Flight 93 Chapel dedicated to passengers and crew photos and images

Flight 93 Chapel dedicated to passengers and crew photos and images:The Flight 93 Chapel is solely dedicated to remembering and honoring the courageous passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 who sacrificed their lives for the United States.The Rev. Alphonse Mascherino now spends his days speaking to visitors about the events on that fateful September day that changed this little chapel forever.
Flight 93 Chapel is a secular, nondenominational chapel dedicated to the “Honor and Glory of God and the Sacred Memory of the Heroes of Flight 93.” It sits only a few miles away from the crash site.

This small church had been abandoned until it came up for sale in 2001. Six weeks later, it was bought to create a shrine for those who dedicated their lives for the sake of their country.Rev. Macherino –– aka Father Al –– had a dream to make the chapel into a memorial. With very little money, he began working diligently, attempting to restore the entire interior of the chapel.
“I would go to (the lumber store) and buy a half pound of nails or so. I didn’t have very much money, so I didn’t want to buy more then I needed. But I would run out, so the next day I would go back and buy another half pound. The manager called Maggie Hardy, the owner, and told her what I was doing. She wanted to help me make my dream a reality,” said Father Al.

 “She came to see the chapel and told me that it needed to be done by the first anniversary and said, ‘I would like to do it for you,’” he explained.

Maggie Hardy provided the chapel with a $23,000 grant and all the professionals needed to make Father Al’s dream come true. The chapel was finished in ten days, just in time for the first anniversary of 9/11.

Since that first day, over 300,000 people have come to visit Flight 93 Chapel. Inside the small church, Father Al has displayed mementos, stories, paintings and photos donated in remembrance of the passengers and crew members of Flight 93.
Among the items on display is a childhood dress worn by Honor Elizabeth Wainio, donated by her mother, and a model plane, donated by First Officer Leroy Homer’s mother. Homer had made the model when he was just 11 years old.Behind the church sits a giant granite Flight 93 Crew Monument with the crew members' photos etched in the stone. It is surrounded by benches with passengers’ names engraved in them. Flags from every state in the union encircle the massive monument and pathway.
Across the street, behind an old graveyard, 40 American flags whip in the wind. Bikers come every year to read the names of those aboard Flight 93 while placing one flag for each person. Father Al calls it the “healing field.”Outside also stands a tower holding the “Thunder Bell.” The bell symbolizes the resounding message of the heroes of Flight 93 as the impact of their aircraft thundered across the hills and valleys. Visitors are reminded to sound the “voice of Flight 93.”