'Under New Management' - NYC Church commemorates 9/11

The memory of 9/11 remains palpable among many of the residents of New York's East Village, and commemorations of the tragic events were held by the parishioners of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church on September 11 this year. Schoolchildren gathered early for a special Mass on Wednesday morning which was attended also by the family of WTC victim Oleh Wengerchuk.

St. George Church administrators had been criticized for remaining closed last year to parishioners and passers-by, even as other neighborhood houses of worship opened their doors to all who wished to stop in for a moment of reflection or sought comfort in the turbulent hours and days following the attack. This year, St. George Church's gates were open wide and several tributes through the day were dedicated to those who lost their lives in the attack. As one parishioner stopping in to say a prayer after work put it, "Now that it's under new management, what a change from last year!"

Commemorations concluded in the evening with a special "moleben'" (public prayer) that had been reserved by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA), capped by a heartfelt rendition of "God Bless America". The new pastor, Father Phillip, thanked the UNWLA for its request which preceeded the Church's own plans for the day's memorial services.