Pray for Peace: Monday in Holy Week

The day was relatively quiet at St. Paul's. I rummaged around in the storeroom looking for small candles for the Great Vigil of Easter. I found five boxes with 100 candles each -- that should be enough.

We got the sign up outside advertising our Easter services. We found the brass basin for the fire for the vigil on Saturday evening. The new paschal candle is safely in place in its holder.

Spring has at long last come to Charlottesville. Even the trees now believe it -- the first buds of new leaves have finally appeared.

And so this week of sometimes daunting contrasts unfolds. Life, death, new life is all before us.

As we have done every Holy Week on Monday for the past six years, we read the names of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who have died in our wars. Three years ago we read the names of 455; this year we read 126. Fewer, yes, but still 126 young men and women who did not come home and whose families grievously miss them.

And as we have done on Monday in Holy Week for more years than I have been here, we prayed for peace.

Our world desperately needs peace, and who better to pray for peace than us? War clouds loom in Ukraine, Iran, North Korea;drug wars continue on our border with Mexico; and the civil war in Syria has taken a horrific toll. There is no peace in Egypt or in the refugee camps of the West Bank and Gaza. Pray for peace. Pray without ceasing. And do what you can, no matter how small. Peace begins with us.

I noticed something else this year: The Collect for Monday in Holy Week is the only collect this week that mentions the word "peace." Here is the Collect for Monday in Holy Week:

Monday in Holy Week

Almighty God, whose dear Son went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he
was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way
of the cross, may find it none other that the way of life and
peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.

Holy Week: Praying for peace, praying for those who died in our wars

The psalm assigned for last night’s Evening Prayer included this:

“O God, you know my foolishness, and my faults are not hidden from you. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, Lord God of hosts…” (Psalm 69:6-7)

No truer words could we pray this Holy Week for ourselves or for the the leaders of our nation and the world.

Yesterday, I had planned to join a procession in Washington DC that marched from the White House to the Capitol Hill praying for the victims of gun violence. I didn’t get there because of the snow.

I stayed behind in Charlottesville. If Holy Week is about feeling low, it didn’t take long for me to get there.

Air Force Capt. Francis Imlay

As we have done every Monday of Holy Week the last five years I have been here, we assembled in the church nave at noon to pray for peace and an end to violence. That is usually my weekday Holy Eucharist in Holy Week, but Father Nik had volunteered to take the service so I could go to Washington. Instead we did it together.

Our custom at St. Paul’s on Monday in Holy Week is to read the names of the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since Holy Week of last year.

There were 15 of us at the noon Eucharist. The people came out from the pews to take a turn reading from the list.

Army Capt. Sara Knutson

There were 189 names on the list. Names like James and Roberto, Jessica and Camelia.

So many, so young.

We began with Francis Imlay, 31, an Air Force pilot from Vacaville, Calif., who crashed a year ago in Central Asia. He had a young son.

We ended with Sara Knutson, 27, an Army captain from Eldersburg, Maryland who died a week ago in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. She was newly married.

So many, so young.

O Lord of Hosts, save us from our foolishness that peace may come at last to this troubled earth, our island home.

By James Richardson, Fiat Lux

Monday in Holy Week: Pray for those who have died in wars, and victims of gun violence

Today on Monday of Holy Week, as we have done for more years than anyone should have to remember, we will pray for those who have died in our wars at noon today. By name.

We will read the list of those soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since Holy Week of last year.

It is a very long list.

The list is a compilation of the names we have read each Sunday in our worship services. Each week when I compile the list, I feel a major streak of guilt that we limit the list to Americans. So many thousands, from so many nations, have died in these wars. So many thousands have died in our own country from violence.

We have many people to pray for, and much to be contrite about.

The violence that encircles Holy Week, culminating in the death of Jesus at the hand of the Roman Empire, is not so very far from us. I was much taken with the photograph above that appeared in The New York Times on Sunday. It shows a family in Syria that uses an ancient Roman cave as a bomb shelter to hide from the bombs dropped by aircraft from their own government.

As I write this, it is snowing in Virginia and the roads are clogging up. I am planning to get up before dawn Monday to drive to Washington DC to participate in a "Stations of the Cross" from the White House to Capitol Hill, led by our Episcopal bishops to remember the victims of gun violence in our country.

