MESSAGE TO THE FDNY
On the 25th Anniversary of September 11, 2001
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Fire Department of the City of New York,
Twenty-five years have passed since the morning of September 11, 2001 — a day forever engraved in the memory of New York, of the United States of America, and of the entire world.
Twenty-five years have passed.
But we remember.
Today, from Portugal, I wish to reach across the Atlantic and embrace, in friendship and fraternity, the great family of the FDNY.
As National Chaplain of the Portuguese Firefighters League, and on behalf of the firefighters of Portugal, I offer you our deepest respect, our solidarity, and, above all, our prayers.
On September 11, while thousands were fleeing from unimaginable danger, firefighters were running toward it.
While others were coming down, they were going up.
They entered when every human instint would have said: leave.
They remained when every human instinct would have said: turn back.
They did so for one simple reason:
Someone needed them.
In Portugal, our firefighters have an expression that speaks to the very heart of this calling:
“Vida por Vida.”
It means:
“Life for Life.”
To risk your life for the life of another.
To give of yourself so that another may live.
On September 11, 2001, the world witnessed what those words truly mean.
Today, with profound reverence, we remember the 343 members of the FDNY who made the ultimate sacrifice that day.
We remember those who, in the years since, have died from illnesses related to their service at Ground Zero.
We remember those who survived and who still carry the wounds of that day — seen and unseen.
And we remember the families.
The parents who lost sons and daughters.
The husbands and wives who lost their life companions.
The children who grew up with photographs, stories, and memories of a father or a mother who never came home.
We remember the brothers and sisters of the firehouse who lost friends and companions with whom they had shared not only their work, but their lives.
To all of you, we say:
We remember you.
We honor you.
We pray for you.
And we will not forget.
There are thousands of miles between Portugal and New York. But there is no distance between firefighters when one recognizes another as a brother or a sister.
Our uniforms may be different.
Our languages may be different.
Our countries may be different.
But the calling is the same.
To serve.
To protect.
To save.
And when necessary, to place one’s own life between danger and the life of another.
That is more than a profession.
It is a vocation.
It is a fraternity forged in courage, service, and sacrifice.
As a Christian and as Chaplain to the Firefighters of Portugal, today I entrust to the God of Life all those whose lives were taken on September 11 and all those who have since died as a consequence of that day.
May God receive them into His eternal peace.
May He comfort their families.
May He strengthen all who still bear the scars of September 11.
And may He bless and protect every firefighter who, today and every day, hears the alarm, puts on the uniform, and goes out to serve — never knowing what may be waiting on the other side of that call.
Twenty-five years later, may September 11 be remembered not only for the horror of what happened, but also for the extraordinary courage that answered it.
In the face of hatred, there was service.
In the face of destruction, there was solidarity.
In the face of fear, there was courage.
And in the face of death, there were men and women willing to give everything so that others might live.
So today, from the firefighters of Portugal to the firefighters of New York, I say:
We stand with you.
We remember with you.
We pray with you.
And in honor of the fallen, in gratitude to those who served, and in fraternity with all those who continue to answer the call, let us renew together the words that unite us across the Atlantic:
Life for Life.
Vida por Vida.
May God bless the fallen.
May God bless their families.
May God bless the FDNY.
And may God bless all firefighters, wherever they serve.
God bless USA, God bless Portugal,
† Américo, Cardinal Aguiar
National Chaplain of the Portuguese Firefighters League
Portugal
Imagem | Diocese de Setúbal