Local News

Raleigh Reverend Ministers To Ground Zero Workers

Posted Updated

RALEIGH, N.C. — A Raleigh minister is in the middle of the cleanup at the World Trade Center -- not with heavy equipment, but with a listening ear. For the past four months, Rev. Camille Yorkey has helped workers at Ground Zero keep going.

Yorkey's home is in Raleigh. But right now, her heart is in New York with the workers who see unspeakable things, who do what no one else wants to do, but keep at it day after day.

"I think the thing that we always talk about when I'm with them is we all feel like we're doing such a little bit, just a little bit," she said. "But when we each just do our own part and do it well, whether you're running one of the grapplers or whether you're just talking to those workers, it all fits together, and it all comes together."

"I feel personally blessed to be able to come up here and work with these people that are giving their hearts," she said.

Yorkey attends St. Paul's Episcopal Chapel, just a few feet from Ground Zero. The chapel is open 24 hours a day.

"There is no question God is present here. In the midst of all the trials and tribulations, Ground Zero is very holy ground," she said.

Her mind is filled with stories from survivors. She has had her own tough times. She became a widow with two small children at a young age, and she is battling cancer.

"So it was like when I was asked to come, everything I had ever done made it possible for me to be the right person," she said.

Yorkey is putting her daily experience into words. Her online journal,

Hope In The Wilderness

, reaches 4,000 people every day. She said it is a connection for Americans and therapy for her.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.