel distant sometimes, but not here, not at St. Nicholas,” Mayor Mamdani said.

“Here, memory is never far away, and here, we feel the resilience that defined our city not as an abstract concept, but as something material, as something tangible, as something as physical as the walls that rise around us and the pews in which we sit.”

Mayor Mamdani likewise pointed to Saint Nicholas as a powerful symbol of New York’s recovery. Reflecting on the rebuilding of both the Shrine and the city, he praised the resilience that transformed devastation into hope.

“No other church was destroyed on September 11. No other congregation found themselves so deep within a maelstrom and so deprived of the place of gathering and solace needed to endure it. And yet, this community, like this city, is resilient,” Mayor Mamdani said.

“When this building was little more than a crater filled with rubble, you dug deep, in every conceivable way. You found the strength to rebuild, you found the strength to renew, you found the strength to recover. And you did not do it alone. I am moved by how many first responders treated this site with solemn reverence, carefully excavating and returning Bibles and candlesticks and treasured items. Within that resilience lived a deep desire to honor what we had lost by treating one another with dignity, with love, by making faith real.”

The memorial service began with the Presentation of Colors and the National Anthem, followed by remarks by St. Nicholas parish priest Fr. Andreas Vithoulkas, who led a moment of silence and reflection.

Following, Archbishop Ronald Hicks offered a funerary hymn, Psalm 22 (23). Also giving readings were first responder chaplains, underscoring the unity that emerged in response to tragedy.

Among the most moving moments of the service were personal testimonies by Anthoula Katsimatides and Fr. Panteleimon Papadopoulos, who shared their experiences of September 11 and reflected on how that day shaped their lives and continues to shape the lives of New Yorkers and Americans.

Gathering beneath the magnificent dome of the National Shrine, the service reaffirmed Saint Nicholas’ enduring mission as a place of healing, reflection, and hope where the memory of those lost is preserved for generations to come. “May their Memory be Eternal,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said in his final blessing. “Αἰωνία ἡ Μνήμη Αὐτῶν.”