PLUS a couple of photos to entice you to go read Tim’s account of the arrival of the cross.

And of course, I *have* to put this one in. Not only one of my favorite sites and sounds, but I am wistful and envious… This is one run I would have liked to have been part of. But alas… I am on the other side of the nation.

This one below brought tears to my eyes! You really must read Tim’s post.

And thank you again for catching us up here!

I spoke with Paddy Concannon Saturday, the cross given to the Shanksville VFC was one of the three remaining within the Fire Fighters Transport Foundation’s possession. A college (that I will not name) was originally scheduled to receive it yet dragged its feet. Paddy went looking for a suitable recipeint, thought of the Shanksville VFC, and one call to Chief Terry Shaffer sealed the deal. It took a year to put together the fund raiser ride (the FFTF provides medical transport to firefighters, family members of firefighter, and wounded warriors in and near NYC).

We were there Saturday and Sunday. You can click on the link associated with my name to read more.

One year ago, the cross was mounted at the corner of West and Vesey Streets, and it was later moved to the southeast corner of the site along Church Street.

The Rev. Brian J. Jordan, a Franciscan priest, used it for months as a gathering place to celebrate Sunday Mass for ground zero workers and family members. The Associated Press reported today that Father Jordan, with help from family members, union workers, police officers and firefighters, had already collected more than 50,000 signatures on petitions to keep the cross as part of the permanent ground zero memorial. But the use of the cross at ground zero drew complaints from some people who noted that people of non-Christian religions had also died in the attacks.

The cross in the post was donated by an Albany museum… and found by Lt. Paddy. One has to wonder where the other crosses went, because I’ll bet they are all standing in some memorial somewhere.

Would be interesting to find them all, and each of their treks to their final resting place.

I did find this site that has a 2nd tale of the cross you pictured. Go to site to view images But it doesn’t appear to be the same one as Lt. Paddy’s.

Subsequent to the NY Post story below, we located a photograph of one of the original crosses found on the top of the rubble (image above). It is the same cross used in the October 4th memorial ceremony with the New York City Fire Department. The cross of steel beams was blessed at Ground Zero on the northwestern side of the World Trade Center
attack site. The cross was found by a laborer at the site two days after the twin towers’ collapsed and later moved to its present location. Father Brian Jordan blessed the cross. The cross was from World Trade Tower One, and was found in World Trade Building Six, and then moved to the October 4, 2001 location. (Click on the photographs for larger images.)

I saw we erect crosses all around the periphery of the Flight 93 Memorial. And make sure they don’t point to Mecca either.