“The spirit of God was working in me and the parish staff members that day. God used us to be the light in the darkness.”
— Father Tom Iwanowski, former pastor of Our Lady of Czestochowa church near the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J., recounting how the parish provided comfort and care nine years ago to those fleeing the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York

“God sent them as his messengers to rescue people from the drowning waters, to care for them as they lay at the airport and convention center and Superdome.”
— New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond, marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by recalling the aid provided by thousands of volunteers from around the country