A Collar Well Worn: World-Wide Ministry

A

COLLAR

WELL WORN

WORLD-WIDE MINISTRY

Rev. Paul F. McDonald

©

Copyright 2017 Rev. Paul F. McDonald.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-6992-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-6993-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-8154-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017903691

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Dedica

tion

To my father Joe McDonald Sr.

To my brothers Joseph McDonald Jr. and Wilfred McDonald

To many relatives and friends who served in the military. My uncles and cousins who served in World War 1, World War 2, Korea, Vietnam and to the recent military assignments to continue to help us keep America free.

To all the fond memories and the special friendship shared with Archbishop Emeritus Daniel W. Kucera, OSB, Dubuque, Iowa.

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

Seminary Formation

Life in a Major Seminary

Major Seminary Differences

No Stained Glass Holiness Here

Schedule Begins Early Each Day

Prayers at Mary’s Grotto

Outdoor Way of the Cross

Recreation Time

Joining Camp Counselors in South Dakota

Story Time around a Campfire

Seeing Mount Rushmore Up Close

Swinging Over Warm Mineral Water

Return to Seminary Offers Some Surprises

Holidays Spent with an Uncle’s Family

Uncle Frank’s Secret Recipe and a Story

McDonald Grandparents Come to America

French Priest-Worker Inspires Future Pope

CHAPTER TWO

Ordination and Pastoral Ministry in First Two Parishes

Celebrating First Mass in the Cathedral of St. Raphael

Soldier-Friend in Korea Urges Prayers for Peace

Loras College Chapel: Monument to Military Chaplains of all Wars

Preparing to Meet My First Pastor

First Pastor Served in Two World Wars

Rectory Cook Serves My First Unforgettable Breakfast

Unforeseen Dangers in Flight to See Seminarian-Brother

Religious Sisters’ Return Enlivens Parish Pulse

Naming Town and Mission Church after St. Ansgar

Recently Founded St. Edward’s in Waterloo: Second Assignment

Father John Fischer Never Forgot His Formative Roots in an Orphanage

Ailing Pastor Addicted to TV Football

Arrival of Recently Ordained Priest

Pastor Praises Ministry of Chaplain Bill Barragy

Interest in Military Chaplaincy Grows

Waterloo, Iowa: Home of the Five Sullivan Brothers Killed in Action

Getting to Know World War II Battle of the Bulge Prisoner of War

Pleasant Memories Brighten Life’s journey

CHAPTER THREE

Ministry in Third Parish While Waiting to Report for Chaplain Training

Adjusting to New Parish Rectory and High School System

Rock Music Shakes Up Pastor and Youth Center

Winning Acceptance of My New Pastor in Marshalltown

Only Monsignor Skahill Ever Heard of Cassiodorus

Pre-Vatican II Ministry of Underutilized Assistants

Prayer Life of Priests Honed in Seminary

Lessons Learned While Vacationing on the Farm

Gin Rummy Played during Class Break

Camaraderie among Priests Comes Naturally

Taking Steps to Enter Military Chaplaincy

Dubuque’s Chaplaincy Volunteers Top Records

First Priest to Set Foot on Antarctica: Bill Menster

Receiving Official Orders from Uncle Sam

Unbounded Joy in Serving as a Priest

CHAPTER FOUR

Gateway to the Air Force

Introduction to Lackland Air Force Base

Early Rising for Mass and Protestant Worship Services

Civilian Professionals Adapt to Military Lifestyle

Learning about the Cost of Wars in Human Life

Immunizations Reminded Me of W. W. II Bill Mauldin Cartoon

Clergy and Lawyers Learn and Grow Together

Administration Details Made Easier by Chapel Specialists

Clergy and Lawyer Class Gets More Serious about the Military

Priests and Ministers Probe Differences

Who Are the Mainline Protestants?

Religious Words Understood Differently by Clergy

Recruiters Scrutinize Fewer Chaplain Applications

Missionaries Are Sign of a Global Church Outreach

Why I Chose the Air Force Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy: Should It Be Military or Civilian?

Military Chaplain Works in Two Worlds: Clergyperson and Officer

CHAPTER FIVE

Edwards Air Force Base, Flight Test Center

San Antonio, Texas, to Lancaster, California

Surprised by Number of Early Morning Mass Participants

Religious Education of Children on Edwards Air Force Base, Lancaster, California

Knights of Columbus Council Established on Edwards Air Force Base

New Beginning for Chinese Benedictines in America

Simple Lifestyle of Benedictine Monks Attracts Following

Chinese Workers Became America’s First Illegal Aliens

Facing an Angry Husband with a Shotgun in His Hands

Writing an After Action Report

Astronaut Parishioners Fly High

Lockheed’s U-2 Cloaked in Secrecy

Dedicated Wives of Dragonlady Pilots

U-2 Spy Planes Still Fly High

Ode to Distinguished Pilots of Old and New

Celebrating the Nomination of JFK

Ministry Statistics from My First Air Force Base Parish

CHAPTER SIX

Employing Pastoral Skills in Interfaith Setting

Taxpayers Support Military Chaplaincy

Financing an Air Force Chapel Program on Base

Local Base Chapels Contribute to Chief of Chaplains Fund

Chapel Airmen Lighten Chaplain’s Load

Catholic Chapel Manager—My Indispensable Partner

Military Stresses Proficiency and Accountability

Inspection of Religious Education Programs Administration

Performance Reviews Are Necessary for Most Organizations

Understanding Military Travel and Leave Time

Professional Updating Programs

Voice of the Catholic Chaplain Endorsing Agency

Briefing by the Personnel Chief of Air Force Chaplains

Chief of Air Force Chaplains, Veteran of Pearl Harbor and Guadalcanal

Threatened by the Chief of Chaplains in a Card Game

CHAPTER SEVEN

Circuit-Rider Chaplain to Six Remote Radar Sites in Alaska

Learning about America’s Last Frontier

Aleutian Islands before and during World War II

Analyzing the Aleutian Chain of Events in World War II

Importance of New Assignment Understood Better

Understanding the Mission of the Alaska Air Command

Newcomers Receive Arctic Survival Indoctrination

Feasting on Alaska King Crab with BOQ Padres

Sightseeing Iceberg in Kenai Fjords

Visiting New Church Crushed by Snow Pack

Moose Crossing Highway Has Right-of-Way

Who Rebuilds a Military Chapel in Case of a Disaster?

