VAMC Heroes

VAMC HEROES

BY BISHOP JOSEPH L. COFFEY

BISHOP JOE COFFEY VISITED THE VAMC IN HIS HOME CITY OF PHILADELPHIA AND CELEBRATED MASS IN THE CHAPEL WITH HOSPITAL CHAPLAIN FATHER UKACHUKWU ONYEABOR ON 11 MARCH 2020

Dear Friends of the AMS, by the time you read this article I will have retired after almost 30 years in the U.S. Navy. First as a seminarian CCPO (Chaplain Candidate Program Officer), a Reservist, and then 19 years on active-duty. My retirement from the Navy on 31 May, which in itself is a big event, also marked the day I was born 60 years ago! As we often say in the Marines Corps, Uhrahhhh! I have been looking forward to my retirement so that I could dedicate myself full-time as the Vicar for Veterans Affairs for the Military Archdiocese. A journey which I began on 1 January 2020.

I succeeded Bishop Richard Higgins who recently began a well-deserved retirement as a Bishop after 16 years of direct service to the AMS. He has been a true friend and mentor to me; as have many priests and bishops who have faithfully served the AMS. As the former Vicar for Veterans Affairs, Bishop Higgins astounded me with his energy level as he travelled our Country to visit the priest-chaplains and our Nation’s veterans in 153 VA Medical Centers (VAMC). In early February, I began these travels myself with great excitement and anticipation. I started close to home in D.C., Baltimore, Wilmington, DE, as well as including a visit to the VAMC in Philadelphia. This one was of particular interest to me as newly minted Veteran myself, this is where I will go for medical care.

Looking back, it would seem that in a very short span of time, everything seemed to be cancelled or postponed indefinitely. I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that for most of us, it was stunning. I believe we will look back in history at this time as “Pre-Coronavirus”. This virus has greatly impacted the lives of most of the world’s inhabitants including our Nation’s veterans.

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BISHOP JOSEPH L. COFFEY CELEBRATED MASS AT THE VAMC CHAPEL, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, WITH (L-R) FATHERS MARIO J. WILSON BLAS, MARIAN A. PIEKARCZYK AND ALEJANDRO J. DE JESUS, 1 JUNE 2020.

For the next few weeks after the lockdown, I sheltered-in-place at my rectory in Baltimore, as did millions of Americans and people around the world. I called and emailed our dedicated Catholic priests who serve as Chaplains in the VAMCs. Just as our military chaplains in the Army, Navy, and Air Force Chaplain Corps, they are all endorsed by Archbishop Timothy Broglio. Friends, I was inspired by what the priests told me. They never missed a beat. They continued to administer the sacraments especially Confession, the anointing of the sick, and the Holy Eucharist. For any Catholic, including our veterans, many of them elderly and in poor health, this time of isolation and loneliness has been stressful and difficult. We had many priests administer the anointing of the sick to COVID-19 patients before they went home to God. As priests, we act in Persona Christi, when we forgive sins, anoint the sick, and offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The priests showed great courage in donning the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and visited the patients in their final moments of life. We can all be very proud of them. It is what priests all over the world are called to do. In many VAMCs, as in civilian parishes, public Masses were temporarily suspended. The priests continued to offer Mass on closed circuit television that could be viewed by patients in their rooms. Then they would visit the patients’ rooms to bring them Holy Communion.

Recently, I was able to resume my visits with the priests. Using the required and prudent social distancing and wearing a mask, I have visited VAMCs from Richmond to Miami. It has been wonderful to thank the priests in person for their heroic efforts.

We are all praying that there will soon be a vaccine for this terrible virus. We can believe with faith that God does not will evil but allows it. The Good News is that He always brings good from evil. Our world has changed, the future is uncertain but some things remain, our faith in a loving God, our thanks to our faithful veterans, and the priest-chaplains I am honored to call my brothers.V

The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA

Pathway of Honor

Show your support for service members, veterans, chaplains, military families, and all who have served or continue to serve by reserving a commemorative brick today. Your brick will join hundreds of others lining the pathways of the Edwin Cardinal O’Brien Pastoral Center in Washington, D.C.

A suggested donation of $150 will ensure that the brick you order, in memory of your loved one, will be placed in the “Pathway of Honor”.

To order a brick, visit https://www.milarch.org/bricks/ You can donate online or print a donation form.

If you have any questions, please contact the Advancement Office at: (202) 719-3622 or support@milarch.org

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