Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Ground Zero Cross They Wanted Erased — 25 Years Later, It's Still Standing
Two days after September 11th, a laborer digging with his bare hands through the rubble of the World Trade Center looked up and saw a steel cross left standing. Twenty years later, someone took it before a federal judge to make it disappear — and lost.
This is the true story of the Ground Zero Cross. How it emerged from the twisted beams of Building Six of the World Trade Center, how it became the place of prayer for the rescue workers, the Franciscan friar Brian Jordan and the Midnight Mass celebrated in the mud on Christmas of 2001, Father Mychal Judge — chaplain to the New York firefighters and the first officially confirmed victim of the attack — the page of the Gospel found fused inside a piece of steel, and the legal battle in which the American Atheists tried to have the cross removed from the Memorial, rejected by the judges in 2013 and again in 2014.
A story of faith, of grief, and of hope, on the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001.
If this story moved you, write "Amen" in the comments and share the video with someone who needs hope. Subscribe to the channel for more true stories of faith.
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CHAPTERS
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0:00 — A Cross on Trial
0:28 — Two Days Later: Found in the Rubble
1:50 — The Rescue Workers' Place of Prayer
3:03 — Father Brian Jordan and Christmas 2001
4:20 — The Page of the Gospel Fused in Steel
5:08 — Father Mychal Judge, the First Victim
6:29 — From the Ruins to the Museum
7:06 — The Lawsuit: The American Atheists
8:06 — The Ruling: And They Lost
8:59 — 25 Years Later: Still Standing
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SOURCES (by chapter)
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• The discovery, Frank Silecchia, the steel cross (ch. 0:28):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center_cross
guideposts.org/articles/angels-and-miracles/miracles/gods-grace/the-cross-at-ground-zero-2
• The rescue workers' testimonies (ch. 1:50):
guideposts.org/articles/angels-and-miracles/miracles/gods-grace/the-cross-at-ground-zero-2
911memorial.org/connect/blog/rescue-recovery-their-own-voices-father-brian-jordan
• Father Brian Jordan, the blessing, the Masses and Christmas 2001 (ch. 3:03):
911memorial.org/connect/blog/rescue-recovery-their-own-voices-father-brian-jordan
911memorial.org/connect/blog/priest-details-wtc-cross-13-year-journey-new-book
• The Bible page fused to steel (ch. 4:20):
snopes.com/fact-check/911-bible
history.com/articles/9-11-artifacts-ground-zero-photos
• Father Mychal Judge, first confirmed victim (ch. 5:08):
911memorial.org/connect/blog/remembering-fdny-chaplain-father-mychal-judge
franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/mychal-judge-ofm-hero-on-9-11
• The move to the museum (ch. 6:29):
911memorial.org/connect/blog/wtc-cross-installed-911-memorial-museum-updated
• The American Atheists lawsuit and the 2013–2014 rulings (ch. 7:06 and 8:06):
csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2014/0729/Why-court-rejected-atheists-lawsuit-against-cross-at-ground-zero
abajournal.com/news/article/cross-shaped_beam_found_in_9-11_rubble_may_be_displayed_in_ground_zero_muse
#GroundZero #GroundZeroCross #Faith
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You will also find these prayers: morning prayer, evening prayer, prayer to ask for a grace, prayer for the deceased, prayer to the Holy Spirit, simple prayer, Angelus prayer, prayer for the family, miraculous prayer, Christian meditation, prayer before going to sleep, novenas, prayer of deliverance, healing prayer.
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The Ground Zero Cross They Wanted Erased — 25 Years Later, It's Still Standing
Two days after September 11th, a laborer digging with his bare hands through the rubble of the World Trade Center looked up and saw a steel cross left standing. Twenty years later, someone took it before a federal judge to make it disappear — and lost.
This is the true story of the Ground Zero Cross. How it emerged from the twisted beams of Building Six of the World Trade Center, how it became the place of prayer for the rescue workers, the Franciscan friar Brian Jordan and the Midnight Mass celebrated in the mud on Christmas of 2001, Father Mychal Judge — chaplain to the New York firefighters and the first officially confirmed victim of the attack — the page of the Gospel found fused inside a piece of steel, and the legal battle in which the American Atheists tried to have the cross removed from the Memorial, rejected by the judges in 2013 and again in 2014.
A story of faith, of grief, and of hope, on the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001.
If this story moved you, write "Amen" in the comments and share the video with someone who needs hope. Subscribe to the channel for more true stories of faith.
------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTERS
------------------------------------------------------------
0:00 — A Cross on Trial
0:28 — Two Days Later: Found in the Rubble
1:50 — The Rescue Workers' Place of Prayer
3:03 — Father Brian Jordan and Christmas 2001
4:20 — The Page of the Gospel Fused in Steel
5:08 — Father Mychal Judge, the First Victim
6:29 — From the Ruins to the Museum
7:06 — The Lawsuit: The American Atheists
8:06 — The Ruling: And They Lost
8:59 — 25 Years Later: Still Standing
------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCES (by chapter)
------------------------------------------------------------
• The discovery, Frank Silecchia, the steel cross (ch. 0:28):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center_cross
guideposts.org/articles/angels-and-miracles/miracles/gods-grace/the-cross-at-ground-zero-2
• The rescue workers' testimonies (ch. 1:50):
guideposts.org/articles/angels-and-miracles/miracles/gods-grace/the-cross-at-ground-zero-2
911memorial.org/connect/blog/rescue-recovery-their-own-voices-father-brian-jordan
• Father Brian Jordan, the blessing, the Masses and Christmas 2001 (ch. 3:03):
911memorial.org/connect/blog/rescue-recovery-their-own-voices-father-brian-jordan
911memorial.org/connect/blog/priest-details-wtc-cross-13-year-journey-new-book
• The Bible page fused to steel (ch. 4:20):
snopes.com/fact-check/911-bible
history.com/articles/9-11-artifacts-ground-zero-photos
• Father Mychal Judge, first confirmed victim (ch. 5:08):
911memorial.org/connect/blog/remembering-fdny-chaplain-father-mychal-judge
franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/mychal-judge-ofm-hero-on-9-11
• The move to the museum (ch. 6:29):
911memorial.org/connect/blog/wtc-cross-installed-911-memorial-museum-updated
• The American Atheists lawsuit and the 2013–2014 rulings (ch. 7:06 and 8:06):
csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2014/0729/Why-court-rejected-atheists-lawsuit-against-cross-at-ground-zero
abajournal.com/news/article/cross-shaped_beam_found_in_9-11_rubble_may_be_displayed_in_ground_zero_muse
#GroundZero #GroundZeroCross #Faith
► Join the channel to support us and become part of the community
youtube.com/channel/UCuwKA0pMVihJOahXCsJUZ0g/join
► subscribe @christianwayprayer
Christian Way is a Christian channel, a reference point for prayer. With us, you can pray every day and listen to the word of God. You can pray to God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary, the Saints, Padre Pio, Saint Rita, pray for health, pray for work, pray for the family, pray for loved ones.
In the channel, you will find:
Daily Gospel
Daily Readings
Vespers
Compline
Meditations on the word of God
Christian meditations
Bible readings
Psalms
You will also find these prayers: morning prayer, evening prayer, prayer to ask for a grace, prayer for the deceased, prayer to the Holy Spirit, simple prayer, Angelus prayer, prayer for the family, miraculous prayer, Christian meditation, prayer before going to sleep, novenas, prayer of deliverance, healing prayer.
Join us in prayer and subscribe to the channel to not miss out on new prayers, meditations, and gospel readings.