Helicopter Ride to Air Defense Radar Center on Fire Island

Understanding Role of Catholic Site Representative

Visit by USO Entertainers Boost Morale

Experiencing Record Cold in McGrath Village

Extreme Cold Recounted by Robert Service in Epic Poem

Memorable Visit to Jack McGuire’s Saloon

Celebrating Mass in Subfreezing Chapel

Wearing Vestments for Mass over Arctic Gear

Screeching Cries Close by Awaken Me

CHAPTER EIGHT

Excitement around Radar Sites Accessible Only by Plane

Perils of C-123 Mountaintop Landing

Commander Threatened by Distraught Airman

Riding the Open Aerial Tramway Horizontally Six Hundred Feet

Driving on a Mountainside Trail with No Guardrails

Scope Readers Watch for Unrecognized Blips

Off-Duty Recreation Interests for Remote Site Airmen

Black Bear Pays Unexpected Visit to Work Area

Holiday Depression Symptoms on Remote Radar Sites

Flying Over Tundra to Bethel in Southwest Alaska

New Air Force Friends Crash in Their Helicopter

Alaska’s Sled Dogs Are Not a Formal Breed

Siberian Illusion from Cape Romanzof

Cape Newenham by the Bering Sea

Spending Christmas with Homesick Airmen in West Alaska

No Frivolous Gifts during the Great Depression Years

Airman Cook Exchanges Apron for Roman Collar

Visiting with Commander of a Remote Site on Last Visit

Hair-Raising Bush-Piloted Flights

Fairbanks Bishop Gathers Priests Monthly

Preparing to Leave Alaska for an Assignment Close to Reno

CHAPTER NINE

Alaska–Canada Highway to Seattle World’s Fair and Iowa

Maverick Padres Drive South on Dusty Highway

Flat Tire and No Spare in the Boondocks

Building ALCAN Highway Rushed by Japanese Threat

Visiting 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle

Driving from Seattle to the Midwest

Dubuquers Enjoy Their Catfish and Beer

Meeting New Archbishop in Dubuque

Priest Volunteer Murdered in Bolivia

Promoting Support of Missionary Activity in Foreign Lands

Liberation Theology Inflames Christianity against Unjust Political Regimes

Reaching Out to Hispanics in Iowa

Hemann Brothers Are Charter Members of National Association of Priest Pilots

CHAPTER TEN

Home of Air Force Survival School and Helicopter Training

Stead Air Force Base, Close to Reno

Becoming Part of Stead Air Force Base Community

Base Mission: Four Training Schools

Rescued from Desert Survival Training School

Harold’s Club Hosts Party for Survival School Graduates

Code of Conduct for U.S. Armed Forces

Strengthening Moral Formation through Education

Two Dubuque Priests: Manternach and Vogel Pay Surprise Visit

Visiting Virginia City: Home of Mark Twain

Carson City: Former Mint and Capital of Nevada

Children Run from School to Religious Education Classes

Inquisitive Teenagers Challenged by Two Lieutenants

Adult Faith Information: Enrichment and Formation Class

Catholic Women Yearn to Grow in Spirituality

Restructuring to a More Inclusive Catholic Women’s Organization

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Largest Church Council Convenes

Base Census Reveals Need for Chapel Schedule Changes

Auxiliary Chaplain Provides Orientation about Reno

Learning from Neighbors on Base

Getting Acquainted with Shoeless Carmelite Nuns in Reno

Airmen Volunteers Reforest Carmelite Sisters’ Monastery Hillside

Preparing for Worldwide Church Renewal

Pope John XXIII Convenes Surprise Ecumenical Council

Participants in the Largest Ever Church Council

Twenty Earlier Church Councils in History

Keeping Informed about the Second Vatican Council

Pope John XXIII’s Deathbed Reminiscence

Surprise Visitors from Hometown Arrive

Scripture Scholar Eugene Maly Leads Chaplain Conference

Arizona Franciscan Renewal Center Welcomes Chaplains

Challenges Facing Newly Wedded GI Spouses

Coping with Vietnam Wartime Separations

CHAPTER TWELVE

Frenzied Period of the Sixties

Social Activism in the 1960s

The Many Attractions of San Francisco

California Redwood Trees, Tallest in the World

Padre Junipero Serra Founded California Missions

Missions Secularized by Mexican Government

Monterey Bay Missions

Opulence of William Randolph Hearst Castle

La Purissima Concepcion Mission

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Grandeur of Sierra Nevada Mountains

Incomparable Beauty of Lake Tahoe

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Okinawa: Where the Last Big Pacific Battle Was Fought

Japan Prepares for World War II

Japan Has Long-Range Plans to Immobilize U.S. Pacific Fleet

U.S. Fleet Moored in Pearl Harbor Bombed and Torpedoed by Japan

Iowa Priest Chaplain First to Die in World War II

Decisive Battle of Midway Island (1942)

Japan Weakened When U.S. Broke Communications Code

Okinawa, the Last Major Battle before Tokyo

Japanese Pilots Resort to Suicide Tactics

Two Atomic Bombs Dropped on Japan

Five Incredible Lamphier Veterans

Army Nurses Freed from Japanese Internment Camp

Uncle and Son Helped Build Nuclear Facilities

World War II Officer Al Manternach Becomes a Priest

Military Hospitals on Okinawa and in Southeast Asia

Getting Acquainted with Kadena Air Base

Familiarization Tour of Major Kadena Base Facilities

Naha Air Base Priest Chaplains Extend Welcome

Learning to Cope with Nighttime Rodents

Enduring Okinawa’s Weather

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ministry at Kadena Air Base, Japan; Visiting Philippine Islands and Corregidor

Utilizing Public School for Sunday Mass and CCD Classes

Parish Growth Augmented by Vietnam Buildup

Jewish Lay Leaders Trained to Lead Congregants

Okinawan Homes Show Off Shisa and Guardian Dogs

Mysterious First Tee Fairway Kadena Air Base, Okinawa

Cajun Priest-Chaplain-Musician Welcomed to Okinawa

American Bishops Visit Overseas Bases

Team Teaching Adult Formation Class with Lieutenant Doherty

Premarriage and Marriage Sessions

The Challenge of Ministering Alone During Holy Week

Enthusiastic Devotion to Mary Poses Problem

Christian History of Candles Use in Ritual

Snorkeling in Sky Blue Water with Friendly Fish

Beatles Enjoy Following among the Young

Women of the Chapel Need One Another

Taking Leave in the Philippine Islands

Filipino Heroes Memorial Built on Corregidor’s High Point

United States and Philippines Share World War II Burden

President Marcos Forced into Exile by Rebel Factions

Full Benefits Promised Filipino Veterans Long Delayed

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

World War II and Korean Wars; Cousins Fought in Korean War

World War II in Retrospect

Allies in World War II Become Enemies in Korea

Military Draft Calls Cousins for Korean Duty

Korean War Veterans Memorial

Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H)

Military Planners Learn from the Korean War

Chaplains Gather at Tachikawa Air Base, Tokyo

Liturgical Changes Discussed by Noted Author Joe Champlin

Joyride in Bullet Train from Tokyo to Kyoto

Earthquake and Firebombing in World War II Bring Destruction to Tokyo

Long Lineage of Emperor Hirohito

Imperial Palace Built on World’s Most Expensive Land

Japanese Tea Ceremony Teaches about Meditation

Chaplains Enjoy Camaraderie with Missionaries

Growth of Kadena Air Base Justifies Third Catholic Chaplain

Bearded Capuchin Superior Shaves Too Soon

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Okinawa’s Segregated Lepers; Welcoming Cardinal Spellman and John Wayne

Lighting a Cigarette for a Fingerless Leper

Leprosy Priest of Molokai, Father Damien

Ernie Pyle, World War II Correspondent, Killed on Le Shima

Ernie Pyle’s Down-to-Earth Columns Earned GI Following

Uncle and Son Help to Build Nuclear Facilities

Uncle Pat McDonald’s Other Five Sons Served in the Military

Observing Farmers Market Folkways

Spiritual Retreat with Bishop Shannon of St. Paul

Weather Extends Bishop’s Stay on Okinawa

Bishop Discusses the Church in the Future

Students Embrace Charismatic Movement

Cardinal Spellman Visits Vietnam and Okinawa

Meeting The John Wayne on Okinawa

Pro-Saigon Green Berets Film in Retrospect

Minnesota Chaplain Eases Congregation into New Liturgy

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Taking Leave in Thailand, India, Kashmir; Understanding Vietnam War

