Keynoter Fr. Dan Horan, OFM, took the Quinquennial Congress throng – now up to 595 attendees – on a journey of “mercy and minority” in the Franciscan tradition Friday, July 1. He delved into “creation and poverty” – recognizing, as all Franciscans are called to do, a universal kinship with all of creation, and coming to understand the reality of Franciscan poverty as something more, as something holding richer depth than the simple phrase of “being poor in spirit.”
“We have to take seriously what it means to be Franciscan.”
He also wanted to set a tone of a Franciscan familial relationship encompassing friars, sisters and Secular Franciscans.
“I invite you to call me Dan… We are either a family or we’re not. I want to be your brother, Dan.”
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| Dan Horan, OFM |
He referred to the “joy and challenge of our Gospel call,” and noted that Francis was not only called to live the Gospel, but also to be minor, to be lesser, to not place himself above others.
“It begins with poverty.” Being in kinship with the poor, the troubled, the hurting – and recognizing the dignity of all creation.
He noted: “This is the challenge before us” while “reviving, renewing our spirit, our vocation.”
