As construction resumes on the historic Greek Orthodox church destroyed in the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, faith leaders in charge tell Fox News it will honor the sacred ground on which it stands.
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Lower Manhattan is being resurrected after nearly 20 years, not just for the church's flock, but for all to see and reflect, as it began Monday in a ceremony with Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
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"It's going to be a place where people can say, for the next 1,000 years, we will never forget what happened here," John Catsimatidis, CEO of Gristedes Foods and board member of The Friends of St. Nicholas, which formed in January to get the project back on track after years of scandal and mismanagement, told "Fox & Friends" Tuesday.
"It's going to be good for New York. We're going to have three million visitors a year, and it's a place for people to come and pray," Catsimatidis, a billionaire in New York City who had run for mayor, said as he is considering another run.
Named for the patron saint of sailors, the original St. Nicholas opened its doors on Cedar Street in 1916, quickly becoming the first stopping point for Greek immigrants after they left Ellis Island and serving the community for 85 years until the South Tower of the World Trade Center came crashing down on New York's darkest day.
"This is going to be the light on the hill," said Father Alex Karloutsos of the Greek Orthodox Church of America. "In 2001 it became a historical place because of now we have 3,000 people that lost their lives, victims and heroes, and we need to have a sense of hope, of light, in the midst of all this darkness.
"This is all about New York. This is all about America," Karloutsos added.
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The Greek Orthodox leader pointed to Turkey's recent decision to convert the Hagia Sophia, first built as a Greek Orthodox Church nearly 1,500 years ago, back into a mosque after being a museum.
"Here in this country, religious freedoms, what we stand for as a country, the land of the free, the home of the brave, the First Amendment of the United States, glory be to God, Saint Nicholas is going to reflect the best of our Orthodox faith, but the best of America," Karloutsos added. "That's what makes me proud about this church."
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Father Evagoras Constantinides, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese spokesman, told "Fox & Friends First" that the "church is the last piece that will bring a sense of solidarity to the visitor" outside the 9/11 Memorial.
"That place of peace is coming back with the finishing and reopening of St. Nicholas next year," he added.
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