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Sacrifices BIG and Small
SacrificesBIG AND SMALL
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BY BISHOP BILL MUHM
When I tell people I am the AMS Vicar for Europe and Asia; invariably they will say, “What a huge territory!” Eurasia is a huge geographic territory, but our military Catholic communities in Asia are concentrated mostly in Japan and Korea. It does not take a huge sacrifice for me to visit our AMS Catholic communities in Asia — just a long flight.
COVID kept me in Europe from March until November 2020. In NovemberDecember, I was able to visit our Catholic military communities in Korea, after a year since my last visit. I celebrated Mass, confirmed two service members, and shepherded nine AMS priests and one AMS deacon at Camp Humphreys, Chinhae Naval Station, Camp Walker, Camp Carroll, Kunsan Air Base, Osan Air Base, Camp Casey, and Camp Bonifas. One senior leader in Korea thanked me for coming; he said I was the first “V.I.P.” to visit Korea in several months. He said my visit encouraged many service members, U.S. Government civilians, and family members far from home.
The Knights of Columbus Bishop Joseph W. Estabrook Assembly took me on a pilgrimage to Haemi Martyrs Shrine, where numerous Korean Catholics made the ultimate sacrifice for Christ and His Church during the persecutions of the 1800s. Many martyrs were drowned or beaten to death on this holy ground. The Korean martyrs teach us what heroic sacrifice looks like. The pilgrimage was rewarding for several reasons: First, I followed in the footsteps of Pope Francis’ 2014 visit, there were no crowds during COVID times. I enjoyed spending the day with our faithful Knights of Columbus. The heroic sacrifice of the Korean martyrs put into perspective the small sacrifices required of me to visit our Catholic communities in Korea.
After late Advent pastoral visits to Ramstein and Ansbach, I celebrated the wonderful Christmas season liturgies at Vilseck, Grafenwöhr, Hohenfels, NATO Geilenkirchen, and Stuttgart. I celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday on a Sunday visit to Wiesbaden, and I confirmed young Catholics at Naples and Sigonella. In early February I left on another Asian odyssey,
BISHOP MUHM LOOKS UPON A JUNIPER TREE AT HAEMI FORTRESS. KOREAN MARTYRS WERE CHAINED TO THE TREE AND BEATEN TO DEATH IN THE 1800S. TODAY THE TREE STILL BEARS SCARS FROM THE CHAINS. continued on page 26
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this time to confirm and make pastoral visits in Japan and Korea, and to celebrate the Easter Triduum in Korea. Thank you for your prayers as I make these small sacrifices to follow in the footsteps of the heroic Japanese and Korean martyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you for your prayers and support for all of us at AMS. V
BISHOP MUHM (LEFT) AND GARY GNIDZIEJKO (RIGHT) PRAY OVER A STONE SLAB UPON WHICH KOREAN MARTYRS DIED AT HAEMI. KOREA IN THE 1800S.
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sanctify certain places, to make public pilgrimage to sacred shrines, or to offer supplication to God for good weather or help in times of trial such as the current pandemic.
One of the most famous and memorable liturgical processions for the Archdiocese for the Military Services’ community takes place during the annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, France. In the attached picture, our Shepherd, Archbishop Broglio is leading one of those treasured experiences in procession.
As we approach Holy Week and several opportunities for liturgical processions within our military chapels, go forth giving God the glory and enjoy the blessings that flow from your witness of faith! Happy and a Blessed Easter season to all of you! V
Archbishop Broglio Calls Attention to USCCB President’s Message on the Inauguration of President Biden
BY TAYLOR HENRY
Upon the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., on 20 January 2021, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio issued a statement calling the attention of the faithful to a message from the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB):
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Below is the link to the excellent message which the Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, addressed to President Joseph Biden on the occasion of his inauguration as the 46th President of the USA.
As a good pastor, he touches upon the aspirations which Catholics expect from the new administration and raises the appropriate concerns about problematic moral issues. His balanced and measured text merits our attention and should motivate our prayers. I am grateful to Archbishop Gomez for his leadership and stand with him.
The full text of Archbishop Gomez’s message can be accessed at: http://bit.ly/usccb-statement. The following are excerpts:
My prayers are with our new President and his family today….
…. [President Biden] is our first president in 60 years to profess the Catholic faith. In a time of growing and aggressive secularism in American culture, when religious believers face many challenges, it will be refreshing to engage with a President who clearly understands, in a deep and personal way, the importance of religious faith and institutions. Mr. Biden’s piety and personal story, his moving witness to how his faith has brought him solace in times of darkness and tragedy, his longstanding commitment to the Gospel’s priority for the poor — all of this I find hopeful and inspiring.
At the same time, as pastors, the nation’s bishops are given the duty of proclaiming the Gospel in all its truth and power, in season and out of season, even when that teaching is inconvenient or when the Gospel’s truths run contrary to the directions of the wider society and culture. So, I must point out that our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender. Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences.
Our commitments on issues of human sexuality and the family, as with our commitments in every other area — such as abolishing the death penalty or seeking a health care system and economy that truly serves the human person — are guided by Christ’s great commandment to love and to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, especially the most vulnerable.
For the nation’s bishops, the continued injustice of abortion remains the “preeminent priority.” Preeminent does not mean “only.” We have deep concerns about many threats to human life and dignity in our society. But as Pope Francis teaches, we cannot stay silent when nearly a million unborn lives are being cast aside in our country year after year through abortion….
…. Rather than impose further expansions of abortion and contraception, as he has promised, I am hopeful that the new President and his administration will work with the Church and others of good will. My hope is that we can begin a dialogue to address the complicated cultural and economic factors that are driving abortion and discouraging families. My hope, too, is that we can work together to finally put in place a coherent family policy in this country, one that acknowledges the crucial importance of strong marriages and parenting to the well-being of children and the stability of communities. If the President, with full respect for the Church’s religious freedom, were to engage in this conversation, it would go a long way toward restoring the civil balance and healing our country’s needs. V
