September 14, 2001

WE gather to mourn those who died, and those who survive … friends, colleagues, and family.

WE gather to support our country our values our democratic institutions, our liberty, and … each other.

WE gather to wonder when will it end? how will it end? and, how will it change us?

WE gather to celebrate the resilience of people, the goodness of those who populate our country, and new heroes we hear about daily.

WE gather to express the feelings of our hearts by our presence, by our prayer, by our word, by our deed, and by our music.

WE gather to ask God to Bless America and its people, with hope, with charity, with tolerance, with patience, and with understanding.

In this Capitol resides a symbol of America's greatness and freedom – the Liberty Bell.

In John Donne's 1624 poem, For Whom the Bell Tolls, he captures our connection to mankind:

No man is an island, entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the Continent,
A part of the main.

Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in Mankind;
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

Let freedom ring.