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CNN Live Today

Interview with John Garcia, James Moore

Aired May 23, 2002 - 14:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: One sad chapter in the story of 9/11 is the attack coming to an end, one week from the day the recovery operation of the World Trade Center site of New York is expected to wrap up.

But the end at ground zero marks a new beginning for a church in New Mexico. Two 20-foot beams from the World Trade Center will be used as part of a new bell tower that is being planned there. From Albuquerque, John Garcia is with Barelas Community Development Center. And the Reverend Frank Moore (sic), pastor, father of the Church of the Sacred Heart.

Gentlemen, thank you for your time today. This is a great story here. Good afternoon.

JOHN GARCIA, BARELAS DEVELOPMENT CENTER: We're glad to be here. Good afternoon.

HEMMER: I see the bell behind you. Before we get to that, Father, tell us the role that the people in your parish, or even the area of Albuquerque, had in the recovery efforts in New York City back in September.

REV. JAMES MOORE, PASTOR, SACRED HEART CHURCH: When we received the news that we were going to receive the Twin Tower steels, this whole community was so elated. We are still. John and I were really excited to go to New York and actually see them.

And now the whole community is really preparing for Saturday when the steel arrives for us. And it's going to be blessed and consecrated by the archbishop, because we're looking at these two pieces of metal as something very sacred. It involves the lives of so many people.

HEMMER: John, we're looking at a semi tractor trailer pulling out of New York City with the beams on it. It will arrive Saturday as, Father, you point out. John, tell us a little bit more about how the relationship started, though. You sent rescue workers and firefighters to New York City -- is that where it started?

GARCIA: Well, what was exciting, what started, was we have an effort here in our community to raise a bell tower, for this historic bell that sits behind us. It's over a hundred years old. We wrote a letter to Mayor Bloomburg of New York and Cardinal Egan, our archbishop of New Mexico, Michael Sheehan, Mayor Marty Chavez, our congressional representative, Heather Wilson. They supported us and sent letters requesting two 20-foot steel beams.

And they called us last Thursday, said New Mexico has been very good to New York, and we're going honor your request. And you have two 20-foot steel beams. If you can get here by Monday to pick them up, they're yours.

HEMMER: No kidding. What's the condition, John?

GARCIA: When we looked at the beams, you could see the impact. They're a little twisted. They're not perfectly straight. They have a lot of debris still on them. But they're perfect to us, because it's going to help us and New York pay tribute to what took place on September 11th, for all Americans.

You know, the Twin Towers may be gone, but we're going to rebuild, in our community, another tower to put a historic bell on. And so throughout the country, the Twin Tower will exist in our hearts, if not in our bell tower.

HEMMER: Father, you mentioned when they arrive on Saturday, you'll have a reception that will welcome the two beams to your town. And later I know plans are coming together to have it erected. Were you surprised at all that the officials of New York City granted this request?

MOORE: I think all of us were. First of all, as we got our archbishop wrote a letter to Cardinal Egan and it came back saying that the space was under investigation because it was a crime scene, and it wasn't likely we were going to get any steel from them. We really had a sinking feeling.

Then as we went along, as John was saying, we got the mayor, the archbishop wrote again and so on. When this news came through, it was like the 4th of July. Wow, we are going to get them!

GARCIA: Just ecstatic. We could not believe that officials of New York granted the city of Albuquerque, state of New Mexico, and this little community of Barelas, the opportunity to express our sincere appreciation, but also to memorialize what took place on September the 11th.

HEMMER: John, do you think that some of the families of the victims may not be particularly warm to this idea? I'm curious if you thought about that, and how you approached it.

GARCIA: We have thought about that. We have a lady in the state of New Mexico, whose husband was one of the flight attendants on one of the planes that hit Tower Two, I believe. We're inviting her to our ceremony to receive these beams.

These beams, they're not just beams anymore. They're icons. They're almost a religious relic of sort now. It's like getting a piece of the Arizona or a piece of the Alamo, to help here in New Mexico, memorialize and commemorate, recognize and to never forget what took place on September the 11th.

HEMMER: All right, well, Father, quickly here, we're running out of time. I want to get your comment in. Also I want you to tell us the two beams will be used to support the bell behind you. That bell is about 150 years old. Where does the process go from here? How long do you think, before you'll get it erected and hanging?

MOORE: That depends. We have the bell, we have the steel. We have beautiful stained-glass window from the old church. Then we have to have money to raise the tower. And so, we are hoping that maybe people who were involved in it will help.

The iron workers of New Mexico, some of then were building, they worked on the tower when it was going up. And they have called and said, when you build your tower, we will donate our time to you to put the steel in there.

HEMMER: Well, listen, I know you guys need money, too. You need about a hundred grand. You're about halfway there, I do know that. I'm sure that effort will continue.

GARCIA: Right.

HEMMER: John, in the short time we have left, do you know if there are other parts of the country, other groups -- perhaps not religious, or otherwise -- that might be looking for something similar to what you were looking for?

GARCIA: What I was told by the officer of emergency affairs in New York, was that they've had other requests for just about everything. They have made some requests. There was a high school principal from the state of Florida there, who was given a small section of a beam, that's going to go into their high school to pay tribute.

They were specific in their request, that the beams can only be used to pay tribute and respect to the people that died on September the 11th. And that's what exactly they'll do.

MOORE: We will do.

HEMMER: And good to hear a good story coming out of the Catholic Church today, too. Father Frank Moore, thank you. John Garcia, thanks.

GARCIA: Thank you.

MOORE: Thank you.

HEMMER: Best of luck. We'll keep track of it, all right?

MOORE: By the way, my name is James, not Frank. James Moore.

HEMMER: OK, we got it. Thank you, Father. Take care. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com