Piece of WTC steel finds a home at St. Athanasius

A piece of twisted steel from the World Trade Center now has a home in front of St. Athanasius’ Church.

Monsignor David Cassato, pastor of the Bay Parkway parish, explained that the Cavallaro Council of the Knights of Columbus was able to obtain the artifact, which was blessed and became a permanent memorial during a ceremony on September 11, 2013.

The evening began at 6 p.m., with an hour of prayer for peace in Syria, which Pope Francis requested of Catholics throughout the world. That was followed by a mass at 7 p.m., the blessing of the memorial outside of the church and then a screening of the movie, “9/11: An American Requiem,” which told the stories of some of those who survived the attacks.

“They were basically there to help others make sure that they got proper medical attention,” Cassato said of the heroes featured in the film. “They tell their stories and vent those deep emotions.”

The permanent memorial in front of St. Athanasius is also dedicated to two victims of 9/11 who were parishioners at the church, John Frank Rizzo and Paul Salvio Giallombardo. Their names are etched into two bronze plaques on either side of the steel.

Cassato said that over the course of the evening, 500 people attended the ceremonies.

“Being down there that day, it was a moving and beautiful night,” he said. “We are very proud. There was a great crowd of people who came and remembered. It really is an American tragedy.”