Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May.
On Memorial Day, we honor military personnel who died in the service of our country, particularly those who died in battle or from wounds sustained in battle.
This includes military chaplains.
Several articles in this week’s Catholic Herald made me think about the importance of history and why we should pay attention to it.
Many people today take life one day at a time. They don’t want to look back at the past or even think about the future. The here-and-now is all that counts.
The 18th century Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke said, “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” By learning about previous mistakes, we can try to avoid them.
However, I’m not sure I totally agree with Edmund Burke. Not all history is bad. There are many good things that happened in the past that are worth remembering and celebrating.
MADISON — At parishes throughout the Diocese of Madison this upcoming weekend, a collection will be held to benefit the Archdiocese for Military Services (AMS). Our diocese has a personal connection with this collection as two of our priests are currently serving in the military and directly benefit from this collection.
As we prepare to mark Veterans Day on November 11, we should take time to remember and thank all those who have served our country in the armed services.
Some of us have relatives, friends, and neighbors who faithfully served their country. Many of them did so quietly with little fanfare. I can still remember that my father-in-law, who served on many bombing missions in World War II, was very reluctant to talk about his service to his country. It was just something he did.
Perhaps the most unsung of our heroes in the armed services are the chaplains. These are priests who have dedicated all or part of their ordained ministry to serving in all branches of our armed forces.
