Rev. Robert Ketcham

“The U.S. sent more soldiers to Iwo Jima than to any other battle, 110,000 Marines on 880 ships.  It was the largest armada invasion up to that time.  Incredibly, this ferocious bombardment had little effect; hardly any of the Japanese underground fortresses were touched.  21,000 defenders of Japanese soil, burrowed in the volcanic rock, anxiously awaited the American invaders.” – www.iwojima.com/battle

If we were to ask one of those soldiers who stormed those shores why he did it and he were to respond, “Because I wanted to go”, we might be justified in calling him insane.  But were he to respond, “It was my duty and my obligation, since I was called and chosen to go”, then we would rightly honor him.   

Many priests are tired; they are spread thin; they are bothered by pressure groups and are often discouraged by the very people with whom they minister.  As a result, few men discern the priesthood, and those who do feel called think of it as something that no longer matters.  This is a big problem since history teaches us that when Catholics are without the catechesis of prayerful priests, deception and mediocrity begin to erode the foundation of their unity.  Only the faithful priest, who shares directly in the teaching authority of the Bishop, has the power to truly build up the local Church in truth and love.              

If these words seem urgent or severe, remember that the situation in the Church, namely the need for more priests, is indeed urgent and severe.  The Church is storming the shores of the world, but not without difficulty and not without casualties. 

Dear Faithful Young Man:

We are seeing the fighting with our own eyes.  Bullets are flying.  Guys are going down all around us.  There are medics but they can do little with their bandages and morphine.  Our enemies are hidden in a treacherous landscape!  There is confusion among the men.  Some are running away, but there is nowhere to go.  Peripheral vision is no use here, so we just look straight ahead.  And although we must look up often, we keep our heads down most of the time, ever aware that we are not exempt from the possibility of death.  But we are not afraid; the adrenaline of grace compels us to follow our Holy Orders, which give us direction and purpose!  Were we to become anxious, we would become an easy target for the enemy, so we keep on storming.  “Where are the other men!?” we cry out as we fight.  “Where are they!?”         
 
Do not be afraid.  Our general and our fellow soldiers are faithful and good.  And the commander-in-chief has promised not to leave us, and that all men, even those who die in battle will receive their reward.  The men and women working at home will supply us with what we need, and though many of us will die in our work – like Saint John Neumann, who literally worked himself to death – we will ultimately find rest. 

In Jesus and Mary,
Father Robert