Stead Air Force Base Helicopters and Crews in Thailand

Foreign Powers Never Colonized Thailand

Buddha Honored as a Human Being Who Gained Enlightenment

Authenticating Buddhist Scriptures

Standing Next to a Five-Ton Golden Buddha

Monks Wear Saffron or Brown Robes

Buddhist Monastic Tradition of Celibacy

Monks Become Activist Force against Unjust Rulers

Gemstone Shopping in Bangkok’s James Jewelers

Thomas Merton, Inscrutable Trappist Monk Dies in Thailand

Air Force Flies Combat Sorties from Thailand

China Influenced Vietnam’s Past History

Viet Minh Forces Overrun French Dien Bien Phu

U.S. Involvement in Vietnam Began with President Truman

Stead Air Force Base Friends Train Vietnamese Pilots

United States Escalates Presence in Southeast Asia

Bomber Missions from Guam and Okinawa to Vietnam

Unauthorized Vietnam War in Perspective

Vietnam Veteran Studies for the Priesthood

McNamara’s Admission of Errors in Judgment

Thailand in Transition as Cultures Clash

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

India’s Incredible Contrasts: Taj Mahal to Sacred Cows

Smattering of India’s Geography and Long History

Caste System Imposed by Whites on Indians

Hinduism’s Sacred Animal Roams Freely on the Streets

Taxi Driver Maneuvers around Sacred Cows, Horse-Drawn Carts, and People

Exquisite Marble Entrance to the Taj Mahal Gardens

Taj Mahal, the Most Beautiful Monument Built by Mankind

Mughal Emperor Announces Religious Toleration

Holy River Ganges Is Symbol of Purity

Hindu Funeral Rites Destroy Corpse with Fire

Tiger Jumps from Cliff onto Hood of Taxi

Unsurpassed Natural Beauty of Kashmir

Mini Recent History of Kashmir’s Turmoil

Two Nuclear Powers at Loggerheads

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Minot, North Dakota, Our Country in Torment about Vietnam War

Holed Up with Relatives during Blizzard

January Blizzard Delays Arrival to Minot

What Is So Magic about Minot, North Dakota?

Knights of Columbus Host Farewell and Welcoming Parties

C-54 Crashes on Takeoff at Minot Air Force Base

Sociologist’s Study about Priests Surprises Knights

Continuing Christian Development Program in Good Hands

Uncertain Future for Parish Community

Our Country in Torment Because of Vietnam War

African Americans Change Diversity of U.S. Armed Forces

Weekly Opportunity to Meet New Parishioners

Two-Day Scripture Seminar in Bismarck, North Dakota

Scholar Lauds the New American Bible Translation

Living with an Antiwar Recluse Chaplain

Alerted for Studies at the University of Oklahoma

Successor Leads Complicated Life

Memorable Occasions at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota

CHAPTER TWENTY

Coping with Antiwar Sentiment at the University of Oklahoma

Chaplains Keep Current in a Changing World

University of Oklahoma Beckons Me

Marshall McLuhan’s The Medium is the Message

Black Power and Civil Unrest in the 1960s

Growing Opposition to the Vietnam War by College Students

Unfair Draft Leads to Lottery System

Anti-Vietnam War Sentiment by Students Intensifies

Wearing Uniform at the Wrong Time

Opposition Voices to Vietnam War Grow Louder

Legacy of Tom and Jane Fonda Hayden

Jane Fonda Hayden Apologizes to Vietnam Veterans

Gratitude to the Millions Who Served during the Vietnam Era

Women Are Indispensable to the Military Service and Merit Our Gratitude

Seabee Cousin Dan Lehnhoff Wounded in Vietnam

Islamic Chaplaincy Established on Campus

Growth of Muslim Student Associations on Campus

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Experiencing Many Firsts at University of Oklahoma

Finding Drug Culture Unexpectedly

Marijuana Use Remains Forever New

Prohibition, a Noble Experiment

Conscientious Objection and the Military Chaplaincy

Bishops Urged to Release Priests for Military Chaplaincy

Church Leadership Style Changed by Vatican II

A Few Disenchanted Priests and Seminarians Leave San Antonio

Charismatic Movement Attracts University Students

Art Buchwald and Dick Gregory Bring Humor to Campus

Counterculture Attacks Establishment Norms of Behavior

Niece Joins Me in Driving to Iowa

Korean War Prisoner of War Chaplain Receives Nation’s Highest Honor

Sainthood Moving Closer for Prisoner of War Chaplain Kapaun

Homeward Bound with Niece at the Wheel

Staying Connected with Family and Clergy in Iowa

NASA and America Proud of Moon Landing

Woodstock Festival Synonymous with Much That Was New in the 1960s

Woodstock’s Gathering Place Foreshadowed Consequences

The 1960s: Era of Great Changes in the World

Chaplain Tom Benda Dies in Okinawa

Beloved Pastor John Fischer’s Funeral

Workshops Address Overreliance on Drugs and Alcohol

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Montgomery: Center of Confederacy and Residual Bias

Cross Burned Outside My Apartment in Montgomery

Incidents of Cross-Burning Associated with Ku Klux Klan

Alabama’s Contrary Governor George Wallace

Montgomery: First Capital of Confederacy

Civil Rights Heroes: Rosa Parks and Reverend M. L. King

Rev. James Reeb Bloodied at Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama

Visionary Teacher: Booker T. Washington

Wright Brothers Early Beginnings in Alabama

Dubuque Priest Serves as Senior Civil Air Patrol Chaplain

Air University Provides Full Range of Air Force Education

Loras Professor Startles Faculty in Discussing Moral Issues

Hate Crimes Extend Back to Persecution of Christians

Immigrants Find America a Land of Opportunity

Freest People on Earth Condone Servitude before Civil War

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

POWS Return; Parishes Embrace Vatican II Changes

Vietnam War Spells Somber Beginning for the 1970s

Service Members Feel Betrayed Without Family Support

High Cost of War in Human Life

Prisoners of War Return from Vietnam

Top USAF Prisoner of War Describes Five-Year Ordeal

Forgiveness: The Christian Thing to Do for Repentant Informers

Mass Celebrated with Skittish Prisoner of War and His Family

President Carter Gives Amnesty to Vietnam Draft Dodgers

Study Reveals Psychiatric and Life Adjustment Costs of the Vietnam War

Media’s Coverage of the Vietnam and Iraq Wars

Vietnam Era Defense Secretary McNamara Admits Errors

Return with Honor Exhibit and Parades

Catholic Parishes Embrace Vatican II Changes in the 1970s

Sharing Responsibility with the Laity Alarms Church Leaders

Ethnicity in America Celebrated in Parishes and Neighborhoods

Vietnamese Catholic Presence Soars in United States, Following the War

Second-Career Vietnamese Dustin Vu Ordained Priest

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Chaplain Resource Board Enables Chaplains Ministry

Chaplain Resource Board in Transition

Choosing Issue-Oriented and Values Films

Recommending Religious Education Curricula Series

Religious Education Is More Than Memorizing Answers

National CCD Office Advises on Curricula Resources

Chief of Chaplains Approves Curricula Choices

Tri-Services Approve of Broader Choices in Curricula Series

Holy Father Emphasizes Adult Education

Thousands Gather for Miami Congress of Religious Education

Teacher Recruiting and Training of Volunteers by Coordinator

Helping Chaplains Stay Current about the Best Pastoral Resources

Toffler’s Future Shock Applies to Vatican II and Radicalization in Protestantism

Enrichment Conferences for Catholic Chaplains on Pastoral Issues

Role of the Priest Seen Differently Following Vatican II

Chief of Chaplains Concerned That Unmarried Are Overlooked

College Sociologist Phil Hamilton Examines Chapel Survey

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Separate Service Academy and Changes within Air Force Structure

