Airport priest on 9/11 emotions
STAFF WRITER
Rev. Michael Farano, pastor of St. Pius X Church in Loudonville, describes Sept. 11 as "unimaginable."
Approaching the event's one-year anniversary, the priest, who is also chairman of the Albany International Airport Authority, still feels "a tremendous sadness."
Father Farano reported that enhanced security measures adopted by airports across the country would not wane at Albany International.
"We have a heightened re-commitment to security at the airport," he said. "We have taken all the precautions that are needed and that are possible for the protection of our employees and passengers. A stronger security presence is something that we have to get used to."
Father Farano has no objection to such efforts as random searches and tracking erratic flight patterns. In fact, he believes that security measures can be tightened even more.
A recent trip to Israel for an ordination taught him what "real security" was: After encountering the presence of troops on the Israeli tarmac and terminal, he reflected that America's security before 9/11 "wasn't even close to Israel's."
Plans for memorializing Sept. 11 at the airport have not yet been completed. Even if the airport planned nothing, however, the day would hardly operate under the flag of "business as usual," Father Farano said; for airport employees, no day has been "business as usual" since 9/11.
From re-arranged security measures at the front of the building to a cordoned-off area where random luggage searches take place, employees and passengers alike have a number of distinct physical reminders of the day.
Father Farano cautioned against the use of violence and malice towards the perpetrators of the attacks.
"We can't let hatred take over," he explained. "If we do, they've won. They want us to hate. We need to get over our anger, and let our faith kick in."
It is normal for people to "float in and out of anger," the priest said, especially at the anniversary of such a tragic event. When they relive the tragedy through images or stories in the media, people will go through a gamut of emotions, ranging from shock and grief to utter disbelief.
"We don't see ourselves the way people who hate us see us," Father Farano said. "We need to go to the roots of the problem," rather than rely on sheer violence to resolve it.
"We have to constantly fight against anger," he stressed. "We have to feel hope that from all of this will come a newness of life."