Dressed in helmets, goggles, breathing masks and aprons given to them by the Red Cross, Chaplains Ethel Steinkey and Ardelle Quigley stood in front of their colleagues in the Misericordia Auditorium to share their experiences of life at ground zero in New York.

After sharing what turned out to be trying airport and accommodation adventures, the chaplains began to talk about what they saw, heard and felt. Upon obtaining appropriate releases and gear from the Red Cross, Ethel and Ardelle were taken to ground zero. Before getting there, however, they were asked whether they had their wills made out and had an appointed power of attorney. "That really hit home for me," says Ethel. "I realized just where we were." In arriving at ground zero, the scene was overwhelming. "Wherever we went on the ground, it was hot," says Ardelle. "The steel is shredded like ribbon-and that's all that's left. Everything else is just burned. We realized every time we were there that this was a crematorium."

Ethel and Ardelle were quickly made coordinators of two respite centers for the time they were in New York. Set up by the Red Cross, the respite centers were places workers could go to have meals, call their families and receive care. Workers Ethel and Ardelle encountered included fire¬fighters, police, FBI, secret service, military, state troopers and those working in construction and steel. On average 400 workers an hour came into the respite centers. "These workers were tired," says Ethel. "They were literally pulling them¬selves up the stairs in order to line up for meals. Oddly, I found those line-ups a good place to connect with them. It was very public yet it was a secure place to talk. I listened to it all, heard many stories, just in the small space at the top of the stairs."

Ardelle took another approach to the workers, going up and asking them if they wanted a kiss. After waiting for their response, which usually was a surprised "I've never been offered a kiss by a chap¬lain before," Ardelle would give them a big smile and offer them a Hershey's chocolate kiss. "It was those I connected with through a Hershey's kiss that later asked me to come pray with them," says Ardelle.

Were on September 11 and the colleagues they lost. Often, they would start to blow me kisses when they saw me as I walked the perimetre of the ground zero area."
Experiences that stand out for both Ethel and Ardelle include workers who through their recovery efforts found pieces of identification-such as uniform cloth-of colleagues. Whenever this happened, the workers would ask the chaplains to bless the spirit of the person who owned it. They would then form an honour guard and proceed to the morgue. "You could just see the tears pouring down their faces," says Ethel.

The mammoth number of volunteers who have been there since September 11, working up to eighteen hours a day every single day without a day off, were a source of inspiration and awe for the chaplains. "There was such as sense of people working together," says Ethel.and everyone learned to work in that chaos." adds Ardelle, "People gave all their heart to the recovery efforts."
Throughout their presentation, both chaplains continually acknowledged the blessings of their colleagues within Caritas. "There were many times that I know that it was the prayers of those at home that made our journey possible" says Ethel. "Your prayers helped us and opened so many doors," adds Ardelle. "We were cherished, loved and appreciated and we come back to say thank you because our work was an extension of you."