A memorial service for the victims of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, will be performed in the afternoon (US time) by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, which was destroyed by the attacks on the Twin Towers.
The church was completely destroyed in 2001 and after 20 years it will be open again and will be illuminated.
The next day, Saturday, the church will be set aglow, along with other buildings in the area in blue to honor the memory of the victims of the attack.
On September 11, 2001, al Qaeda terrorists shot down two hijacked passenger planes at the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, while another plane struck the Pentagon near Washington.
A fourth hijacked plane crashed in the state of Pennsylvania without ever hitting its target.
The attacks killed about 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000.
The temple was completely buried after the collapse of the south tower of the World Trade Center after the terrorist attack.
Shortly after the attacks, New York authorities pledged to rebuild the church, but their efforts met with significant delays as many political issues had to be resolved, said Michael Psarros, vice president of the “The Friends of St. Nicholas”, a not-for-profit organization which was founded with the aim of raising money for the completion of the temple.
“It is important to know that this is not only the Greek Orthodox Church but also the National Shrine,” said Michael Psarros.
More than 20 architects submitted their plans before that of the distinguished Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese authorized “The Friends of St. Nicholas” to undertake the collection of money, the reconstruction, and the completion of the church.
The new building is three times larger than the previous one and has a special center where believers of other religions and dogmas will be able to pray and honor the memory of their loved ones who were lost in the terrorist attacks.
In fact, Michael Psarros expects that the church of St. Nicholas will be the orthodox church in the USA that will gather the most visitors.
“Millions and millions of people visit Ground Zero every year (the site of the International Trade Center or Twin Towers) and the doors of the church of St. Nicholas will be open. This will be the orthodox church with the most visitors in the world from non-orthodox, even from non-Christian people,” he stressed.