South Greensburg church will serve ethnic food, remember lives lost, on Sept. 11
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St. Michael’s Orthodox Church in South Greensburg has a long tradition of highlighting ethnic cuisine at a festive meal on the Sunday following Labor Day.
This year’s event, falling on the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, will include an additional memorial service. Beginning at noon, the service will honor those who were casualties in what was the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil.
The meal, which is limited to take-out orders, will continue until 4 p.m. at the church at 1182 Ashland St.
Since the arrival of the covid-19 pandemic early in 2020, “This is the first community event we’ll be opening up to the public again,” said the church’s pastor, the Rev. John Nosal.
“We’re grateful to be well and to be able to get people together to feed them,” said Nosal. “We’re connecting it to Sept. 11, to remember, person by person, all of the people who died 21 years ago.“
Those who attend may take part in reading the names of those who perished.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when terrorists hijacked four planes on Sept. 11. They crashed two of them into New York City’s World Trade Center and a third into the Pentagon. After passengers and crew members fought back, the fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Somerset County, killing all on board.
Priced at $20, the main Memorial Meal will feature lamb shish kebab, green beans and rice. Gyros also will be available for $8.
Ethnic frozen foods may be purchased to take home on a first-come, first-served basis. The menu of frozen entrees will include grape leaves, kibbee (ground beef with wheat and seasonings), spanakopita (a pie featuring spinach and cheese) and pastitsio (a baked pasta dish).
Proceeds from the event will be shared among the South Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department and two other local organizations — Sage’s Army, which provides support to those in recovery from substance addiction; and the Blackburn Center, which offers services to victims of domestic and sexual violence.
“Post-covid, we’ve seen increasing levels of stress in these areas,” Nosal said of the choice of beneficiaries from the event. “These organizations are recognizable to our local residents.”
For more information about the memorial service and ethnic meal, call 724-834-1311.