The first time Father John Romas approached ground zero it was hard to find the site of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.<\/p>\n\n
Rescue workers in the World Trade Center ruins then watched in silence as the man in black robes fell to his knees and began weeping.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cMy church was gone. There was no church at all \u2014 no doors, no walls, no windows,\u201d said the priest, trying to express himself in English. \u201cI cried and cried. Then I looked up and saw what was left of the towers. Then I started crying again and I cried twice as long. \u2026<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWe will rebuild. There is no question. We have suffered a great loss, but our church can be rebuilt. But how can we replace the people, the thousands of lives? How can we weep enough those who were lost?\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Across the street, workers are searching for the bodies of nearly 6,500 people who are missing after the terrorist attack. The members of St. Nicholas do not think that any parishioners died when the towers, a mere 250 feet away, fell onto their small sanctuary in an avalanche of concrete, glass, steel and fire.<\/p>\n\n
Nevertheless, the Orthodox believers want to search in the two-story mound of debris for the remains of three loved ones who died long ago \u2014 the relics of St. Nicholas, St. Katherine and St. Sava. Small pieces of their skeletons were kept in a gold-plated box marked with an image of Christ. This ossuary was stored in a 700-pound, fireproof safe.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWe do not think it could have burned. But perhaps it was crushed,\u201d said Father Romas. \u201cWho knows? All we can do is wait and pray.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Workers have only been able to recover a charred cross, a twisted brass candelabra and bits of marble that may have come from the altar. At mid-week, the search for the relics had been postponed again.<\/p>\n\n
It\u2019s hard for outsiders to understand what this loss would mean to a parish, said Father Robert Stephanopoulos, dean of the city\u2019s Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. These ties with the saints are more than symbolic. This mystery is rooted in centuries of tradition.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWe believe the Communion of the Saints is real and that we worship and pray with all the saints in heaven,\u201d he said. \u201cBut these particular saints are also a part of that parish family, in a unique way. They have been a part of that parish for many years and, of course, the people want to see these relics recovered. Yes, this is a family matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n