On Sunday, July 3, Archpriest Fr. Nerses Manoogian, Pastor Emeritus of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of Philadelphia and ecumenical officer of the Prelacy, represented His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate, at the Great Vespers for the consecration of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center in New York. This ceremony was presided by His Eminence Archbishop Emmanuel, representative of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, with the presence of representatives of different denominations.
St. Nicholas Church was greatly damaged in the terrorist attack against the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The consecration of the rebuilt church was originally planned for the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, but this could not be accomplished. On November 2, 2021, Patriarch Bartholomew only presided over the service of the Opening of the Portals and consecrated the Cross to be placed on the top of the dome.
On Independence Day, July 4, His Eminence Emmanuel officially consecrated the church, which is recognized by the State of New York as a National Shrine in remembrance of the victims who perished in the attack. 