Monsignor Jeffrey G. Laible Named Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia

BY TAYLOR HENRY

The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), has a new Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia. Monsignor Jeffrey G. Laible, Ch, Col, USAF, (pronounced “LYE’-uh-blee”) a chaplain in the Illinois Air National Guard, assumed the new position in July. He succeeds Monsignor John J.M. Foster, J.C.D., who has returned to his home Diocese of Stockton, CA, where he has assumed the role of Pastor at the Cathedral of the Annunciation, following eight years of fruitful service to the AMS.

Reporting directly to Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, the Vicar General is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Archdiocese in its service to 1.8 million Catholics worldwide. A long and productive track record of service to God and country distinguishes Monsignor Laible for the position.

For more than 30 years Monsignor Laible has ministered as a priest and pastor in parishes and Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Peoria, IL, where his last assignment was as pastor of the Logan County Catholic Community. Monsignor Laible is also the Spiritual Director for the Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage, jointly sponsored by the AMS and the Knights of Columbus.

Archbishop Broglio said, “I am deeply grateful to Monsignor Laible for his willingness to accept a new ministry. He will bring with him years of experience in the Air National Guard and as the Spiritual Director for the annual U.S. participation in the International Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes. At the same time Bishop Daniel Jenky and his Coadjutor, Bishop Louis Tylka, are recognized for their generous release of Monsignor Laible for the important ministry of Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.” 24

Archbishop Broglio announced Monsignor Laible’s appointment on 17 April, one day after the Solemnity. The timing was not lost on the new Vicar General. “In the Gospel of Mark for the Feast of the Ascension,” Monsignor Laible remarked, “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature…’ I am grateful to Archbishop Broglio for his invitation to serve as Vicar General, and I pray for the grace to proclaim the gospel faithfully in the Archdiocese. Be assured of my prayers for each of you, especially through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes and Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney.”

Monsignor Foster commented, “I am delighted that Monsignor Laible has accepted Archbishop Broglio’s invitation to serve as his next Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia. My work with Monsignor Laible these past years on the Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage confirms for me that he possesses the administrative skills and pastor’s heart to serve effectively the Christian faithful in the Archdiocese for the Military Services.”

MONSIGNOR JEFFREY G. LAIBLE

Monsignor Laible, son of the late Elwood “Bud” G. Laible and Virginia Marie (Tiezzi) Laible, was born on 30 January 1961, in Peoria, IL. He attended Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, St. Mary’s University, Winona, MN, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Human Services in 1983. He continued his studies for the priesthood at Kenrick-Glennon

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Seminary, Archdiocese of St. Louis, MO, where he earned a Masters of Divinity in 1988. Monsignor Laible was ordained on 28 May 1988, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of St. Mary, Peoria, IL.

In 1985, Monsignor Laible entered the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Candidate Program. After ordination to the priesthood, he joined the Air Force Reserve in August of 1990; he was assigned as a chaplain at Scott Air Force Base, IL, and Little Rock Air Force Base, AR. From 1996 to 1999, he served as the Assistant Course Director for the USAF Chaplain Candidate Program.

Joining the Illinois Air National Guard (ANG), 183rd Wing, Springfield, IL, in 1999, Monsignor Laible served in various assignments, including as Wing Chaplain and on the Illinois National Guard Joint Task Force. He was selected as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Command Chaplain, NORAD, and U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, CO, on 1 September 2018, and holds the rank of colonel.

Chaplain Laible deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, in 2004. He was assigned to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, on five separate tours from 2005 to 2011, providing the sacraments to the wounded, ill, and injured service members.

Monsignor Laible’s military awards include Meritorious Service Medal with one device, Air Force Commendation Medal with three devices, Air Force Achievement Medal with two devices, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, National Defense Service Medial with one device, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border, Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with one device, Air Force Longevity Service with eight devices, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 2 ‘M’ Devices, Air Force Training Ribbon, Illinois Military Long and Honorable Service Medal with three devices, and the Illinois Military Attendance Medal with nine devices. V

General Edward C. Meyer Completes his Earthly Pilgrimage

The Nation mourns the death of four-star General Edward C. “Shy” Meyer, the 29th U.S. Army Chief of Staff who played a key role in revitalizing an Army left “hollow” by the Vietnam War and related political fallout. General Meyer died of complications from pneumonia at his Arlington, VA home on 13 October 2020. He was 91.

As Army Chief of Staff from 1979 to 1983, General Meyer was not only an energetic reformer at the Pentagon but also a longtime supporter of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, the former Carol McCunniff of Arlington, five children, seven grandchildren and a great-grandson.

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CAPTION PHOTO 2: GLEN BOND, JOANNE

MR. WILLIAM BOND, U.S. MARINE LANCE CORPORAL BOND AND MRS. RONDA BOND.

27th Annual

MEMORIAL MASS

BY TAYLOR HENRY

On Sunday, 16 May, in a sign of progress

against COVID-19, Archbishop Timothy Broglio celebrated the annual Memorial Mass for the first time in two years at its usual location: the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Preaching from the ambo of the Great Upper Church, Archbishop Broglio reflected on the Solemnity of the Ascension, urging believers to accept Christ’s call “to go forth, be and experience the signs of the power of God, and offer hope.”

