AMDG
The
first responders included not only fire fighters and medical personnel, but
also Catholic priests, who counseled and gave absolution. Many of the first responders belonged to the
Knights of Columbus, who followed their ideals of charity and patriotism. They served with heroism and at least 45 of
them sacrificed their very lives in serving.
United States flag is posted in the rubble of the World Trade Center
at Ground Zero on Sept. 13, 2001. As during the Cuban Missile in 1962, there was a sudden and
substantial increase in church attendance all over the Country. People were scared and prayed. Sadly, that return to God did not last. A monument now stands at the site to honor
the over three thousand people who died there. It can happen again; we must be vigilant.
In
2001, then-Father Machalski was among the priests who ministered to first
responders at ground zero in the days after the attack on the World Trade
Center.
“Shortly
after the attacks, a call went out from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
to the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn. They wanted to make sure there were two
Catholic priests at ground zero at all times. So there was never a moment, from the very
beginning until the last day of cleanup, that there were not two Catholic
priests on duty, 24/7.”
“About
400 of us priests volunteered, and we took six-hour shifts. During the first of
four shifts I took — I always had the 12-6 a.m. shift — I was standing right on
that smoldering pile that you see in photos and videos, as they were literally
pulling buckets filled with pieces of people from that rubble. They would take
them into a makeshift morgue, where we would have a small prayer service and
bless the body parts, and then go back onto the pile again.
“We were there, really, to provide emotional and spiritual support to the police officers, the firefighters and those who volunteered. They would say things like, ‘We know that you don’t have an answer to this, Father. Nobody does. But we just know God is here when we see you.’ They saw the collar, and that was a sign that God was there with them.”
“I
think our presence also gave a great deal of solace to people who lost family
members — to know that if their loved ones’ remains were found, there was a priest
who prayed over and blessed them."
“When I went home and thought about it later, it would bother me that such evil could exist in the world and be perpetrated by one human being against another. But Christ’s example of redemptive suffering allowed me to make sense of what had happened and minister better, I think, to those who were left behind.”
“On
Sept. 21, the [New York] Mets played their first game since the attacks, and I
had a ticket to the game. It was against Atlanta, our biggest rival, and we
were losing in the eighth inning. But
then [Hall of Fame catcher and lifelong Catholic] Mike Piazza got up, and he
whacked a home run like you wouldn’t believe. Once he hit that ball, I knew it
was gone.”
“That
place just — I’m getting emotional just thinking about it — it just exploded.
And we won that game. I still look at that moment and think that was God
saying, ‘You guys need this’ — not the Mets, but the people of New York.” Brother knight Msgr. Machalski would go on to
become the New York Mets’ Catholic chaplain since 2007. Read more about Msgr. Machalski’s life and
work in this May 2024 Columbia feature on Knights who serve as Major
League Baseball chaplains.
Three brother knights
who are Catholic Major League Baseball Chaplains. From left to right are Msgr. Thomas Machalski
of the New York Mets, who is described in this article, followed by Fr. Burke
Masters of the Chicago Cubs and Fr. Pedro Rivera of the San Diego Padres.
Watch the video produced by the Knights of Columbus, “Service and Sacrifice: Remembering 9/11”at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isd4pUNRGK0 or search for that title at www.youtube.com. It gives a glimpse of what the first responders went through. This short film commemorates the heroic work of first responders and priests as well as the K of C Life Insurance Field Agents’ efforts to bring financial assistance to grieving families of First Responders who lost their lives. The Knights of Columbus raised $1.5 million for the Heroes Fund to help many of the families of over 400 fallen first responders….police, firefighters, medical personnel, etc. regardless of religious affiliation. At least 45 of the fallen first responders were knights. Surely, some of the other 2000 victims were also knights.
Having breathed so much toxic fumes and smoke, many of the surviving first responders suffered from chronic ailments for years…..respiratory, cancer, etc.
Fr. Mychal Judge, a 68 year old Franciscan friar and
chaplain of the New York City Fire Department, accompanied his men and was
killed when the south tower collapsed. He was the first certified fatality of
the attacks. Other priests also put their lives at risk.
It should be mentioned that one of the large financial companies that had many offices in the World Trade Center took care of the families of the personnel it lost in the disaster.
Upon announcing the annual World Day of Prayer for Peace at the Supreme Convention in Dallas in 2004 and calling people of all faiths to annually observe September 11 as a day of prayer for worldwide peace, former Supreme Knight Carl Anderson made the following statement: "TERRORISM AND THE TERRIBLE TRAGEDY OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, PRODUCE MANY EMOTIONS, RANGING FROM ANGER TO PROFOUND SORROW. BUT AS WE RECALL THE LOSSES OF THAT AWFUL DAY AND HONOR THOSE WHO DIED, WE SHOULD ALSO REMEMBER THAT PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING, NOT REVENGE AND RETRIBUTION, MUST BE OUR ULTIMATE GOAL. WE CAN BEST ACHIEVE THAT GOAL BY RAISING OUR VOICES TO GOD, REMINDING HIM THAT WE SHARE HIS DEEP AND ABIDING DESIRE FOR PEACE ON EARTH, AND ASKING HIS DIVINE GUIDANCE AND HELP."
