Page 242 - Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilience

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Reaching out to Create Moments
of Communal Healing

Personal Reflections From the
edge of the 9/11 Abyss

Rev. Alfonso Wyatt

Tragedy in Microcosm

A man from my church took a job at the World Trade Center a few weeks
before the tragedy. We found out several days after 9/11 that he died. He
was a young leader in the church’s Rites of Passage Program for young
boys. He was dedicated to helping young people navigate the dangerous
streets of the “da hood”—and he died at work. His family came to the pas-
tor’s office after church service seeking solace and sanctuary. We stood in
a circle and sobbed as the pastor prayed. When he finished, I recall a long
and sorrowful silence speaking loudly to the fact that sometimes there just
are no words.
There were people all over this city flocking to churches, mosques, syna-
gogues, and other houses of worship in unprecedented numbers. In many
instances, members of the clergy were not able to meet the overwhelming
needs of the people crying out in a loud and unmistakable voice for help.
They (as well as clergy) needed assistance to cope with the cataclysmic
social, economic, political, and religious upheaval that a city and world
experienced. There were no footprints or blueprints to follow or read.
Houses of worship were snatched into unfamiliar territory (more people
in mental crisis than spiritual hunger) and trying their best to keep up.
The pain of 9/11 churned the inner dark place where fear and doubt
lurked. People needed answers to questions not yet fully formed. Every day,

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