[Trinity Wall Street] Army Chaplain the Rev. David W. Peters has been selected to receive Trinity Wall Street’s 2015 Reconciliation Preaching Prize, announced the Rev. Dr. William Lupfer, rector.  Peters, a former Marine, will give his sermon titled "Learning War and Reconciliation” on September 11, 2015 at a 10 AM service at [St. Paul’s Chapel, part of the Episcopal parish Trinity Wall Street], following the ringing of the Bell of Hope to remember all those lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard United Flight 93.  

“In his powerful first-hand testimony, David preaches the message that reconciliation is learned and has to be practiced.  It is our hope that his words will comfort those struggling with contemporary events, and that they will foster understanding beyond the walls of our sanctuary and remembrance of 9/11,” said Dr. Lupfer.

Peters, age 39, entered the contest because he realized how 9/11 has shaped the trajectory of his life and also has left a huge wound in our national life.

“Reconciliation and healing need to flow in those places. I’d like to be part of this. I’d like to be part of this movement of reconciliation,” he said.  “I am deeply honored to be able to speak about healing and the way forward at St. Paul’s Chapel, a sanctuary for renewal and inspiration since the dark days of 9/11.”

In his sermon, he reflects that “You don't do Reconciliation. You must be Reconciliation. Just like the Marine Corps didn’t just teach me to do war, they taught me to be war, we have to learn to be Reconciliation.”

Peters was a youth minister in Pennsylvania at the time of the attacks in 2001. He decided to become an Army chaplain when the US went to war in Afghanistan, knowing that the soldiers would need chaplains to “bring God’s grace in a place that didn’t have much of either.” He had joined the Marines fresh out of high school in 1994.

Peters’ 2014 book Death Letter: God, Sex, and War was written immediately following his deployment to Iraq.  He currently resides in Austin, Texas where he is studying for a Master of Arts in Religion degree at the Seminary of the Southwest.  He is also curate at Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown, Texas.

The 2015 Reconciliation Preaching Prize was open to anyone of any faith in the United States.  Submissions were required to address Isaiah 2:1-4 and Matthew 18:21-35 and explore the theme of reconciliation in the preacher’s contemporary context. Trinity received dozens of submissions from across the country by the August 1, 2015 deadline. 

St Paul’s Chapel

Photo Credit: Leah Reddy

Directly across from the World Trade Center, St. Paul’s Chapel was the site of an extraordinary ministry of healing and service for eight months after 9/11.  Today, “the little chapel that stood” is a place of pilgrimage for millions of people each year who seek to find meaning and move towards reconciliation in the years since the attacks. 

The Bell of Hope was given to New York City by London in 2002.  Placed in St. Paul’s churchyard, it has been rung each year on 9/11 since the first anniversary.  In addition, the bell has sounded in solidarity for other victims of terrible attacks and terrorism including the bombings in London, Madrid, Mumbai and Moscow; Virginia Tech; Oslo and Utoya Island, Norway; Aurora, Colorado; Oak Creek, Wisconsin; the Boston Marathon; and the Paris and Baga (Nigeria) massacres.  It was created by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London’s East End, where the original Liberty Bell was cast in 1752.

Visit the Trinity Wall Street website to learn more about the parish and to follow the 9/11 service at St. Paul’s Chapel.