Episcopal Church’s Veterans Day livestream Nov. 11 to feature commissioning of chaplains

[Episcopal News Service] Veterans Day is Nov. 11, and this year, The Episcopal Church will mark the holiday honoring all those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces by presenting for the first time a livestreamed Veterans Day Holy Eucharist that will include a commissioning of chaplains.

The service, which begins at 7 p.m. Eastern, will be held in the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City and can be viewed live online through the church’s website and social media accounts. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe will preside.

The Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia, bishop suffragan of the church’s Armed Forces and Federal Ministries, will preach. Ritonia, a Marine Corps veteran, coordinates the deployment of more than 100 Episcopal priests who serve as chaplains across the United States’ military branches and at Veterans Administration medical centers and federal prisons.

Army Capt. Joshua Wilson, right, practices for a field worship service in his role as an Episcopal chaplain. Photo: Armed Forces and Federal Ministries

“I think that this is a long time coming for the church in recognizing veterans that serve in our communities,” Ritonia said in an interview with Episcopal News Service about the Veterans Day Holy Eucharist. She hopes Episcopalians at the churchwide and local levels will convey to veterans a “sense of value for what they’ve done and what they can continue to do to make a difference in the world.”

The church is also highlighting its long history of pastoral support for American military personnel and veterans. The first Anglican military chaplain was the Rev. John Hurt, who served in the Continental Army in 1776.

Hurt was born in 1752 and ordained in 1774. As a close friend of George Washington, Hurt joined the Virginia 6th Infantry Regiment and later served alongside the famous American general and future president. In 1791, Washington appointed Hurt as the first official U.S. Army chaplain.

This year’s Veterans Day Holy Eucharist will include readings from veterans and military personnel around the world, as well as prayers written by veterans. It will feature music from Washington National Cathedral.

Anyone interested in becoming a chaplain with the church’s Armed Forces and Federal Ministries can find more information on the church’s website.

Ritonia added that local congregations also can help welcome veterans more fully in their communities, especially those members of the military who have just completed their service and are returning from deployment.

“When you’re in the military, you’ve got a whole team around you. There’s a tone of camaraderie. And when you leave the military, it can be really hard to replace that,” Ritonia said. Churches are well-positioned to support those veterans by giving them “a place and a purpose.”