Delivering Messages of Faith, Hope

Religious services to focus on healing

By Curtis L. Taylor | STAFF WRITER

September 16, 2001

A message of faith and hope to promote spiritual healing will be delivered today at city houses of worship as millions of New Yorkers continue to grieve Tuesday's horrific terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

From Allen AME Church in Jamaica, Bethany Baptist Church in Brooklyn, Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem to Our Lady of Hope parish in Middle Village, clergy and religious leaders interviewed predicted a crush of worshipers searching for something "to uplift our spirits."

Monsignor Nicholas Sivillo, of Our Lady of Hope, said the theme at all Masses this weekend will be "hope, praying for one another and those who perished in the tragedy.

"The fact that we realize in the midst of tragedy and pain, frustration and emptiness, we still turn to God because he is our light and where we get our strength from," Sivillo said. "Out of this evil thing that happened, the violence, some wonderful things have come from this. ... People are reaching out to each other to do good."

Sivillo said the services also will raise donations to help the relief effort.

"We need to come together as a family and pray ... to deliver a message of hope," said Sivillo, whose church will hold funeral services tomorrow for New York City Firefighter Michael Weinberg, who died in Tuesday's attack.

The Rev. Floyd Flake, pastor of 12,000-member Allen AME, said his 6:30 a.m. sermon will focus on encouraging parishioners not to lose faith in humanity.

"Clearly this is an evil deed," Flake said. "But you can't get to a place where you lose faith in God and you lose faith in humanity. Vengence is the Lord's and we can't take it upon ourselves to solve this problem individually."

Flake said his message also would encourage people to use the tragedy as a reminder and motivation to fulfill God's purpose for their lives.

Elsewhere, in Manhattan, a massive nondenominational street service at Canal and Broadway is scheduled for 3 p.m. The gathering is expected to bring together the city's many diverse religious groups and serve as a symbol of the unity to rebuild, organizers said.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, one of the organizers, said his regular Saturday morning National Action Network rally was overflowing with grieving New Yorkers struggling to understand the attack.

"I spoke about when the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked and the pieces were broken and how he talked about picking up those pieces and moving forward," said Sharpton, who will preach a message of healing at seven area churches today. "I spoke of healing and having the faith that we will get through this."

Sharpton said he has been personally affected by the tragedy because a member of his organization is on the World Trade Center missing list. He said the victim's 14-year-old son was staying with his family.

Similar religious services were planned across the country, where people were expected to gather in churches, synagogues, mosques and even public meeting places to pray and remember those that perished in the attack.