If the snow plows clear our road, and I can get out, I will be there. Pray for those who are in danger, those in grief, and those who care for them. May you have a blessed and Holy Week.

Monday in Holy Week: Praying for peace, and remembering those who have died in our wars

As we have done the last few years here at St. Paul's, we devoted Monday in Holy Week to pray for peace.

At noon sixteen of us gathering in the church to pray and take turns reading the names of all of the American soldiers, sailors, Marines and Airmen who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since Holy Week of last year.

All of them.

We read these names each Sunday during the Prayers of the People. Today we read them one more time, and in one sitting.

It was a terribly sobering experience.

The list is long, perhaps too long for a blog post. But I offer you the names anyway. I hope you might take time out of your busy life this week to sit and read each name -- out loud -- and pray for their friends and families who are enduring their loss.

And pray that we will have a Holy Week when we won't have to hear any more names of those killed in wars.

Here are the names:

+ + +

War Dead since Holy Week 2011

April 2011

Vorasack Xaysana
Donald Nichols
Brent Maher
Brandon Pickering
Jose Caraballo
Keith Buzinski
Micah Hill
John Kihm
Sonny Moses
Joel Ramirez
Charles Wren
Paul Atim
Charles Ridgely Jr.
Charles Adkins
Cynthia Taylor
Linda Pierre
Joseph Kennedy
Andrew Lara
Omar Vasquez
Antonion Stiggins
Dennis Preston
Matthew Hermanson
Adam Jones
Jonathan Villanueva
Philip Ambard
Jeffrey Ausborn
David Brodeur
Tara Brown
Frank Bryant Jr.
Raymond Estelle II
Nathan Nylander
Charles Ransom
Joe Jackson
Bradley Hughes
David Day
Benjamin Bitner
James Justice
Terry Varnadore Jr.
Dominic Ciaramitaro
Sean Callahan
Joshua McClimans
John Castro

May 2011

Robert Friese
Kevin White
Matthew Hermanson
Ronald Freeman
Demetrius Frison
Ken Hermogino
Riley Spaulding
Brandon Kirton
David Self
Bradley Melton
Lamarol Tucker
Cheziray Pressley
Brian Riley Jr.
Robert Schlote
Amaru Aguilar
Benjamin Palmer
Kevin Balduf
Clifford Beattie
Ramon Mora Jr.
Kristoffer Solesbee
Joseph Hamski
Chistopher Thibodeau ("Teh-ba-douh")
Kristofferson Lorenzo
William Blevins
Andrew Krippner
Thomas Allers

June 2011

Richard Emmons III
Peter Clore
Anthony Nunn
Aaron Blasjo
Martin Apolinar
Joseph Schultz
Adam Hamilton
John Johnson
John Runkle
Edward Mills Jr.
Ergin Osman
Thomas Bohall
Louie Valazquez
Adam Patton
Matthew England
Emilio Campo Jr.
Christopher Fishbeck
Robert Hartwick
Michael Olivieri
Michael Cook Jr.
Matthew Richard
Nicholas O'Brien
William Woitowicz
Joseph Garrison
Bradley Gaudet
Kenneth White
Devin Snyder
Christopher Bell
Joshua Powell
Robert Voakes Jr.
Paul Zanowick
Jeffrey Sherer
Glenn Sewell
Nicholas Bellard
Mark Bradley
Ryan Larson
Eric Soufrine
Jeremy Katzenberger
Sean O'Connor
Joshua McDaniels
Michael Newton
Jason Hill
Marcos Cintron
Levi Nuncio
Gurpreet Singh
Jared Verbeek
Joshua Jetton
Gustavo Rios-Ordonez
James Harvey
Joshua Ibarra
Alvin Boatwright
Edward Dixon III
Alan Snyder
Tyler Kreinz
Brian Backus
Scott Smith

