Gathering of 11 November

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Veterans Day is always a most important day of celebration at Saint Michael Parish, which has a large veterans contingent.  With our monthly gathering falling on 11 November, it is most appropriate that we encounter the virtues of "Brotherhood" with fellow Catholic men, many of whom are veterans.

We honor all veterans on this day, but we particularly want to honor a 27-year veteran of the US Navy, Rear Admiral John J. O'Connor.  Of course, the admiral is more widely known in the Catholic Church as John Cardinal O'Connor, the late Archbishop of New York, from 1984 to his death in 2000.  Chaplain O'Connor joined the Navy's Chaplain Corps in 1952 and served in Navy and Marine Corps units in Korea, on ships and stations and with the Third Marine Division in Vietnam where he routinely said Mass in combat zones using the hood of his jeep as the altar.  For his service in Vietnam, Third Marines Commanding General Lewis Walt cited, "It is my opinion that no single individual in this command contributed more to the morale of the individual Marine here in Vietnam than Father O'Connor, who spent the majority of his time in the field with the men."

In 1972, Captain O’Connor was appointed as the first Catholic Chaplain at the United States Naval Academy, and in 1975, Monsignor O’Connor was appointed as the Navy’s Chief of Chaplains in 1975 with the rank of Rear Admiral.  Admiral O’Connor retired from the Navy in 1979.  Following his retirement, newly appointed Bishop O’Connor was assigned as the auxiliary bishop of the newly established Archdiocese of the Military Services.

Cardinal O'Connor's reputation for his service to the poor and the sick while vigorously supporting the Church's position on life and marriage.  Admiral O'Connor died on 4 May 2000 and is buried in the crypt at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

Feel free to download and read information on the life of John J. O'Connor in the links below.

Our Gathering program is the "Brotherhood" lesson from the Into the Breach series.  This is most appropriate for a Veterans gathering as our services refer to themselves as a "Band of Brothers."  Our call as Catholic men is to build a fraternity with other Catholic men.  From the Knights of Columbus study guide on "Brotherhood," "Much of friendship simply consists in spending time with others. Find a specific way to meet socially with your brothers in Christ, whether watching a sports game or going fishing, to build your bonds of fraternity."  The video suggests that the Apostles were the original "Band of Brothers," bonding together in service to Christ.  We can use this discussion to bring ourselves, as brothers, to be closer to our Lord and Savior.  Click on the button below to view the "Brotherhood" video.  Download links to the Study Guide are below.  

Links to our Gathering program and the Into the Breach "Brotherhood" study guide are presented below.  This includes biographical files on Cardinal O'Connor, including his obituary with remarks from Saint John Paul II.    There is also a link to download the booklet, "Armed With Faith, The Armed Forces Prayer Manual."