Former Ground Zero Priest Shares a Story of Forgiveness, Resilience and Renewal After 9/11

CHARLESTON, SC, UNITED STATES, July 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Nearly a quarter century after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Lyndon Harris—the former Episcopal priest who initiated and led the extraordinary relief effort at Saint Paul’s Chapel, directly across from Ground Zero—is bringing his story of trauma, collapse, forgiveness and renewal to audiences nationwide.

In his new memoir, Forgiveness at Ground Zero: A Journey of Service, Loss and Redemption after 9/11 (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026), Harris offers a searing eyewitness account of the months following 9/11, when Saint Paul’s Chapel became a round-the-clock sanctuary for recovery workers, first responders, volunteers, and grieving New Yorkers. But the book also tells the more private story that unfolded after the cameras left: Harris’s own struggle with trauma, loss, regret, and the long road toward healing.

“Forgiveness does not deny the wound or abandon the desire for justice,” Harris says. “It is rather the courageous work of refusing to let pain have the final word in our lives.”
During the eight and a half months following the attacks, the relief operation at Saint Paul’s Chapel mobilized thousands of volunteers and provided meals, rest, practical care, music, prayer, and companionship to those working at and around Ground Zero. Harris oversaw the development of a place of refuge amid one of the nation’s darkest chapters.

Yet the story did not end with the relief effort.
Forgiveness at Ground Zero traces the deeply human journey that began after the public attention faded: the emotional and spiritual costs of trauma, the consequences of personal failure, and the possibility of finding new life beyond bitterness, shame, and despair.

Now a speaker, retreat leader, and forgiveness coach, Harris invites audiences into a timely conversation about resilience, post-traumatic growth and the healing power of forgiveness in a divided world.
Harris has trained in and taught evidence-based forgiveness practices based on the research of Fred Luskin, Ph.D., a pioneering educator in the field of forgiveness and the director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project. Harris co-authored with Luskin The Forgive for Good Recovery Workbook (New Harbinger, 2025)
As communities, workplaces, families, and faith institutions continue to navigate grief, conflict, trauma, and division, Harris offers a perspective grounded in both lived experience and practical forgiveness work.
Speaking topics include:
• Forgiveness after trauma and tragedy
• Post-traumatic growth and resilience
• Self-forgiveness and recovery from shame
• Healing divisions in families and communities
• Lessons from Ground Zero for a divided world
• Moving beyond resentment and reclaiming your life

Harris is currently available for keynote presentations, conferences, retreats, universities and seminaries, faith communities, podcast interviews, radio and television appearances, book clubs and author events.

For speaking inquiries, interviews, or event bookings:
Lyndon Harris
www.lyndonharris.com
ForgivenessGZ@gmail.com
For Author Events and Book Purchasing:
Peter Perez
Assoc. Director of Publicity, Bloomsbury Publishing US
peter.perez@bloomsbury.com

Lyndon Harris
Forgiving Communities Collaborative
forgivenessgz@gmail.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.