General Eisenhower and Board Want Three Separate Academies

Beginning of First Air Force Academy Cadet Class

President Ford Permits Women to Join Men in Service Academies

Academy Graduates Fight First War in Vietnam

Protest Groups Sow Seeds of Doubt among Cadets and Vietnam GIs

Unique Design of Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel

Mandatory Attendance for Chapel Service Ended

Catholic Cadet Chapel Inspires Devotion

Using Contemporary Visual Art in Liturgy

Sister Corita Kent: Artist and Activist

Special Meaning of Morning Has Broken Lyric for GIs in Vietnam

Massive Saint John’s Abbey Church, Collegeville, Minnesota

USAF Force Manpower Fluctuates

How Chaplains Fit into the Air Force Structure

Religious Sister/Nurse Joins the Air Force

Private First Class in World War II to Lieutenant Colonel

Hargrafens Befriend Vietnamese Family

Chaplain Ministry Becomes More Pluralistic and Multiethnic

Boston Chaplains Excel in Leadership Roles

Chaplain Choices for Professional Education

Preparing for Assignment in Germany

Promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and Farewell Party

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

World War II U.S. Military in European Theater

Alabama to New Jersey and Frankfurt, Germany

Mini Chronology of World War II Events in Europe

Hitler Gambles on Splitting Allies in Battle of the Bulge

World War II Saga of Sergeant Warren Nissen

Prisoner of War Staff Sergeant Nissen Suffered Severe Frostbite

POWs Liberated by General Patton’s Armored Division

Homeward Bound and Long Recovery for POW Nissen

Medic Cousin Bernard Red McDermott Serves in Iceland and Europe

Staff Sergeant Red McDermott Spends Christmas 1944 in Foxhole

Foxhole Account of Battle of the Bulge

Medics Land Behind Enemy Lines in Gliders

German Priest Medic in World War II Becomes Foremost Moral Theologian

Relative Tom Sweeney Fought in Allied Invasion of North Africa

Sergeant Sweeney Fought from Anzio to Rome and Beyond

Cousin Tom McDonald Survives World War II Horror

Cousin Tom Returns Home with Polish Bride

Polish Girl Meets My GI Cousin

Eight Million Americans Wanted Repatriation ASAP

Two Germanys Exist Side by Side after World War II

Soviets Blockade Berlin (1948–1949)

Douglas DC-3 Has Many Names

DC-3 and C-54 Designated as Candy Bombers

Three Service Branches Learn from Berlin Airlift

Wall Divides East from West Berlin (1961–1989)

Looking Beyond the Wall in Berlin

Berlin Wall, Propaganda Disaster

John Paul II, Gorbachev, and Walesa Bring Down Wall

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Notre Dame Cathedral and Other Paris Sites

Welcomed to Germany and HQ USAFE

City Park Filled with Immigrant Guest Workers

Low German Birthrate Necessitates Immigration

Rural Ramstein Germany Welcomes Air Force

Air Force Command Chaplains and Their Staffs

Coordinating Chaplain Conferences with the Army Chaplains

Bible Scholar Barnabas Ahern Urges Pondering Scripture

A Story about Psalm 23 Worth Remembering

Bombed Shell of Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church

American Presidents Visit Brandenburg Gate

Visiting the Oldest University in Belgium

Learning from Jewish Lay Leaders

Why Kosher Food Is Considered Safer

Understanding the Connection between Passover and Easter

Sightseeing in Paris with a Well-Acquainted Rabbi

Napoleon and the Arc de Triomphe

Restaurant Rating System Counts the Stars

Little Known Beginnings of Cordon Bleu Cooking School

Victor Hugo Decries Abuse of Notre Dame by Revolutionists

Hugo Commits to Restore Notre Dame de Paris

Cathedral of Our Lady in Chartres Perfectly Preserved

The Eiffel Tower of Paris Celebrates the French Revolution

Welcoming Priest Friends from Iowa

Berlin Resumes Status as Capital of Germany

French Rapprochement with NATO

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Hitler’s Hideaway, Salzburg, Dachau, Munich, Oktoberfest

Der Fuehrer’s Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden

Chapel Organizations Stronger Overseas

Cardinal Cooke Challenges Women at Their Berchtesgaden Conference

Salzburg, Austria Incurred Much Destruction in World War II

The Von Trapp Family Star in the Movie Sound of Music

Mozart Is Not Remembered by His Other Names

Salzburg’s Mirabell Palace and Gardens

Hitler Did Not Hide His Hatred for the Jews

Pseudoscientific Racial Discrimination Laws Aimed at Jews

Holocaust Begins on the Night of the Broken Glass

Dachau Concentration Camp Became Model for Others

Notorious Dachau Killed Clergy and Other Christian Notables

Finding a Carmelite Convent at Dachau

Nuremburg’s Painful History

Munich’s Oktoberfest: Let the Party Begin

Enormous Beer Tents Welcome Thousands

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Visit to RAF Bases, Mission of Flying Command Post

United States Military Is Realigned Following Demobilization

Growing Obstinacy of Soviet Union over Berlin

USAF in England Begins Modernization with Airfields

First Staff Assistance Visit Begins at RAF Lakenheath

Lakenheath Becomes Decoy Base in 1942 for RAF Mildenhall

Flying Command Post in Case of Nuclear War

Third Air Force: RAF Mildenhall Handles Nation Support Agreements

Royal Air Force Upper Heyford

Royal Air Force’s Bentwaters and Alconbury

Strategic Air Command Returns to United Kingdom

Post-Cold War Drawdown of Bases in United Kingdom

Bobbie Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind Reflects on Human Cost of Wars

Visiting Bermondsey Street Market in London for Antiques

Learning about Icons

Finding that Special Icon of Jesus

CHAPTER THIRTY

German Church Tax Laws, Seeing Home of Junipero Serra

Feeling the Effects of Inflation against the Deutsche Mark

Dollar Depreciation Adds to Young Married Discomfort

Married Airman Sharing Together (MAST) Program Helps Young Married

Germany’s Church Tax Law Historically Rooted

Teaching Religion in Germany’s Public Schools

Mexican Americans Welcome Bishop Patricio Flores to Germany

Arab Oil Embargo in 1973 Pressures American Drivers

Restricted Driving Did Not Deter Hispanic Bishop’s Sunday

Social Actions Tackles Drug/Alcohol/Child and Spousal Abuse

German Casinos Are Quiet and Enforce Dress Code

Bases in Spain Remain Vitally Important

Marian Legend at Zaragoza Air Base

Visiting Majorca Home of California Missions Founder

Junipero Serra Moves from Mexico to California

California and Pope John Paul II Honor Junipero Serra

Clergy Ministry Attracts Second-Career Men and Women

Third Career Leads to Ordination for Paul J. Otting

John J. Purtell Yields to God’s Third Call

Handing on the Torch of Public Service

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Psychiatrist Leads Sexual Abuse Conference, Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes

Conferees Welcome Priest Psychiatrist Dr. James J. Gill

Priest Psychiatrist Discusses Sexual Abuse

Liturgy and Music Workshop in Berchtesgaden

Interpreting the 1973 Directory for Masses with Children

Puppet Ministry Appeals to All Ages

Family Renewal Days and Cana Conferences

Worldwide Marriage Encounter and Marriage Encounter

Two Priests Join in Making a Marriage Encounter

A Family Tradition of Using Tobacco

Beloved Loved One Stricken with Cancer

Death of My Beloved Stepmother

Military Pilgrimages to Lourdes, France, Began after World War II

Sharing in the Mystique of Lourdes Is Spiritually Uplifting

Why So Many Find Healing at Lourdes

Do Miracles Really Happen at Lourdes?

