The intersecting steel beam that came to be known as the World Trade Center Cross was lowered today by crane into the 9/11 Memorial Museum. First encountered by construction worker Frank Silecchia in the vicinity of where 6 World Trade Center had stood, the 17-foot-tall cross became an icon of hope and comfort throughout the recovery effort in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Update: Read more about the cross and see photos at CBSNewYork.com.
Prior to installation in the Museum, Father Brian Jordan blessed the cross during a ceremony this morning at Zuccotti Park, near the World Trade Center site, where hundreds of recovery workers and their families gathered. Father Jordan, a Franciscan priest who had been ministering to workers and blessing human remains recovered at the site, comforted rescue and recovery workers after the 9/11 attacks. Throughout the recovery period, Jordan spent Sunday after Sunday holding mass and offering communion at the base of the cross.
After the blessing at Zuccotti Park, the cross was transported onto the WTC site and lowered into its permanent setting inside the Museum, which will open to the public in 2012.
By 9/11 Memorial Staff