Changed by 9/11: Eric Olsen, Pastor

Pastor Eric Olsen of and School, has been part of the Plainview community for just over a year.

Ten years ago, Olsen was in the heart of Midtown, enjoying a breakfast as a seminary student with a supervisor on Lexington Avenue when word came of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

  Olsen and his supervisor traveled to St. Peter’s Church to help open the church up to the public but when they got therem were barred from entering because the FBI thought the church might be another target. They were admitted after telling officers to either arrest them or allow them to open the doors to those seeking shelter.

“They moved out of the way and they allowed us to open the doors of the church,” Olsen said. “People started to stream up from the site, covered in soot and coming into the sanctuary. For seven or eight hours, I was reading Psalms and helped people gather themselves.”  

Olsen also served as a chaplain for a friend who died as a firefighter for Rescue 5 Firehouse in Staten Island. Every year since, he has gathered with relatives and firefighters at the firehouse to share prayers.

“Right after the incident, I spent two years being close to my friend’s family to help them through it,” Olsen said. He has remained very involved with the family since losing his friend on Sept. 11. He also gathered the widows from the firehouse and offered them support during those trying times.

Olsen will be having two morning services in Plainview on Sunday.

Patch initially reported that Olsen had presided at the Plainview 9/11 memorial dedication.  He did not and did not claim that he had.