The Untitled 9/11 Memorial inside the Church of St. Francis of Assisi

Featuring three pieces of interwoven steel, the untitled 9/11 memorial inside the Church of St. Francis of Assisi seeks to honor members of the Franciscan church who were killed in 2001, including Fr. Mychal Judge, who acted as chaplain for the FDNY. The single gold rose rising from the steel “transcends the senseless brutality with an enduring promise of hope,” according to the description at the foot of the monument.

Just down the street from the Empire State Building sits the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. Completed in 1844, the church has been a community hallmark for both locals and travelers since its conception. Over the past two centuries, many have come and gone in the life of the church, but one of the most important people to its community was Father Mychal Judge, a priest and chaplain to the FDNY who died on September 11, 2001. Carol LaPlante, a secular Franciscan and member of the church also died that day.

In order to honor both Judge and LaPlante, the church community established an untitled monument made of steel taken from Ground Zero. Each year the church holds two masses to commemorate Judge, LaPlante, and others lost during the attacks. Although the monument stands subtly inside the church, community members view it as a reminder to honor those who died throughout the year.

Visitors can light a candle to the sculpture of St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, which stands next to the memorial. Many Franciscans look to St. Jude for faith in times of loss.

A close up view of the tangled debris taken from the World Trade Center in 2001.

The memorial sits below a stained glass window in the middle of the church. Although the church is dimly lit, a light above the memorial illuminates the twisted steel and gold rose.

A woman sits next to the memorial during Sunday mass.

Outside of the building, the section of the street where the church sits is named after Fr. Mychal Judge, who lost his life on September 11, 2001.