Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Priest treasures ground zero duty that took toll on his health


From Milwaukee-

Tom Winslow still remembers what he came to understand as a "ministry of presence."

A chaplain for the Milwaukee FBI office, he spent a week at ground zero in New York in November 2001, working out of St. Paul's Chapel, a block from the World Trade Center site. Winslow presided over a daily religious service and talked to law enforcement officers who were dealing with the unimaginable.

He learned that simply by being dressed in clerical collars or hats that identified them as chaplains, Winslow and others were able to comfort people who perhaps were reluctant to ask for help but were calmed by the presence of clergy.

One day, he took an FBI agent to a makeshift memorial that featured a large photo of John P. O'Neill, head of security for the World Trade Center. She knew O'Neill, who died in the attack.

"All I did right then was stand there and hold her as she cried," he said.

The bond among those working at ground zero was instant, and when his tour of duty ended, Winslow was reluctant to leave.

He had no idea that he likely was taking tiny pieces of ground zero home with him.

More here-

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/128652928.html

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