About the difficult "next step" of forgiving enemies and working to create a just world, she wrote: "The lesson from the Sisters of Charity is a good place to begin. In the midst of chaos they opened their doors and their hearts to people in need. They offered hospitality, but were never intrusive. They were sensitive to the needs of people from different cultures. Respect was the order of the day. 'What good will that do in the face of this tragedy?' you say. I say, 'It can't hurt.'"

In Canada, two congregations of Sisters of Charity responded with grace when called into service. When U.S. airports closed down on 9/11, many flights from Europe were diverted to Canada. About 200 passengers from Lufthansa Flight 422 were housed by the Sisters of Charity of Halifax at their motherhouse. The sisters made the offer to their local EMO contact to house stranded passengers early in the day on 9/11 and received their guests just before 2 am on September 12. The Boeing 747 originated in Frankfurt and was en route to Boston. Citizens of Germany, the United States and other countries were aboard.

Nadine Boutillier, Cafeteria and Catering Supervisor at the motherhouse, was one of the volunteers called in to help. Her response was typical of dozens of motherhouse staff, "I just felt I should be doing something to help. It didn't matter what time of day or night."

In Moncton, New Brunswick, a government minister called the generalate of the Les Religieuses de Notre-Dame du Sacre-Coeur, also members of the Sisters of Charity Federation. Good listeners were needed who could empathize with distressed people. Many sisters in the Moncton area, including Sister Aurea Cormier, NDSC, responded.

Donning Red Cross jackets they waded into the crowd at the central location where passengers had been taken. They found wheelchairs for the elderly and food for the children. Sister Aurea's knowledge of French, Spanish, English, and German proved especially helpful. Mostly though, the sisters just listened and offered a calm, reassuring presence.

The people of Moncton transported passengers to their own homes for a shower, a meal, and a night's sleep. For a month after, the Moncton papers printed thank-you letters from grateful travelers, some of whom collected and donated money for scholarships for area youngsters. Some have returned on the anniversary of 9/11 to thank their benefactors in person.

Paula Ringuette, PBVM, President of the Presentation Sisters, Fargo, ND, had been vacationing in Nova Scotia with family when the attack closed the borders and halted travel. She asked for hospitality at Mount Saint Vincent, Halifax, and found herself among the stranded passengers from all over the world. She later wrote to her congregation about the sisters' hospitality: "An Islamic woman had to be coaxed out of her room by one of the sisters with the promise that she was safe. As one elderly gentleman said: 'I couldn't have made it through this without the kindness of these sisters.' Wrapped in love by the sisters, each person felt the peace and security of this place at this critical time. Their kindness took root in others. Cultural and language barriers disappeared and people were reaching out to each other."

In Emmitsburg, six Ladies of Charity were just leaving St. Joseph's Provincial House where they had spent several days visiting the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. When they heard that a plane had just crashed into the Pentagon, just paces away from their hotel they turned back to Emmitsburg. The hotel served as mission control center for rescue efforts at the Pentagon. The Daughters of Charity provided sanctuary, time and space to pray, grieve and wait. The women remained for a week, volunteering their services until airports reopened.

Through their Crisis Response Initiative the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, OH sponsored a team of sisters and laywomen who traveled to Manhattan in late March 2002 to minister to rescue workers. Among them were Sisters Ramona Chisholm, a psychiatric nurse who performed raki, a mode of healing touch, Martha Walsh, a nurse and member of the congregations leadership team, and Mary Fran Davisson and Mary Lou Knapke, both licensed massage therapists. Sister Mary Lou had traveled to the site of the 9/11 tragedy on two previous occasions in November 2001 and January 2002 as part of the Ohio Massage Disaster Relief Teams.

Within minutes of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, various branches of the Vincentian family reported receiving calls, letters, and e-mails from members and friends and professional colleagues all over the world, expressing concern, prayer and solidarity.

At the College of Mount Saint Vincent, about 15 miles north of the World Trade Center, an ecumenical prayer service with psalms and hymns of lament, compassion, and hope was held in Immaculate Conception Chapel on 9/11. Three days later, sisters joined students, faculty and staff in a procession to the campus' main gate where they kept a silent candlelight vigil with the theme, "The darker it gets, the brighter our light shines." As cars paused for the traffic light on Riverdale Avenue, many drivers signaled support.

The Sisters of Charity Federation has Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status at the United Nations. Sister Marie Elena Dio, SC - Halifax, serves as executive director. Fifteen liaisons of the federation NGO were attending a conference when the attack took place. All returned home safely. Among them was Sister Sheila O'Friel, DC. She joined the crowds walking uptown on Third Avenue fleeing the disaster. By the time she reached the New York Blood Center on East 67th Street, lines of prospective donors were already stretching around the block, five abreast.

Sister Thomas Joseph Gaines, SC - PA, a member of their national Association of Catholic Chaplains, responded to a call by the Red Cross to join a team of clergy trained to provide spiritual care, grief and bereavement counseling to victims of disasters. She dedicated her service to the memory of Todd Weaver, the son of a dear friend, who died in the World Trade Center.