‘A Spiritual Presence’: 25 Years After 9/11, St. Nicholas Church Stands as a Place of Peace
Father Andreas Vithoulkas, the leader of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, witnessed 9/11 firsthand and recalled searching for loved ones. (Photo by Angelina Ispir)
As the country approaches the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Americans are reflecting on what was lost and what has endured since the attacks.
One religious community that physically embodies both is St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, a small Greek Orthodox parish that was completely destroyed when the World Trade Center’s south tower collapsed.
Following more than two decades of rebuilding, it reopened in 2022 as both a church and national shrine.
READ: 9/11 Firefighter Tim Brown Talks About Loss, Healing And Faith
Among the clergy is Father Andreas Vithoulkas, who heads St. Nicholas. He has served in parishes throughout the Northeast. He grew up on Long Island and has lived in New York his entire life.
The son of Greek immigrants, his connection to the city took on a deeper meaning after the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
He also witnessed the 9/11 attacks firsthand and recalled searching for loved ones and eventually having to flee the city. The attacks inspired him to pursue ministry and become an ordained Orthodox priest.
For him, returning to Lower Manhattan years later to serve at the rebuilt St. Nicholas brought his experience full circle.
“It gave me a tremendous sense of closure,” Father Andreas said. “At the same time, I felt like it was God’s way of saying to me, ‘Now you can give back to people that need that same closure on their journey.’”
Depictions of 9/11 first responders and integrated into the National Shrine’s iconography. (Photo by Angelina Ispir)
The sense of closure people find at St. Nicholas extends beyond the trauma of 9/11.
Visitors come to the church throughout the week carrying different emotional, mental or spiritual burdens.
Father Andreas said St. Nicholas provides a space for visitors to process whatever may have brought them through the church’s doors.
“People come here to find a sense of peace,” he added. “The rebuilding of St. Nicholas filled a certain void and created a spiritual presence at the World Trade Center that was very much needed.”
Angelina Ispir was a social media intern at Religion Unplugged. She is set to graduate from the CUNY Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in December 2026.