3 minute read
St. Boniface Ministry Connects Veterans with Local Resources
As children of God, we are all called to a life of service. The way we embrace this calling is different for each of us. For instance, we may serve in grand gestures or in small acts of daily kindness, or within the walls of our home or out in the broader community. For members of our Armed Forces and their families, service permeates every aspect of life — military personnel and their families are dedicated to serving our country, no matter the sacrifice. Here at St. Boniface, a new ministry seeks to express our deep gratitude for the service of our local veterans.
The St. Boniface Veterans’ Ministry was created just over a year ago, when Deacon John Raglandand a few other parishioners wanted to find a tangible way of serving fellow veterans and their families right here in our community.
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“The ministry’s mission is to have resources available for any veteran that should contact us that has nowhere to get the treatment or the help that they need,” Deacon John says. “This is an important thing to have because when someone needs help, they need it then. They don’t need to wander around looking and trying to find out where to go. There should be a spot where they can go to get what they need.”
When the ministry first got started just over a year ago, its purpose was to provide information on local resources available to veterans. At the time, this often involved the need to connect with various organizations and agencies. However, with the opening of CampV — Community Assisting Military Personnel and Veterans — last fall, the Tyler area now has one umbrella organization providing numerous resources to local veterans.
“CampV has really made our ministry easy,” Deacon John says. “It’s a one-stop center for veterans. They cover mental health, recreation — a little bit of everything. What we’re doing for now is working with them. So if anyone comes to us, we’re going to refer them to CampV.”
From the initial donation of a 20-acre site for the organization to the day-today running of services and activities for veterans, CampV is the result of a large community effort. Last Veterans Day, our Veterans’ Ministry placed a donation jar for CampV in the St. Boniface fellowship hall and collected $369 for the organization. They plan to collect donations again on Memorial Day weekend.
Supporting our retired military service members and veterans is one way that we can all live out the Gospel call to serve. continued on back cover
“They’ve done so much for us, and they have gone through so much,” Deacon John says. “I was lucky in my 20 years in the Air Force that I never had to go into battle like so many of these young folks in the last years, since Desert Storm and Afghanistan. Some have done six or eight tours over there. Many of them come back mentally drained — they can’t wrap their head around what they have seen and had to do, and they need help.”
At the end of the day, the mission of our Veterans’ Ministry is simply to serve those who first served our country — and all of us — so selflessly.
“It’s just about being available for those who have served and done so much for us,” Deacon John says.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Veterans’ Ministry at St. Boniface, please contact Deacon John Ragland at 936-558-8708 or jragland69@ gmail.com. For more information about CampV Veterans services, visit their website at campvtyler.org.
Deacon John Ragland (left) presents a check to Casey Olsen of CampV Tyler, thanks to donations that were collected after the Veterans Day Masses at St. Boniface by our Veterans’ Ministry.
