Travel Starts to Pickup

As the Vicar for Veterans Affairs for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, it is a great honor and joy to travel to our Nation’s 153 Medical Centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VAMC). Representing Archbishop Broglio, I make pastoral visits to our priests who serve with great dedication as Catholic priest-chaplains. Many bring years of pastoral experience in civilian parishes with them to this vital ministry. The majority have served as military chaplains in one of the five branches of the military. We are still waiting for our first VA chaplain from the Space Force. Whether from the United States or another Country, all bring a missionary spirit of service.

On a recent trip to Chicago I visited the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Center near the Navy Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois. All our Navy enlisted sailors do their basic training (boot camp) at Great Lakes. The health center is a unique facility which just marked its 10th birthday. Military active-duty personnel and civilian employees staff this combination of the Departments of Defense and of Veterans Affairs. I celebrated Mass with the two full-time Catholic chaplains: Father Anthony Rajayan, originally from India, and Father Alexander Inke, originally from Uganda. Father Inke hosted me in his home with wonderful meals and hospitality. It was a welcome change from hotels, and I always try to be a good steward of the gifts given so generously by our benefactors to cover our travel expenses.

Then I made a pastoral visit to the Chicago Hines VAMC and visited Father Christopher P. Meyers. Father Meyer’s dad had been in the Air Force as a pilot and told his son years after he retired that he had also flown missions for the CIA. The other Chicago VAMC is named for Jesse Brown, a Marine Corps Veteran and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 1993 to 1997. This large facility serves many Catholic Veterans in the greater Chicago area. It has two part-time priest- chaplains: Father Robert Borre and Father Ed McKenzie, and two full-time priests: Father Hippolytus Njoku and Father Randall Roberts, OFM. Father Roberts served as a full-time Air

Force Chaplain for 17 years and the last 13 years at the VA in Chicago as the Chief Chaplain. He will retire from the VA on 28 May of this year. He told me with understandable pride that he will have served for 30 years, two months, and two days. Well done, Bravo Zulu, Father Roberts!

It was Nurses’ Appreciation Week while I was in Chicago. I had the great honor of blessing the nurses on the various floors at the Jesse Brown VAMC. One of the great volunteers, Ms. Catherine A Phillips Ph.D., a retired researcher and clinician at the VA, as well as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, was my tour guide. She is well known and loved on all the floors by the veterans and the staff. She even prays with the nurses on her Tuesday visits. I was grateful to be able to thank them all for taking such great care of our Veterans.

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BISHOP COFFEY BLESSING THE NURSES FOR NURSE’S WEEK AT THE VAMC JESSE BROWN IN CHICAGO.

BISHOP COFFEY WITH CATHERINE A PHILLIPS, PH.D. RETIRED VA RESEARCHER, CLINICIAN, TIRELESS PRAYER WARRIOR AND VOLUNTEER EXTRAORDINAIRE!

As many readers of Salute magazine know, we have almost 50 cosponsored seminarians. One of the great joys for Archbishop Broglio, Bishop Spencer, Bishop Buckon, Bishop Muhm, and me is to concelebrate the Ordination Masses of our transitional deacons and priests. After they serve for a few years as a priest in their home dioceses, they will serve the AMS as an Army, Navy or Air Force Chaplain on active-duty. On Saturday 8 May, in Philadelphia at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, where I was ordained a priest 25 years ago, I concelebrated Mass with the Archbishop of Philadelphia, The Most Reverend Nelson Perez, for the Diaconal Ordination of Andrew Lane. It is was a great joy for me because I first met Andrew when he served the Nuptial Mass that I celebrate for the marriage of Lt. Maria McCrory and Lt. John Hayashi. She was stationed on the USS Antietam CG 54 when I was the Command Chaplain stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. Her future husband, a submariner was on the Admiral’s staff. In addition to witnessing their matrimony, I also baptized their first daughter, Janet. It was just one of the many joys of being a priest, military chaplain, and now Auxiliary Bishop. Thank you to all of our benefactors for your prayers and vital financial support for our ministry. God bless you. V