Priest Chaplains Speculate about Lourdes Healings

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Searching Belgium Cemetery for Brother Killed in Action in World War I

Career Military Families Often Cross Paths

North Dakota Sister Finds Belgium Grave of World War I Brother KIA

White Marble Monuments of Saint Mihiel Pay Silent Tribute

Belgium Battlefield Begets Cry from the Dead

Visiting a University Older than America’s Discovery

Fewer Clergy in Civilian Life Means Fewer for the Chaplaincy

Chaplain Candidate Program Bodes Well for Chaplaincy

Catholic Seminary Cost Halved by Co-Sponsorship Program

Lieutenant Chaplain Candidate’s Lack of Protocol Ruffles General

Service Members as Potential Seminary Candidates

Discernment Retreat Explores Calling to Ministry

Denominational Quota Complicates Air Force Personnel System

New York Cardinal Cooke Addresses Chaplains at Berchtesgaden

New Command Chaplain Visits Installations Close to Ramstein

Sudden Illness and Death of USAFE Command Chaplain

Escorting Body of Chaplain Schuck to Minnesota and Arlington Cemetery

Why Taps Is Played at Military Burials

Burial in Arlington National Cemetery

Accounting for Personal Effects of Deceased

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Parade, Rome’s Monuments, Vatican Splendors

Marching in St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ireland

Bunratty Castle: Burned and Rebuilt Eight Times

Medieval Banquet Served Every Night in Bunratty Castle

Cast into the Castle’s Dungeon for Being a Scoundrel

Aviano Air Base, Italy, Hosts Rotational Fighter Deployments

Air Force Chaplain Feels at Home in Italy

Vatican Mount Predates Christianity

Papal States Seized by New Kingdom of Italy

Vatican City Includes St. Peter’s Basilica

Old and New St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome

Breathtaking Enormity of St. Peter’s Basilica

Sistine Chapel Is Part of Pope’s Residence

Frescoes Carry Warning of God’s Punishment

Papal Swiss Guards: Protectors of the Holy Father

Three Coins in the Fountain Has Many More Coins

Victor Emmanuel Monument Serves as Landmark for Rome

Africa Has Largest Church in Christendom

Ensuring Good Public Relations with Chaplain Endorsing Agencies

Coordinating Visits by American Bishops to Air Force Bases in Europe

Interfaith Activities in Air Force Chapels

USO in Rome Offers Help to Tourists

Challenging Day of Spiritual Enrichment Led by Jesuit Priest

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Catholics Embrace Liturgical Changes and Deacons

Wright Brothers Surprising Upbringing

Leonardo da Vinci’s Prediction Fulfilled by Wright Brothers

Early 1900s: Governments Blind to Flying Potential

Test Pilots Ensure Early Aviation Business

Becoming Part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

The Evolution of Wright and Patterson Fields

Air Force Major Commands Adjust to Post-Vietnam Drawdown

Military Chaplaincy Adapts to 1970s Religious Pluralism

Wright-Patterson’s Chapel in the Round

Observable Liturgical Changes since the Second Vatican Council

Permanent Deacons Attract Others to Serve

Wives and Children of Permanent Deacons

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Air History and Religious Education

Key Factors at Wright-Patterson, Air Force Base, Ohio

Vatican II Describes the Church as the People of God

Family-Oriented Religious Education Begins

Sunday Religious Education Program Flourishes

Implications of the 1973–74 Arab Oil Embargo

Energy Crisis Encourages Conservation in Parish Schedule

Dubuque Priest Looks at Air Force Chaplaincy

Celebrating Civil Religion on Military Installations and in America

Religious Services on National Holidays

New Bishops Chosen from Among Seminary Friends

Pre-Vatican II Ordained Priests Share Obvious Generation Gap

Associate Priests Quinn and Hendry Enliven Parish Ministry

Celebrating Silver Jubilee of Ordination

Shoes for Needy Children Program

Women Army/Air Force Service Pilots in World War II

U.S. Air Force Welcomes Women Pilots

Observing Hispanic and Black Heritage Weeks

Celebrating America’s 1976 Bicentennial

Arnold Palmer’s Golf Course Was Good to Me

Oldest and Largest Military Aviation Museum Continues to Grow

HQ Air Force Logistics Command Revolutionizes Automation and Procurement in 1980s

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Strategic Air Command Provided Nuclear Deterrence during Cold War

SAC Had Long-Range Bomber in Pre-World War II

General LeMay Favors Low-Flying Incendiary Attacks against Japan

Dropping Nuclear Bombs during Cold War Favored by LeMay

U.S. Policy of Nuclear Deterrence during Cold War to the Early 1990s

A Bit of Nebraska History

Strategic Air Command Headquarters Chaplain Staff

Multitasked Duties of the Personnel Division

Personnel Chiefs Defend Chapel Manning Positions

Staff Assistance Visits and Inspections Have Different Missions

Professional Division Leads Team Building and Human Relations Workshops

Sweetser’s Catholic Parish Evaluation Project

Ministering to Military Retirees

Team Building Workshops Recommended When Staff Changes

Effective Leaders Need Team Building Skills

B-1 Lancer Bomber Has Many Lives

Almost the Last Rites for Mockup Exhibit of the B-1 Bomber

Chapel Windows Memorialize SAC Crew Members

Combat Operations Center Built Within Cheyenne Mountains

Lake-Size Reservoirs Inside Cheyenne Mountain

Flu Shot Serum Hospitalizes Dozens

Neurological Dysfunctions and Guillian-Barre Symptoms

Morale Lifted by Air Force Friends from Earlier Assignments

Air Force Commands Reorganized Following Collapse of Soviet Union

President Bush Takes Refuge in Mid-America Command Post

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Lackland Air Force Base: Home of Air Force Training; Bishops’ Peace Pastoral

Complexity of Lackland’s Pastoral Ministry

Managing the Largest Air Force Base Chapel Program

Home of Basic Military and Other Training Schools

Preparing for Military Basic Training

Basic Military Training Increased by Two Weeks

Physical Fitness Becomes a Way of Life

Military Training Instructors Transform Trainees into Cohesive Team

Selecting and Training of Military Working Dogs

Religious Services for Basic Military Trainees

Chapel Orientation Program Welcomes Trainees

Trainees Survey Confirms Need for Catholic Religious Instructions

Catholic Bishops’ Peace Pastoral Letter Scrutinized

N. Y. Times Religion Editor Queries Chaplains about Peace Pastoral

Defense Language Institute, English Language Center

Celebrating Three Kings Holiday with Polish Pilots

Secret School for Japanese Code Breakers at Lackland in WW II

Officers’ Training School, a Commissioning Program

Direct Air Force Commission for Professional Students

Contracting for SE Asia and Minority Denominational Chaplains

Chaplain Service Becomes Broadly Pluralistic in the 1980s

Archbishop Flores of San Antonio Tours Training Base

Mexican American Priest Coming to San Antonio

National Hispanic Heritage Week Luncheon Draws Record Participation

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

New Chapel Center for Lackland; Special Significance of Vietnam Memorial

Original Lackland Chapel Built for Assigned Military Personnel in 1942

Parents Prefer Public Grade School on Base

Adult Value Education (AVE) Facilitates Adult Learning

Military Trainees Enjoy Home Cooking on Thanksgiving Day

Rabbi Reminds Trainee of First Commandment with Mezuzah

Chaplains Give Orientation Talks to Basic Trainees

Spurring on Basic Trainee Patrick Clements to Succeed

Boisterous Singing Bursts Forth from Trainees Chapel

Meeting Pastoral Liturgists and Musicians in St. Louis Conference

Lackland Hosts Workshop for San Antonio Parish Musicians

Chaplains Feted by Archbishop Flores to Riverboat Dinner

Retired Iowa Priest Chaplain Welcomed

Briefing Civilian Priests about Chaplaincy

Chaplain Ministry Requires Readiness and Deployments

Congressional Oversight Scrutinizes Chaplaincy

Unforgettable Visit to Vietnam Veterans Memorial

One Must Touch the Wall to Touch the Soul of a Friend

Similarity of Vietnam Wall with Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall

