Lessons in Sacrifice-A Visit to Chaplains Hill

On their recent trip to Washington D.C., our eighth graders participated in a special wreath-laying ceremony on Chaplains Hill at Arlington National Cemetery, in front of the memorial for Catholic Chaplains. The monument is dedicated to 83 Catholic Chaplains who died in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

To make the experience more significant, students researched the lives of the chaplains in Mrs. Teresa Buttross’ Religion class prior to the trip. She shared, “Students researched one of the World War II Veterans listed on the memorial and then shared a short presentation with the class. Each of these Veterans served as Chaplains among the troops, meaning they were a sort of spiritual and emotional advisor for the men. When the class visited Chaplains Hill, they were able to connect the names on the memorial to a story, making the prayer service more meaningful.”

During the ceremony, 8^th graders Eleanor Weems and Philip King offered readings. Philip shared an excerpt from the Medal of Honor citation given to Korean War Veteran Father Emil Kapaun, and Eleanor shared the Prayer of St. Francis. Thompson Winchester and Elizabeth Onikeku had the honor of bringing the wreath up to the stone. Each student was able to see “their” chaplain’s name and touch the name on the stone.

Eleanor explained how powerful this experience was for her, “To participate in this wreath laying ceremony meant so much to me because these chaplains did so much for our soldiers and our country, so the least I can do is show respect and honor them. They gave their lives for us, so we can give 10 minutes to them in reflection and prayer.”

She added, “Something I learned from this experience was how many religious people risked their lives for the comfort and safety of others. These people signed up, not to fight, but to go out to the front lines and heal the injured and give last rites. They all had a huge amount of courage, and everyone benefited from their presence in the war.”

This experience was a full year in the making. Junior High Assistant Dean Casey Goff and St. Dominic Dean Jefferson Brant originally had the idea last year when the class visited Arlington. It was part of a larger conversation about finding ways to create deeper connections and engagement for the students during the trip.

 “It's great to see how Casey and Teresa worked together to bring this into actuality,” said Dean Brant. “We appreciate our educators for guiding the students on their spiritual journey and encouraging them to explore their faith more deeply.”