Archbishop Broglio usually celebrates the Memorial Mass each May around Memorial Day to honor all who have served the nation in uniform, living and deceased. The Mass typically draws two thousand or more Catholics to the Basilica. Last year, though, in compliance with the District of Columbia’s mandated COVID-19 shutdown, His Excellency moved the Mass to the small, main chapel of AMS headquarters, in the Edwin Cardinal O’Brien Pastoral Center. It was combined with the annual late-summer Mass for Vietnam War hero Father Vincent R. Capodanno, M.M., Servant of God, in a single September liturgy attended by only a few seminarians and AMS staffers and benefactors.

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With eased social distance guidelines still in place this year, the congregation comprised about 400 mask-wearing Catholic patriots, including more than 20 midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy. Among the congregation was the family of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Glen Bond, fresh from basic training at Parris Island, SC, who was preparing to deploy to Africa. His parents and sister brought the Lance Corporal to the Memorial Mass as a way to send him forth with blessings. They found Archbishop Broglio’s homily especially meaningful.

“Certainly, the key verb of the Ascension is go forth,” Archbishop Broglio preached. “We love to come to this magnificent shrine and contemplate the beauty of the Trinity Dome. It raises our eyes and our spirits, but only as an incentive to be welcomed into our true home and to bring others with us. The journey of life is ultimately about that moment of meeting the Lord Jesus face to face and hearing the words, ‘come, blessed of my Father, and enter the Kingdom prepared for you….’

“You know, in Africa the ‘black stone’ is so well known as the antidote to poisonous snake bites. It can be a remedy for even the deadliest venom. We seem to be less protected in the ‘civilized world’ to the venom of gossip, gross generalizations, labels, and attacks on the internet. It is almost as if those poisons are more dangerous and harder to cure. We attempt to recycle in love those disagreeable realities. Love is indeed a miraculous black stone able to neutralize some wagging tongues. (Cf. Pronzato, Il Vangelo in Casa, ciclo B, p. 146.)….” To read the full text of Archbishop Broglio’s homily, visit milarch.org/archbishop-homilies/.

“It was wonderful and beautiful and it touched my heart,” said Ms. Ronda Bond, mother of the soon-to-deploy Marine, standing outside the Basilica with her husband Bill and their two grown children after the Mass. Commenting on his upcoming deployment to Africa, Lance Corporal Bond said, “I feel just at ease about the whole matter after attending the Mass. It was very inspiring.” V 30

MR. WILLIAM BOND, U.S. MARINE LANCE CORPORAL GLEN BOND, JOANNE BOND AND MRS. RONDA BOND.

Planned Giving:

Planned giving is often thought to be only for those with large estates or extreme wealth. But that is not the case. Planned gifts include outright gifts of appreciated assets (i.e., shares of stock, or a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA), gifts that provide income (i.e., Charitable Gift Annuity), or gifts payable upon a donor’s death (i.e., Charitable Bequest), to name but a few. Considering that the stock market is trending high, a donation of stock and the tax deduction to be taken will be greater than selling the shares and donating the cash proceeds. You can also avoid paying capital gains tax. A gift by Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is a direct transfer of funds from an IRA to a qualified charity. A QCD allows for a gift of pre-tax assets and is not counted as taxable income. The gift satisfies the annual Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), the minimum amount that must withdraw from an account each year. Withdrawals are generally required when you reach age 72 (70 ½ if you reached 70 ½ before January 1, 2020). The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act suspended RMDs in 2020, but not in 2021. If interested in making a planned gift while receiving a guaranteed source of income for life, a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) is a consideration. The AMS partners with the National Catholic Community Foundation to issue and administer CGAs with additional information available at:planned givingLooking to the Future BY MARY LAVIN

milarch.org/charitable-gift-annuity/.

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The AMS also partners with the Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund to provide its private-label Donor Advised Fund (DAF). Similar to a DAF held with Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, Morgan Stanley, or a local community foundation, a DAF provides an immediate tax benefit while providing the opportunity to recommend grants to charities of your choice over time. For more information about the AMS DAF, visit:

milarch.org/ways-to-support/ams-donor-advised-fund/.

Finally, a Charitable Bequest - leaving money to the AMS or another favorite non-profit organization in a will - is the most common form of planned gift and can be a specific dollar amount, or a percentage of funds in an account or of an estate. The gift can be unrestricted or designated to a specific program or initiative. For members of the military and civilian government employees, the AMS or another favorite non-profit organization can be named beneficiary of a Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Naming a charitable organization as the beneficiary of a will, life insurance policy, retirement policy, or donor-advised fund can allow for a sizeable donation and offer potential tax advantages. Consulting with a qualified attorney or tax consultant is advised when evaluating which type of planned gift would provide the most tax benefits and meet individual needs.

For more information about making a planned gift to the AMS, visit: milarch.org/planned-giving/, or contact Mary Lavin, Executive Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving at mlavin@milarch.org or (440) 223-6482. V

THE ST. JOHN VIANNEY CIRCLE PLAQUE WAS INSTALLED NEXT TO THE ST. GEORGE’S CIRCLE PLAQUE ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE EDWIN CARDINAL

Summer 2021 O’BRIEN PASTORAL CENTER. THE ST. GEORGE’S CIRCLE FOR RETIRED CHAPLAINS WAS THE FIRST AMS DONOR RECOGNITION SOCIETY. | 33