Three Soldiers and Vietnam Women’s Memorials

Veterans Movable Vietnam Wall Exhibit on Display across America

Pastor Celebrates Mass in a Beach Cabana

Religious Sisters in Corpus Christi Wear Pink Habits

Mexico Provided Asylum for Black Slaves

Mexico Lost its Fertile Soil and Oil Riches in Nineteenth Century

Planning for New Permanent Party Chapel Center at Lackland Air Force Base

Czech Abbot/Bishop Daniel Kucera Named for Dubuque

New Archbishop Hits the Ground Running

Dubuque Priest Visits Missionaries in Bolivia

Ministry of Missionary Priests of Africa Appeal to Dubuque Priest

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

HQ Staff Visits to Strategic Air Command Units in Guam, Korea, and Hawaii

Heading West to March Air Force Base, California

Brief History of Fifteenth Air Force

Swearing In Son of Vietnam POW as an Air Force Chaplain

POW Colonel Shelton Is listed as KIA at Family’s Request

Returning to Menlo Park, California, for a Spiritual Retreat

Welcomed to Hawaii with Leis and Refreshments

USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor

Pacific National Cemetery, Punchbowl

Guam Supports SAC’s Bombing Wherever Needed in Pacific Wars

Seabee Brother Joe Remembers Guam None Too Favorably in World War II

Osan Air Base, South Korea

Intercultural Marriage Workshops Facilitated by Local Missionaries

Reaching Out to Korean Orphanages with Kindness and Support

Hickam Air Base’s Missing Man Formation Memorial

Spread of Pluralism in the Military during and after Southeast Asia War

Balancing Muslim Academic and Religious Needs on Campus

Muslim Students Seek Religious Accommodation

More Recent History of Fifteenth Air Force

Chapel Managers Deserve Respect and Thanks

African Men Study at Louvain in Belgium

Number of Priests and Seminarians Increase in Africa

Growth of the Church in Africa

Men Studying to Become Priests Dwindles in the United States

Office of Permanent Deacon Restored

Lay Members Provide Public Ministry in the Church

CHAPTER FORTY

Busiest Chapel in Air Force Is at Lackland; Dedication of Chapel Center

Returning to Lackland Air Force Base as Center Chaplain

Lackland Has Busiest Chapel in the Air Force

Lackland’s Unique Pyramid Chapel Center Described

Dedication Ceremonies of Pyramid Chapel

Coping with Catholic Military Chaplains Shortage

Foreign-Born Priest’s Idealism

Begging the Harvest Master for Laborers

Women Prominent in Lay Ecclesial Ministry

Renewal for Sisters Urged by Pius XII

Religious Orders of Sisters Follow Systematic Renewal

Cultural Changes Affect Religious Sisters and Clergy Shortage

Generations of Priests Remember the Past

Chaplain Shortages amid Expanding Pluralism

Allocating Manpower Positions for New Chaplains

Attractive Air Force Scholarship Targets Shortfall of Catholic Priests

Military Wives Coping in Twenty-First Century War on Terror

Network of Caregivers Ready to Assist GI Spouses

Warrior Ethos Added to Basic Military Training

Retired and Active Duty Priest Chaplains of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque’s Three-, Two-, and One-Star Priest Chaplains

Chaplain LaVerne Schueller Will Never Forget 9/11/01

Pentagon Renovation Partially Completed on 9/11/2001

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Special Concerns, Retirement Protocol, and Remembrances

Do Church and Urban Renewal Share Something in Common?

Are Catholics Suffering from Root Shock?

Frightful Cost of Today’s Wars Stretches into Our Future

Muppets Help Children Cope with Fear, Grief, and Loss

Providing for Our Veterans in Peacetime as Well as in Wartime

Remembering Casualties of Operation Iraqi and Afghanistan Freedom

Today’s Congress Needs Veterans Who Understand

Our Country Needs More Military Veterans in Congress

Military Retirement Protocol, Long History of Military Parades

Legion of Merit Medal Citation

Retirement Made Special by Presence of Loved Ones and Friends

Congratulatory Letters, Cards, and Mail Grams

San Antonio Churchmanship Award

McDonald Coat of Arms Painted by Melchite Greek Catholic Priest

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

PROLOGUE

The military chaplaincy was not on my career horizon when in 1947 I graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, at the sophomoric age of twenty. Unwittingly, the road to the priesthood may have started during my early years in the St. Raphael’s Cathedral Boys’ Choir and at Loras College Academy where I was a member of the Vested Choir, both directed by Father Emmett Kelly. He encouraged several of us to open our minds and hearts to a call from God to the priesthood. There were times when I probably fantasized as an altar server what it would be like to be a priest like my cousin, Father Cyril Reilly, or like one of the assistant pastors at the St. Raphael’s Cathedral parish in Dubuque for whom I served Mass: Fathers Bob Cooney, Charles Lawler, or Paul Evans. The sisters who taught in St. Raphael’s grade school certainly were huge influences on many of us. Where would we Dubuque south-enders have ended up without the strict discipline, persuasive encouragement, and prayers of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Jeanne de Chantal, Rosario, Austine, Leonilda, and Ursulina! Our seventh and eighth grade teachers guided us in our spiritual awakening and development. They reminded us about graduating from St. Raphael’s grade school. "Remember, you are our St. Raphael’s Cathedral parish representatives when you set foot into Loras Academy. It’s a prestigious school. Remember your roots here in Old Dublin, and someday, you will want to reach out to help God’s people who have struggled in so many ways just like your parents have done or are doing. The sisters often walked in pairs past our home on lower Dodge Street, about three blocks from their convent. Dad was always pleased when they stopped by our house to offer a prayer for my mother who, I was told, was very close to returning to the Lord. Such words were beyond my understanding since I was about to celebrate in a very subdued manner my fifth birthday.

Many of us students attended the 8:15 a.m. children’s Mass in the Cathedral chapel, and since I lived a few blocks away, I hurried home for breakfast in our home on lower Dodge Street that my older brothers Wilfred, Joseph, and I shared with our dad. Breakfast consisted of heated leftover oatmeal on the gas stove and a slice of toasted bread with peanut butter. Seldom did I eat alone! The long depression of the 1930s forced millions of out-of-work men to ride the freight trains to try their luck elsewhere because they had no prospects for employment in their hometowns. In Dubuque, they came from the freight yards that stretched along the Mississippi River, six blocks from our home, to beg for food going door-to-door. Some people called them hobos, but they were mostly unskilled men out of work with no hope for employment during a severe depression. When one came to the back door as I was eating breakfast, I would talk through the latched screen door and tell him to sit on the porch step while I made a peanut butter sandwich and poured a cup of coffee for him. Maybe this humanitarian concern for people was a seed the Lord planted in a young mind like mine, to serve him, by serving the least of his brothers.

Faculty members of Loras Academy undoubtedly influenced the vocational direction of many of us who, from our limited perspective, projected prototypes of the ideal priest: men like Luke Striegel, John Sims, Clarence Friedman, and Warren Nye. In the 1940s, Catholic high schools in Dubuque were single-sex except for St. Columbkille parish high school. Other girls attended one of three female academies while the boys attended Loras Academy where they were required to wear a uniform three days a week for a structured ROTC training program with disciplined drills and marching, made tolerable by an annual military ball. We connected freely for social events as most of us had made friends while attending one of the six parochial grade schools attached to the parish to which we fiercely claimed as our own. During World War II, a few of us went to summer school in an accelerated program that while difficult, was less costly than the four-year college program. Student enrollment for Loras College quadrupled in 1946–1947 when military veterans returned from active duty following World War II.

Millions of veterans eagerly pursued a free college education guaranteed by a grateful nation because of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in June 1944. Four uncles, who returned from serving in World War I, were pleased to hear about the new GI Bill for returning veterans that granted free education and other benefits. Such action by our congressional leaders and President Roosevelt helped neutralize bitter memories of the shameful treatment veterans had received after the November 11, 1918 Armistice when upon returning home, they found themselves unemployed and destitute. During college years, I worked after classes in the Loras Business Office for Father George Stemm and his able sidekick, Mike O’Dowd, in billing the government for books and supplies acquired at no personal cost by the GIs at the Keane Hall bookstore. Father Kenneth Downing was a very approachable Greek teacher, as well as an artisan who occasionally invited me to accompany him to a rural parish in Clermont, Iowa, where he was reconstructing some sanctuary furniture for his good friend and local pastor, Bob Cooney. When asking them about my attraction to the priesthood, each in his own way advised that God may be calling you ever so gently through his Holy Spirit. Whatever he has in mind for you, we and other priests are here to guide you in your journey.

