Pastor's Pen - May 29, 2016

A Memorial Day Mass will be celebrated at St. Bruno Church at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, May 30th. In addition, a Prayer Service will be led by Deacon Tom Filipiak at the St. Bruno Parish Cemetery at 9:00 a.m. on Memorial Day. The St. Bruno Cemetery has over 108 service people buried in it. (The cemetery is 3 miles west of the present church on Hwy Z, Ottawa Ave.) All are invited to remember our deceased military men and women.

Archbishop Listecki will be presiding at a 10:00 Mass at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 3801 W. Morgan Ave., Milwaukee, on Memorial Day. (see article on page 4 for more info)

Memorial Day was officially begun in 1868 to remember and honor those men and women who served in the different branches of the military and who lost their lives in any conflict since the founding of our nation. A poem that decades ago inspired the initial distribution of red poppies says, “The blood of heroes never dies.”

When I was studying at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1983 I had the wonderful privilege of presiding at a Mass with a group of high school students in the outdoor amphitheater that stands behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. After the Mass one of the students got to assist with the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Surrounding us at the time were the 260,000+ graves, each adorned with an American flag. I was overwhelmed by a deep sense of the sacrifices made by these thousands of men and women in order that I could share in and enjoy the freedoms that I have as an American citizen. I don’t ever want to forget that awareness.

Many other cemeteries, both military and non-military, honor those who have given their lives. I am also aware of the many men and women who have died serving other countries. They too had families and comrades. I am mindful of those who served our country in the past and are still living, some of whom have experienced disabilities that are always with them --- physically, spiritually and/or emotionally. Also, let’s not forget those who are presently serving in the military. May God care for and comfort them all!

Fr. Ralph