Community prays for healing 1 week after Clairton Coke Works explosion

CBS News

a day ago

One week after the explosion at U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works, a heartbroken community came together to pray for healing.
"We're blessed to be able to be together as a community, to bring us together and really see how seriously sad the event has been. It's affected so many people," said M.J. Cloherty, who lives in Jefferson Hills.
People of different faiths from Clairton and neighboring towns gathered at St. Clare of Assisi Church of Triumph of the Holy Cross Parish on Monday night. They prayed for the two men who died that day, those who were injured, and all their co-workers and families.
"I'm glad to see the city of prayer coming together to pray for one another in the wake of this tragedy. It is a terrible thing and to lose folks in the accident, to know so many are suffering," said Michael Airgood, pastor of Pine Run United Methodist Church.
"Just trying to bring a sense of healing. The only way I know how to do that is to just present ourselves to God and just avail ourselves to God's healing presence," said Father Paul Zywan, pastor of Triumph of the Holy Cross Parish.
Father Zywan has heard countless stories from those who have been hit the hardest by the disaster.
"Workers with fellow workers or family members who knew those involved, and just the level of raw emotions, the spectrum of feelings towards the tragedy," he said.
It's a tragedy that's uniting the community, and many said they will get through this together.
"Holding each other up and coming together to comfort one another," Airgood said. "Anyone who's lived in Clairton understands that this is a community that comes together."