September 11, 2026, marks 25 years since the terrorist attacks in the United States that claimed thousands of lives and forever changed the lives of countless others. A quarter of a century later, the memory of that day remains not only part of American history, but also deeply personal for millions of people — where they were, what they saw, whom they tried to call, and what they felt as the magnitude of the tragedy became clear.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of September 11, the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia invited members of our community to share their memories. They experienced that day in different places — from New York and Washington to Kansas City, Pennsylvania, Austria and Ukraine. Their stories are different, yet the same emotions surface again and again: shock and uncertainty, concern for loved ones, fear and helplessness, but also unity, solidarity, and faith.
Today, the memory of September 11 is carried in these deeply personal details: the blue sky that morning, an unexpectedly shortened school day, a phone call urging someone to turn on the television, an empty highway and unanswered calls to family members.
For each person, that memory begins differently.
Rev. John Mikitish was in fifth grade in Kansas City, Missouri. He remembers being dismissed from school early without being told why. There was a “stunned” sense among the teachers and staff. Later, after seeing what had happened, he remembers the shock and tragedy that engulfed the country—but also the “sense of unity and solidarity” that emerged in the days and months that followed.
Marta N. Rubel remembers the morning for its beauty, “It was the most beautiful, crisp fall morning. The sky was so blue. The air was so fresh,” she recalled. She was working at TV Guide magazine in Radnor, Pennsylvania, when news of the attacks reached the office. After the second plane struck, she remembers, “Everything just stopped.”
For George Mykytyn, who had grown up in Manhattan and still had close family there, the uncertainty was deeply personal. His sister worked in Manhattan, and as phone systems became overwhelmed, he was unable to reach her or his parents. He finally reached his sister around 11 a.m, “I was very relieved”. Thankfully, none of his family or close friends were hurt, but the memories remain vivid. “I still think about it often.”
Xenia Zacharczuk learned what was happening when her sister called and told her to turn on the television. She did so in time to witness the second plane strike the World Trade Center, “I remember having a terrible fear grip me and a sense of helplessness”. She remembers the rest of the day being marked by “hopelessness and fear and uncertainty.”
Thousands of miles away, Eugene Luciw was vacationing with his wife in Austria’s Stubai Valley. Hearing a German-language radio report about an attack on the Twin Towers, he initially believed he was listening to a radio drama. The reality became clear when he arrived at his hotel and the owner rushed out, embraced him and asked, “Have you heard? Have you heard?”
“I went into complete shock,” Luciw recalled. “I was speechless probably until the next day.”
Rev. Msgr. Peter Waslo, then rector of St. Josaphat Seminary in Washington, D.C., remembers September 11 as his generation’s “Pearl Harbor” — a moment when people remember exactly where they were when it happened. Later that day, driving north on Interstate 95, he encountered an almost empty highway: no cars, no trucks, only the van in which he was traveling.
Returning to the seminary, the absence of the usual sounds of airplanes, helicopters and traffic was equally striking, “You can actually hear birds chirping and singing. There was just nothing else. It was just complete silence.”
Archbishop-Metropolitan Borys Gudziak was in Lviv, Ukraine, serving as rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University. After seeing the images on television, he immediately sensed that the attacks represented a turning point whose consequences would reach far beyond that day.
Twenty-five years later, Metropolitan Borys remembers not only the death and fear of September 11, but also the response, “And yet there was a response of generosity and solidarity. So many people came together on the first day.” Even as the tragedy was still unfolding, people were giving their lives, sacrificing themselves in an effort to save others.
“The Lord says, do not be afraid,” Metropolitan Borys reflected. “The work of the Lord is to foster trust and to give us peace.”
Twenty-five years later, these memories remind us that September 11 is more than a date in history. Behind it are individual stories of fear and loss, sacrifice and solidarity and lives forever changed.
As we commemorate this anniversary, we remember those who lost their lives, those who gave their lives trying to save others, the survivors and their families, and all who continue to carry the memory of that day.
