The United States was attacked on this day in 2001. I offer some personal reflections on the day and its meaning for us and our Church. It may be the case for the US that most adults alive back in 1941 would remember what they were doing on the day when Pearl Harbor was attacked. My mother, for her part, certainly remembers what she was doing on June 22 of the same year, when the German Third Reich invaded the Soviet Union. Most people in the US who were conscious then remember what they were doing on this day in 2001. September 11 was my day to commute from Jordanville to Yonkers, NY. I had just started my M.Th. program at St. Vladimir’s Seminary; I believe this was my first day of classes. The New York State Thruway was closed to public cars, so ultimately, I didn’t make it there. Remembering this unprecedented attack on America on its soil gives one reasons to think about this country. Here is a quote from an interview I gave to Pravoslavie.ru in 2020: “I came to Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (HTOS) from Moscow region in August 1990. I had two intentions: to become a deacon and to return to my native country. The former has been accomplished, but as to whether the latter will, I do not know. I joke that my country ceased to exist in 1991. America became my first home. I am very grateful to America for showing me how to treat people with respect and to put oneself in the shoes of one’s neighbor.” Around the same year, 2001, my then-friend Hierodeacon Samuel (Nedelsky) pointed out that: “The ROCA has had the great advantage of living in conditions of political freedom, first briefly in Serbia and western Europe and then, for most of its existence, in the United States. Living in a liberal democracy where the separation of church and state exists, it has been allowed to function freely and without interference from external political pressure.” The Russian Church Abroad has been able to speak up against moral and political issues in America and promote a monarchist ideology due to the freedom of speech defended by the US Constitution. To develop this paradox further: the headquarters of the church of political refugees from the Russian Revolution found a refugee in a country that came into being because of a revolt against “a tyrant of the earth” (King George III). It is our right to say what we disagree with, but perhaps it would sound better if we could focus more on what we are grateful for. Relvent Link The Church for Everyone: Interview with Fr. Victor Potapov | 