I moved on campus into Keane Hall of Loras College for my last two years of college where I joined other students, including recently returned GIs, experiencing living a more disciplined lifestyle with like-minded students. Together we had the opportunity to participate in morning Mass and join our peers in prayer as well as collegiate meanderings in the pursuit of knowledge. Additional study of several American and World History courses led to a Bachelor of Arts degree in American History. Monsignor Sylvester Luby, a gracious mentor, guided me in writing a thesis, Woodrow Wilson and the League of Nations. Following four years of major seminary formation in St. Paul, and ordination to the priesthood in 1951, I served as an assistant pastor in two Dubuque Archdiocesan parishes. While waiting to begin training for the Air Force chaplaincy, I was assigned to a third parish in Marshalltown, Iowa, where my love for history was rekindled by teaching world and American history as well as religious studies in St. Mary’s High School, prior to entering the Air Force in September, 1959.

Twenty-nine years and seven months on continuous active duty in the Air Force allowed me to travel through most of the fifty United States, Western Europe, and a dozen countries in the vast Pacific. During retirement years, while assisting in several parishes in San Antonio, Texas, I felt the challenge of retrieving documentation about my ministry and world travels. By exploring the memory of an ninety-year-old, retrieving collateral information from sources such as the five-volume Air Force Chaplain History, the sixteen documents of the Second Vatican Council, and present-time Google, memory sketches began forming of a long life’s journey.

It was fortunate that I retained folders containing numerous letters, published articles, and twenty-nine years of monthly pastoral ministry reports to the Military Ordinariate. These provided a chronological summary of events that kept me focused on knitting together fifty years of history from the twentieth century by capturing fascinating stories about people I have known, the geography, and the history of places where I had served in the Air Force, visited on leave, or read about. Pastoral changes in the Catholic Church begun by the Second Vatican Council continue to shape, through its sixteen major documents, a revitalized Church, and her resilient people, who now feel empowered as the whole People of God, to work with all people of good will. Surely, such experiences provide a panorama of a life’s journey in the service of God, Church, and Country, during which time I was proud to wear a collar well worn.

CHAPTER ONE

SEMINARY FORMATION

Life in a Major Seminary

In the fall of 1947, I boarded the Burlington Zephyr railroad train in East Dubuque, Illinois, to travel to St. Paul, Minnesota, to begin theological studies at the St. Paul Seminary located on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The seminary buildings were surrounded by old trees that looked battered by Minnesota’s winter elements. Situated at the end of Summit Boulevard, the seminary is somewhat secluded from the city that bears its hallowed name and where Archbishop Leo Binz chose me to spend the next four years of my life following a discipline of formation and spirituality. My roommate and fellow Dubuquer, Ernest Engler, and I learned to adapt to living in a three-story unadorned brick residence with painted brick interior. We shared two small rooms, each with a study area equipped with a desk and cot, sharing a communal bathroom located on each floor. We struggled to keep warm in wintry weather because of temperamental steam radiators. Methodist railroad tycoon James J. Hill and his wife, Mary, built the seminary in the 1890s. This helped to explain why the three residence halls looked, from a distance, much like railroad cars.

Matthew Beelner, one other Loras College graduate from the Archdiocese of Dubuque, joined us in first theology studies. Two other men would arrive the following year: John Benda and John Hargrafen. Five other Dubuquers were one year ahead of us: Robert Ferring, William Greener, William Goltz, Wilfred Schmidt, and Gerald Shekleton. While the majority of students came from Minnesota, the presence of students from fifteen other states offered a broader perspective for the majority. Our daily seminary schedule was tolerable because of the opportunities to interact with 175 other midwestern aspirants to the priesthood.

Our common uniform was the cassock, a long outer black garment fastened with buttons from neck to ankle, or else a button-free cassock with Velcro at the shoulder and left hip, and a wide sash belt. Civilian clothes were set aside except for sporting activities. The black cassock became a daily reminder of our preparing for a special mission, set apart in our training. In the winter, a black cape and headgear called a biretta were worn outside especially when seminarians took long walks around the seminary grounds. Pictured are first year theologians, Louis Wappler and Paul McDonald. First and second-year philosophy students, who were equivalent to junior and senior college men, and lived in Cretin Residence under stricter supervision than I had experienced at Loras College. First, second, and third theologians lived in Loras Residence Hall, named after Bishop Loras, the first bishop of the upper midwest territory, from whom Loras College in Dubuque received its name. The fourth-year theologians, the soon-to-be ordained deacons, enjoyed somewhat better living conditions in Grace Residence Hall. Two deacons served as overall floor prefects for the Cretin and Loras Residence Hall students and reported to the Residence Hall faculty members when necessary.

Major Seminary Differences

St. Paul Seminary is one of many Catholic seminaries in the world that offers its future clergy a philosophical and theological education. The Archdiocese of Dubuque, like so many other dioceses, had a tradition of sending their academically bent students to major seminaries in Louvain, Belgium, Innsbruck, Austria, and Rome, Italy, where they would mix with European seminarians, some of whom were predestined for positions of note in the Vatican and hierarchical structure. However, the majority of candidates for the priesthood in America attended the Catholic University of America, Washington, St. Mary’s, Baltimore, Maryland. Conception in Missouri, Kenrick in St. Louis, Missouri, St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota, and St. Meinrads in Indiana. In this way, the diocesan bishops would have an educated clergy that was less parochial because members were molded in a variety of sociological and ethnic environments that would expose them to different ways of doing ministry.

Each seminary no doubt was proud of its own intransigence in communicating its time-bound subjects in the classroom, rooted in a classical traditionalism that was lived and communicated by stern faculty members. Reformed religious orders and monasteries cultivated men for stability, clerical uniformity, and obedience that preceded reforms in clergy education brought about by the Council of Trent in the Middle Ages. Centuries later, seminarians still study to know Church law and doctrine and to conform unquestioningly to the prescribed canonical rules of life.

Seminarians before the 1960s lived in a regimented community from morning until night, while being indoctrinated with the same timeless philosophy, classical theology, and unchanging truths in spite of cultural differences in the nonwestern world. Manuals of moral theology were composed chiefly of rules from early Church fathers or natural law supported by quotes from scripture, most of which, for most seminarians, were abstract, impersonal, and left little opportunity for critical discussion. However, twentieth-century Catholic spirituality was decidedly pluralistic due to the vast number of schools identified with religious orders. Spiritual directors advise seminarians that reading about some of the acclaimed priestly personalities of the past such as St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. John Neumann, and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney can influence their lives. Seminarians often had personal copies of such handbooks of spiritual direction as the Holy Bible, The Imitation of Christ by the Augustinian Monk Thomas à Kempis, The Introduction to a Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales, and the seminary manual of spiritual direction by the twentieth-century Sulplician Adolphe Tanquerey, The Spiritual Life. Ecclesiologist and theologian Richard McBrien believes that this work of Tanquerey, remarkably anticipates some of the major theological and pastoral developments of the period of Vatican II.

The all-priest faculty members of the St. Paul Seminary held advanced degrees from American and European Universities. These committed priests possessed the eccentricities found in tenured faculty members in other universities. In speaking about them, new students learned to use the time-bestowed nicknames passed on by their predecessors, while their ever-observant instructors had to decide whether we lowly aspirants to the priesthood demonstrated the ability to hone the knowledge, skills, and the right attitude necessary to seek ordination. Arriving at the seminary in the fall of 1947, the professor of Dogmatic Theology, James J. Byrne, STD, recently had been ordained auxiliary bishop of St. Paul Minnesota. Years later, he would become our archbishop in Dubuque. New seminarians were in awe of him because when they saw him in the chapel, he appeared to be a motionless figure, shrouded in black, kneeling in prayer in a choir stall close to the sanctuary of St. Mary’s Chapel. During the first few weeks of classes, no matter the time of day, whenever other seminarians and I stopped to pray in the Chapel of Our Lady, Bishop Byrne was there, kneeling in the shadows in a mesmerizing quietness that caused me to whisper to a friend, Are we expected to reach that level of spirituality some day?

