29th Annual Memorial Mass Remembering and Honoring All Who Served

BY MARY LAVIN

All who have served our nation in uniform, living or deceased, were once again honored at the AMS Annual Memorial Mass on Sunday, 21 May 2023, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, in the Great Upper Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. - the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America. e Annual Memorial Mass is an event to which all Catholic faithful are invited and encouraged to attend with the hope that one day the event will be standing room only.

e Memorial Mass is an opportunity to gather as a community of faith to remember and honor with gratitude the service and sacri ce of all who have served in the U.S. Military and for the families of those who paid the ultimate sacri ce, and to join veterans and service members from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families to pray for peace.

Members of Gold Star Families of America and Blue Star Mothers of America also attend yearly and participate in special ways, including the O ertory procession, during which hundreds of names and intentions asked to be remembered are presented at the altar. Gold Star Families are those who have lost a family member serving active-duty, and Blue Star Moms have a son or daughter who is serving or has been honorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces.

e Annual Memorial Mass is indeed a poignant reminder of the cost of the freedoms we as a country take for granted. A collective silence follows the nal blessing as Taps is played by a single bugler from high atop the nave in the choir lo to honor those who made the ultimate sacri ce.

It has long been hoped that one day every pew will be lled for the Annual Memorial Mass, with standing room only along the sides. It could be more than a hope with your help.

Please consider attending next year, especially if you live within driving distance of our nation’s capital. e Mass is open to the public, and the day’s uniform is business attire for civilians or military equivalent. e Basilica is air-conditioned and disabled-accessible for those who may require it. ere is a whole year to plan. V