Honoring Our Veterans and Answering the Call to Serve
This week our parish family joins our nation in pausing to honor all those who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. Veterans Day is more than a civic holiday it is a sacred moment for us as Catholics to give thanks to God for the men and women who have offered their lives in service to others. Their willingness to defend freedom, to protect the innocent, and to sacrifice for the common good reflects the very heart of Christian discipleship. In every generation, the courage and fidelity of our veterans remind us that true greatness is found not in power, but in self-gift.
At its core, Veterans Day calls us to remember the dignity of service. As followers of Christ, we believe that every act of self-giving love mirrors the Lord who came “not to be served, but to serve” (Mt 20:28).
Whether on the battlefield, in our homes, or within the Church, we are all invited to live lives marked by generosity, sacrifice, and compassion. This same spirit of service animates the Church’s call to prayer during National Vocations Awareness Week, which we also celebrate this week. Just as our veterans responded to a call to defend our country, so too do men and women today respond to a divine call to serve Christ and His Church through priesthood, consecrated life, or dedicated lay ministry.
Here in our own parish, we rejoice in the witness of two young men who have heard this call and courageously said yes: Deacon Cornelius Deep and Jonathan Hoole, both seminarians from our parish family. Their joy in following Christ and preparing to lay down their lives in service to the People of God is a living reminder that the call to serve always leads to joy. They inspire all of us, especially our young people, to discern how God might be calling them to serve others in their own unique way.
May this Veterans Day renew in each of us a spirit of gratitude and a renewed commitment to serve. Let us honor our veterans not only with our words, but by imitating their courage and generosity in our own lives becoming, like them, witnesses of hope and instruments of peace.
Your Servant in Christ,
Father Jason C. Hage, Pastor
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
Mary, Mother of Our Savior, pray for us!