Father Washington Assembly 2184 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20 Faithful Navigator Bob Garcia Upcoming Activities (757) 564-•‐9588 [email protected] BINGO, Newport News (Team 2) -- 2 February 5:30 PM Faithful Captain Four Chaplains Ceremony – 8 February 10:00AM Bill Garber Traveling Gavel, Gloucester—19 February 7:30 PM (757) 813-•‐7803 Corporate Communion—23 February (details pending) [email protected] Faithful Pilot Tom Trudeau Faithful Navigator Comments February 2014 (757) 571•‐7450 Four Chaplains ceremony: Hopefully February will see our temperatures [email protected] return to normal. Although there is still snow on the ground it is melting with the warmer weather. The Color Corps commander, SK Frank Nowak, SK Faithful Comptroller George Scott, SK Harold Hairston and I were at Huntington Park for a short Ferdinand Prantl practice of next week’s four chaplains ceremony. This year Fr Bader (757) 872-•‐9252 Assembly from Newport News will be joining our ceremony. The weather [email protected] should be on our side. The Four Chaplains ceremony takes place on the 8th of Faithful Purser February. Father John P. Washington is one of the chaplains we honor with Don Progar this ceremony. We will assemble at Huntington Park in Newport News at (757) 898-3344 9:00 AM for a practice run. The ceremony starts at 10:00 AM. I encourage my fellow SKs to come and participate. Full regalia is only required for the Faithful Scribe color guard, the master of ceremonies and the master of ceremonies assistant. Bill Washington Other participant SKs may wear their social regalia; tux with social baldric. (757) 258-•‐5897 Family members are also encouraged to attend. I have included a short [email protected] version of the story of the four chaplains. th Sentinels Traveling Gavel: Our traveling gavel meetings start with the February 19 Mike McDermott Jr-•‐OS meeting at St Therese Church in Gloucester and continue until May. Dates and Giancarlo de Fazio-•‐IS locations are included in the attached schedule of events. (Please note that we have moved the April meeting to the Wednesday after Holy Week. We will Faithful Admiral meet at St Olaf Council on 23 April). Directions to Fr McCarthy Council are Frank Komornik as follow: Take US-17 N over the York River, continue for about 15 miles, (757) 875-•‐1173 turn onto US-17 Branch/VA-14/Main Street. If using your GPS, address is: CC Commander 6262 Main Street, Gloucester, VA 23601 Frank Nowak Saint Partrick’s Party at CCM Parish Center, Williamsburg: Although (757) 817-•‐4838 the St Patrick’s party is not until next month, I want to give it some advance billing as it is shaping up to be a real good party. Aside from the usual Irish Trustees cuisine, we will also have live music, a Finnigan’s wake skit, an Irish joke Jerry Ladnier 1YT telling contest and a sing-along. Contact Bill Garber for tickets. I have Roland Theriault included the flyer for your info. 2YT Corporate Communion: Our Faithful Captain, Bill Garber, is making final Bart Crews 3YT arrangements for our corporate communion on the 23rd of February. Details will follow via separate email. Bob Garcia Faithful Navigator Be Forever Faithful Father Washington Assembly 2184 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 “If it weren’t for the dark days, we wouldn’t know what it is to walk in the light.” —Earl Campbell—Houston Oilers-- Short version of the story of the Four Chaplains A convoy of three ships and three escorting Coast Guard cutters passed through "torpedo alley" some 100 miles off the coast of Greenland at about 1 a.m. on February 3, 1943. The submarine U- 223 fired three torpedoes, one of which hit the midsection of the Dorchester, a U.S. Army troopship with more than 900 men on board. Ammonia and oil were everywhere in the fast-sinking vessel and upon the freezing sea. The four Chaplains on board, two Protestant pastors, a Catholic priest and a Jewish rabbi, were among the first on deck, calming the men and handing out life jackets. When Father Washington Assembly 2184 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 they ran out, they took off their own and placed them on waiting soldiers without regard to faith or race. Approximately 18 minutes from the explosion, the ship went down. They were the last to be seen by witnesses; they were standing arm-in-arm on the hull of the ship, each praying in his own way for the care of the men. Almost 700 died, making it the third largest loss at sea of its kind for the United States during World War II. The Coast Guard Cutter Tampa was able to escort the other freighters to Greenland. Meanwhile the cutters Comanche and Escanaba, disobeying orders to continue the search for the German U-Boat, stopped to rescue 230 men from the frigid waters that night. The four Chaplains were Father John P. Washington (Catholic), Reverend Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed), Rabbi Alexander Goode (Jewish) and Rev. George Fox (Methodist). These four Chaplains were later honored by the Congress and Presidents. They were recognized for their selfless acts of courage, compassion and faith. According to the First Sergeant on the ship, "They were always together, they carried their faith together." They demonstrated throughout the voyage and in their last moments, interfaith compassion in their relationship with the men and with each other. In 1960 Congress created a special Congressional Medal of Valor, never to be repeated again, and gave it to the next of kin of the "Immortal Chaplains." Roy Clark has been one of my favorite musicians (along with Tom T. Hall). It seems like he can play anything with strings attached to it. I found the following inspirational story by Roy himself in a Guideposts publication. It shows how God touched him in a personal way that most of his fans have not been aware of. I have also included his official biography as a contrast to this struggle he shares with us. Also included are some YouTube hyper-links that shows what a talented performer he is. However his personal testimony below is the inspirational story that is more interesting than his bio. Roy Clark on Recognizing God's Gifts By Roy Clark, Tulsa, Oklahoma People are always saying how important it is to believe in yourself if you’re going to get anywhere or accomplish anything. And maybe they’re right. But I’ve learned one more thing: Before you can really believe in yourself, you have to believe in Something much bigger than yourself. I found that out one terrifying but wonderful night in a town in Arkansas named Conway. My life hasn’t been the same since. To get the story straight, I have to go back about 16 years to the time when my wife Barbara and I were living in Maryland. I was playing small local clubs there, struggling along, yet refusing to give up on a boyhood dream to make it as a singer. Father Washington Assembly 2184 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105 Ever since I was 16 and won a national banjo-playing contest, which included a trip to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, being a successful country-music performer was my one goal. But in 1960, at nearly 30 years of age, it really began to bother me that nobody had the foggiest idea who Roy Clark was. One Sunday during this time Barbara and I visited a nearby church. We felt very much at home there, so much so that we filled out a card expressing interest in joining. We’d both been brought up in churches. Now that we’d been married a couple of years, we wanted to get back to hearing God’s word. A few days after our church visit, a minister came to our home and talked with Barbara. I was out at the time. “And what does your husband do?” the preacher asked. “Roy sings,” Barbara said. “Where does he sing?” he asked. “Wherever he can,” Barbara told him. “Sometimes on radio programs. Sometimes in supper clubs.” A long silence followed. “Well,” the preacher said finally, “that’s just not right, you know. I’m afraid your husband will have to change jobs if you plan on joining our church.” Barbara was speechless. Nothing more was said, and finally the minister left. When I got home later, I found Barbara really torn up. She was crying and all confused. “Oh, Roy,” she sobbed, after explaining what happened. “I just don’t understand it. We both try to live right. I know how much you want to be a singer. I can’t see anything wrong with that.” I put my arms around her and smoothed her hair. “I don’t understand either, honey.” I said angrily. God had always been a part of my life, starting back when my father held me on his knee and read me Bible stories. But if this was what religion required... I’ll forget about the church and everything connected with it, I thought. I’ve got everything I need to make it on my own. That scene provided the final push needed to drive Barbara and me from the East Coast.