Ten years have gone by ... fears have intensified ... two wars are being fought with many lives lost ... grieving continues and anger remains ... we are all affected. The question often asked is "Where were you that morning?"
I was on Retreat at Saint Joseph Hall in Greensburg (now the Bishop Connare Center). We had finished breakfast and were waiting for Mass.
We gathered around the TV when the first plane hit, and as everyone was, were shocked by the realization of what the second plane meant, and then the Pentagon, and the collapse of the Towers. Then suddenly all the State Police cars took off (it was a regional training center) and the State Attorney General's Office (also located there) closed up shop. Wondering what else happened, we heard about Shanksville.
It was one of most intensely sorrowful and powerful Masses - Father Tony Ditto was our celebrant. The staff joined us. After lunch I went back to the parish to get things into the bulletin. One memory was of passing the State Prison in Greensburg and seeing the driveway blocked by a vehicle. And the skies were empty.
We prayed and wept, we were empty emotionally, we were shocked and frightened. Shanksville was not that far from us, and the plane may even have gone overhead.
Never forget the lives lost and the sacrifices made. Be inspired by heroic actions and detest terrorism. And on year ten, continue to remember.
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