No Stained Glass Holiness Here

One evening, during our weekday spiritual fervorino by our ascetic mannered spiritual director, Monsignor Ryan, I glanced around the auditorium, better known as the aula maxima at our seminary’s three groupings of students: my first-theologian classmates, the more dignified third and fourth year theologians, and the younger first and second year philosophy students. In the 1940s, we were a cassocked, quiet, undistinguished lot of aspirants to the priesthood, much the same as thousands of our peers in dozens of seminaries across America who assemble for almost daily talks on some aspect of the spiritual life or what to avoid that might contaminate us. Monsignor Ryan, who served as a pastor for many years and now was our spiritual director, impressed upon us the need to make time every day for prayer. "Do not kid yourself and say to yourself, ‘My work is my prayer.’ Read in the Gospels how often Jesus went off by himself to talk to the Father or when the disciples returned to explain to Jesus all about what they had done and taught. Jesus told them, ‘Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest awhile’ (Mark 6:30–31). I urge you to purchase your personal copy of Dom Chautard’s Soul of the Apostolate."

Our ages averaged eighteen in first year philosophy to twenty-four for those in the deacon year prior to ordination, with a few older men in each class who had come from other careers. Our studies, spiritual exercises, and daily routine seemed more appropriate as preparatory for monastic living and ministry rather than living in a rectory and doing pastoral ministry with people of all ages. Devoid of access to newspapers, magazines, and radios, purportedly because they would keep us from our studies, it was difficult to keep current with historic developments and changes in society that affected the families we were preparing to serve.

Recently, I read about James Carroll, son of a three-star Air Force General, who was ordained in 1969 and left the priesthood after five years to become a writer. His seminary training began immediately following the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) during a period of high expectations among seminarians and priests, as well as rapid change. Carroll authored ten books, including Prince of Peace in 1984, a story of an idealistic priest who wanted to stop the war in Vietnam, questioned the stance of New York Cardinal Spellman toward the South Vietnamese government, and found himself in a love triangle with his best friend, who was an ex-nun. He describes his recollection of seminary life during the turbulent 1960s. What counted for success in the seminary was mastering that peculiar mode of high-toned mediocrity—to be devout but not pious, savvy but not intellectual, athletic but not physical, self-confident but not arrogant, deferential but not insecure, jocular but not sarcastic, friendly but not intimate with anyone—that developed as the dominant personality type of the American Catholic priest.

Schedule Begins Early Each Day

Daily life in the seminary in the late 1940s was very predictable because the daily and weekly schedule remained frozen somewhat in time. Each day began with a harsh awakening knock on the hallway door of my private room by the floor prefect, who was a fourth year theologian. He knocked loudly to announce Benedicamus Domino, which means, Let us bless the Lord. I would respond, Deo Gratias (Thanks be to God). Seminarians joined in praying daily the psalms alternately in the prayer room of each residence hall. A block away, in St. Mary’s chapel, a faculty member would celebrate Mass in Latin with his back to us, every weekday at 7:00 a.m. The celebrant of Sunday’s principal liturgy was assisted by a deacon and subdeacon, as well as six nervous seminarians in training, under the watchful eyes of the liturgy professor, Father Ziskovsky.

Being part of the forty voice choir gave us a close-up view of our director and organist—the flamboyant and one-of-a-kind Herr Doctor Missia. His protégé, a baton-swinging senior seminarian, Frank Melovasich, kept an anxious eye for any cues from the indisputable director. Seminarians stood, sat, or knelt in monastic choir stalls, which enabled us to look across the center aisle at one other. This alternate exchange of voices, especially during the praying of the time-honored Psalms of David, sounded like intermittent thunderclaps of practice to God from whom all blessings flow. We donned a white surplice over our black cassocks for all such liturgical celebrations that usually were the high point of our week’s activities.

The interior sidewalls of the chapel, behind the choir stalls, had small alcoves that provided a prayerful setting for six altars at which faculty members offered private Masses during those pre-Vatican Council II years. On the domed ceiling over the chapel sanctuary was a garishly painted figure of Christ as Judge. In some ways, Christ always looked too severe to be approachable. This seminarian would rather picture Him as the Good Shepherd or the Christ at the Door, waiting for an invitation to enter.

The refectory environment appeared austere. Interior brick walls were painted light blue and the hardwood floor throughout was highly polished. Before the evening meal, we stood at our places, waiting as the faculty paraded up the center aisle of the dining room that could easily seat two hundred. Stepping up two steps to an elevated platform, they took their usual places on one side of a long table that stretched across the front of the dining area. A junior seminarian stood at the corner of the platform while waiting for the faculty to sit and then proceeded to read the daily Martyrologium Romanum, a brief reading in Latin about the life and example of some martyr or saint who died in the early Christian period, whose feast day was observed on that calendar day. In real life, I hoped to meet a few real saints however; those who have the experience of living with saints have passed on this bit of wisdom: To live above with the saints we love, ah! That is the purest glory. However, to live below with the saints we know, ah! That is another story. Following the reading, we responded, Deo Gratias (Thanks be to God). Seminarians sat at tables for eight while junior seminarians brought large trays of food dishes to the ends of our tables where they were passed along from one seminarian to the next. Table conversation was somewhat muted during the evening meal because a fourth-year deacon delivered a note-free sermon without a microphone to an assembly of indifferent faculty members and hungry seminarians.

Prayers at Mary’s Grotto

After the evening meal, many of us joined with friends to take a fast walk around the eight-block perimeter of the spacious campus, which was dotted with aged oak trees and over-sized shrubs. Our walk ended with prayers at a shrine of Our Blessed Mother located at the beginning of a ravine in a secluded area that served to hide from general view a spring of cool water barely strong enough to form a stream. Caring for this rock-faced shrine is a project passed along by generations of seminarians who sometimes chose to do gardening chores over sports during their afternoon recreation period. River ferns and wildflowers grew unimpaired around protruding rocks that outlined the sides of the grotto, while watercresses grew copiously in the down-flow water of the spring that bore white and blue wildflowers in clusters.

In the everyday reality of Catholic life, Mary and the saints are more immediate objects of prayer and special devotion than of doctrinal reflection. From ancient times, Mary remains revered as the Mother of Jesus or the God-Bearer and is the foundation of the special devotion directed toward her. It is interesting that Mary’s name is mentioned more in the Qur’an than in the entire New Testament. She holds a singularly honored position among women in the Qur’an. Many fifteenth-century Protestant Reformers were reared as Catholics and shared some measure of contemporary Catholic spirituality, especially Martin Luther, who pointed to Mary as an example of faith and of the goodness of God. The cultivation of popular devotions as a distinct form of prayer had its origin in the sixteenth century as a response to the spiritual needs of people who did not understand or feel comfortable participating in the Church’s increasingly elaborate and complex liturgical celebrations their priests led in Latin.

A few of the more traditional devotions of the twentieth century, especially before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) were Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the Rosary, the Way of the Cross, and Novenas. Such devotions appealed to religious feelings. However, because of the reformed Liturgy of Vatican II, many of the devotions have declined in popularity since the liturgy is celebrated in English or in the language of the people.

Outdoor Way of the Cross

Mary’s grotto beckons seminarians to walk with her on a return journey to Jerusalem and Mount Calvary while meditating on the meaning of each of fourteen significant events that occurred on the last day of her Son’s life. Surely, Mary, the sorrowful Mother of Jesus, vividly remembers each event as being very painful. In front