The establishment of a new Franciscan family within Shepherd's Heart came hours after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon here in Washington D.C.

We are in our third year of meeting and studying how Francis of Assisi followed in the footsteps of Jesus, and how he taught others to follow and serve our risen Lord Jesus Christ.

While Francis lived long ago, in the 1200's, the methods he taught his friends to live by the Gospel is timeless. He built Christian community in a way which is badly needed today. He taught his disciples to go from "the Gospel to life; and from life to the Gospel."

Father Harold Hammond, our pastor, was a Third Order Franciscan while in seminary. He had long desired to start a Franciscan based community. It was a joy to watch as this group, meeting to study St. Francis of Assisi every Sunday morning, began to "catch the spirit" of St. Francis. There was a transformation in our hearts to really believe the promises in the Gospel and to live out our lives in penance and in service to the Church and others.

Now, more than ever, it is important to have a ministry like Franciscan Fire. In a world where commitment, submission and self-sacrifice are feared; we dedicate our lives fully to daily prayer, careful study of the Gospels, to going the extra mile in helping others and to a radical commitment and accountability to one another within the Franciscan family, and to a life of continual sanctification through penance.

Archbishop Randolph Sly, our provincial bishop, was here to officially establish Franciscan Fire as the first Franciscan presence within the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church.

When the news of the attacks came to us, we rushed to the church, along with our bishop and rector, Father Hammond, and a group of our members. We prayed throughout the entire day, and were still in place when the time came for our evening installation of Franciscan Fire.

This nation has been shaken to the core as a result of the attack by terrorists. Our war is a holy war --- a battle between darkness and Light. St. Francis and his followers were called to rebuild the Church, to protect that which is holy; and so the members of Franciscan Fire are called for such a time as this to stand firm as the mighty Army of God.