By Padmananda Rama, CNN

New York (CNN) - As President Obama visited Ground Zero Thursday, the church that served as a home for volunteers and first responders on 9/11 was filled with memories of that day.

“I do remember when 9/11 happened,” said 17-year-old Rebekah Ritter, who was visiting St. Paul’s Chapel with a youth choir from Pennsylvania.

“I was only in second grade. I just find it amazing that this church is still here. And I just love the fact, coming in here looking at a miracle, that it’s still here and seeing how it’s helped so many people.”

The stone chapel, erected in the late 1700s, stands just across the street from the site of the World Trade Center. In the days following 9/11, the church was quickly transformed into a staging area for volunteers who helped first responders and families searching for loved ones. Photos of the missing were posted along the church’s gates.

This week, the chapel once again served as a place to reflect on recent events. In the hours following news of Osama bin Laden’s death, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who rushed to Lower Manhattan following the attacks, returned to St. Paul’s.

FULL POST