QNE_p026

QC09082016

26 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com 9/11 15th ANNIVERSARY  The Tribute in Light: Photo: Shutterstock The Tribute in Light, in 2014 A symbol of loss and hope Mychal’s Prayer Father Mychal Judge, a Roman Catholic priest, was the chaplain of the Fire Department on Sept. 11, 2001, and rushed to the World Trade Center after the fi rst plane struck the North Tower. At the scene, he provided blessings to fi refi ghters who began their ascent into the upper fl oors of the Twin Towers to fi ght the fi res and rescue people; many of these fi refi ghters would never return. At ground level, Judge offered comfort to the injured and last rites to attack victims who had died or were gravely wounded. Father Judge was administering last rites to a fallen fi refi ghter when the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed; he was struck in the head by debris and killed instantly. Firefi ghters in the North Tower who survived the collapse recovered Judge’s body and, after evacuating the World Trade Center, placed him on the altar of the nearby St. Paul’s Chapel. Judge was offi cially recognized as the fi rst casualty of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City. Beloved by many in the Fire Department, the Brooklyn-born Judge was particularly known for his advocacy to the homeless, AIDS patients and recovering addicts. He is credited with writing this prayer: Lord, also take me where You want me to go; Let me meet who You want me to meet; Tell me what You want me to say, and Keep me out of Your way. Photo via MychalsMessage.org Six months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, at sundown on March 11, 2002, twin beams of light temporarily fi lled the void on the New York City skyline that the collapsed Twin Towers left behind. The Tribute in Light, of course, meant more than just the physical loss of two iconic fi xtures of the city’s landscape. They represented the lost souls of the nearly 3,000 people who died at the World Trade Center in one of the most harrowing days in American history — and the hope of the rebuilding to come. The original tribute was stopped after six weeks of operation, but brought back for the two-year anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2003 — and every September 11 thereafter. Once again, the Tribute in Light will fi ll the New York sky this Sunday night, Sept. 11. Comprised of 88 xenon light bulbs, each with 7,000 watts, they are positioned into 48-foot squares on the roof of the Battery Parking Garage near the World Trade Center site. The tribute is visible from many vantage points across Queens and beyond; in fact, it has been known to be seen within a 60-mile radius of Manhattan on a clear night. The Tribute in Light will be illuminated at about 7:10 p.m. Sunday evening and will remain lit through the night before fading away at sunrise at about 6:33 a.m. Monday morning, Sept. 12. Source: National September 11 Memorial & Museum, www.911memorial.org Photo: Anthony Quintano TRIBUTE IN LIGHT FROM JERSEY


QC09082016
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