The Episcopal Church held its first Veterans Day Holy Eucharist service at 7 p.m. ET Nov. 11, honoring those who have served in the military and specially recognizing the Episcopal chaplains who support them.
Hundreds—including viewers at a watch party at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany—joined the livestream of the service, which was held inside the Chapel of Christ the Lord at The Episcopal Church Center in New York City, with a full audience in attendance.
Find links to the recorded service; worship service booklet; sermon recording and transcript; and event photos.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe presided; the Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia, bishop suffragan of the church’s Armed Forces and Federal Ministries, preached on the Gospel passage of Luke 7:1-10 about the Roman centurion who asks Jesus to “only speak the word, and let my servant be healed.”
“How do we as communities of faith serve those who have served?” Bishop Ritonia asked. “I think Luke’s Gospel gives us a clue …. Jesus simply speaks, and healing follows. And the centurion doesn’t act alone; he sends elders, he asks for help; he trusts the community to carry his plea.
“And friends, that’s our cue. We, The Episcopal Church, are called to be that community for veterans—to carry the prayers of those who can’t speak them aloud; to offer spaces where veterans can lay down their armor, both literal and emotional; to be a sanctuary where healing is not a reward for strength but rather a response to faith.”
The service included a “Commissioning and Blessing for Further Service” of chaplains and those who support veterans; recorded Scripture readings from parishioners on military bases in Germany and Japan; prayers of the people adapted by an Episcopal chaplain; and music from the Washington National Cathedral.
More than 100 Episcopal priests serve as chaplains across the Armed Forces, Veterans Affairs medical centers, and federal correctional institutions. Next year the church will commemorate the 250th anniversary of its military chaplaincy, which began when the Rev. John Hurt, an Episcopal minister, served as a chaplain in the Continental army in 1776.
Learn more about the work of Armed Forces and Federal Ministries, and watch for an upcoming three-part podcast series on spiritual and psychological challenges faced by service members, veterans, and their families. “The Listening Post” will feature Bishop Ritonia and the Rev. Janine Driscoll, a licensed psychologist. Support Episcopal chaplains and veterans ministry through this link.