Adrienne was in the 5th grade. Class had just started. She liked her teacher, Miss Kamp, at the small, private Catholic school she attended in Lemont, Illinois.
The Crucifix fell off the wall. Nobody touched it; the nail holding it didn’t come out. It just fell.
Miss Kamp put it back in its proper place and started the day of instruction. A little later, the Crucifix fell again. This time, Christ’s body broke away from the cross and lay on the floor.
Miss Kamp picked up the pieces and in a few minutes, an announcement came that something awful, something evil, had happened in New York City. Planes had flown into the World Trade Center. Death had come for a cruel visit.
Yes, the first time the Crucifix fell was within seconds of the first plane. Yes, the second time the Crucifix fell was within seconds of the second plane.
It isn’t something Adrienne talks about often. But it is something that she remembers. I believe it is part of why she holds her Catholic faith do dearly in her heart and soul.
Like all of us, my daughter, Adrienne, remembers where she was on September 11, 2001. And for her and the rest of us, life has never been quite the same.
But life goes on.
Today, Adrienne is a junior in college. She is studying art and believes the art she creates should be beautiful and bring glory to God.
The teacher she liked so much, Miss Kamp, just a month ago took her final vows and now we call her Sister Mary Grace Kamp, O.P.
The little school where they learned together now is a new building with many more teachers and students.
My Roman Catholic faith is far deeper today than it was 10 years ago. Sunday, I will pray for those who are in any manner connected with September 11, 2001. I will pray for everyone.
