Trinity Journals

Trinity Voices

« Baptism - Pamela Dolan | Main | Sermon - Rev Bill Schooler  »

April 28, 2005

Remembering and Serving our Veterans

Remembering our Veterans…
Interpreting Symbols
Since this past summer, almost a year now, the Prayers of the People have included the number of our men and women of the Armed Forces who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. This count is intended as a symbol to remember and honor each individual death.

My fellow military chaplains report that our troops serving in harm's way express a great and constant concern that they will be forgotten, especially by us at home. In this small way, I am trying to honor that concern.

Your Deacon, Bill Schooler

A way you can help our veterans
The Chaplain Service at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto needs your help. We are in much need of Canteen Books. We give them out to indigent outpatients who come to clinics and other medical services; they are used to purchase meals from our canteen service. Your previous generosity in responding to this need allowed us to feed more than 200 outpatients. These particular patients are often homeless and without any support except from us. There is no "official" program to provide them with meals. Often our service's canteen books provide them with the only meal they have had in some time. Consequently, we are asking your help.

Checks should be made out to "Chaplain Service" with "Canteen Books" in the memo section. You can give them to me or to Alecia, she will put them in my folder in the parish office. VA Chaplain Service thanks you for your continued and generous support of our Veterans. Our parish has become well known and much appreciated at our hospital for all that it does for our veterans and their families.
VA Chaplain, Bill Schooler

Editor's Note: There are many ways you can volunteer within the VA Health Care System both at Palo Alto and in Menlo Park. One parishioner I know reads to two blind veterans every Friday. I just spent some time helping the Chaplain Service create a CPE Student Handbook and ACPE Self-Study as they seek full accreditation for their Clinical Pastoral Education program. Ask Bill for contacts if you're interested in helping our wounded veterans.