July 2011

Matthew Gallagher
Russell Proctor
Dylan Johnson
Kyle Schneider
Mark Goyey
John Farias
Donald Stacy
Michael Nolen
Ralph Pate Jr.
Daniel Douville
Kevin Hilaman
Nicholas Bernier
Marion Myrie
Dimitri Del Castillo
Kelly Nigel
Nicholas Hensley
Matthew Nielson
David Van Camp
Robert Tenney Jr.
Preston Suter
Joshua Throckmorton
Jordan Schumann
Michael Garcia
James A. Waters
Steven Tamantez
Nathan Beyers
Nicholas Newby
Jeremy Summers
Aaron Ullom
Robert Greniger
Rafael Nieves Jr.
Norberton Hernandez
Paul Protzenko
Christopher Soderlund
Terry Pasker
Thomas Dudley
Nicanor Amper
Mark Cofield
Daniel Elliott
James Christen
Jacob Molina
Omar Jones
Brian Mowery
Kenneth VanGiesen
Edward Koehler
Jabari Thompson
Kenneth Elwell
Tyler Springman
Raphael Arruda
Wyatt Goldsmith
Frank Gross
Christopher Camero
Lex Lewis
Brice Scott
Dennis Kancler
Patrick Dolphin
Christopher Wrinkle
William Paniagua
Augustus Vicari
Jered Ewy
Benjamin Stevenson

August 2011

Alberto Obod Jr.
Douglas Green
Michael Roberts
Jesse Dietrich
Colby Lee Richmond
Devin Daniels
Brandon Mullins
Andrew Tobin
Timothy Steele
Travis Nelson
Douglas Cordo
Joshua Seals
Dennis Jensen
Damon Leehan
Joseph VanDreumel
Matthew Harmon
Joe Cunningham
Charles Price III
Riley Gallinger-Long
Edward Frank II
Jordan Morris
Jameel Freeman
Rueben Lopez
Patrick Lay II
Nicholas Ott
Alessando Plutino
Joshua Robinson
Adan Gonzales Jr.
Daniel Patron
Aaron Vaughn
Michael Strange
John Brown
Stephen Mills
Kevin Houston
Thomas Ratzlaff
Robert Reeves
John Faas
Brian Bill
Jason Workman
Jon Tumilson
Nicholas Spehar
Byran Nicholas
Matthew Mason
Louis Langlais
Christopher Campbell
Johnny Douangdara
Darrick Benson
Heath Robinson
Jesse Pittman
Jared Day
Kraig Vickers
Patrick Hamburger
Spencer Duncan
Daniel Zerbe
Alexander Bennett
David Carter
Andrew Harvell
Nicholas Null
Jonas Kelsall
Mark Downer
Jinsu Lee
Daniel Gurr
Anthony Peterson
Waid Ramsey
Barun Rai
Cody Baker
Gil Morales del Valle
Kirk Owen
Leon Lucas Jr.

September 2011

Brandon S. Mullins
Devin James Daniels
Colby Lee Richmond
Jesse W. Dietrich
Michael C. Roberts
Douglas J. Green
Alberto L. Obod, Jr.
Douglas Jeffries Jr.
Koran Contreras
James "Will" Coker
Christopher Scott
Mycal Prince
Michael Dutcher
Rodolfo Rodriguez Jr.
Danial Adams
Keith Rudd
Daniel Quintana
Brett Wood
Bret Isenhower
Christopher Horton
Brian Lundy
Estevan Altamirano
Terry Wright
Robert Dyas
Jakob Roelli
Timothy Sayne
Chazray Clark
Ryan Cook
Michael Hosey
Garrick Eppinger Jr.
Adrian Mills
Andy Morales
John Cagle
Ryan Lannelli
Ivan Lechowich
Steven Gutowski
David Drake
Franklin Watson
Garrett Fant
Andres Zermeno
Francisco Briseno-Alvarez Jr.
Tyler Holtz
Rafael Baez
Carlos Aparicio

October 2011

James B. Wilke
Ricardo Cerros, Jr.
Joshua S. Lawrence
Drew E. Russell
Nathan L. Wyrick
Michael R. Tatham
Scott D. Harper
Robert B. Cowdrey
James Leep Jr.
Jorge Oliveira
Raymond Border
Michael Elm
Jeremiah Sancho
Robert Cowdrey
Houston Taylor
David Robinson
Charles Shawn
Steven Shapiro
John Dunning
John Lyons
Jason Barfield
Edward Grace
Jordan Bastean
Christopher Horns
Kristoffer Domeij
Ashley White
Paul Rivera

November 2011

Christopher Gailey
Sarina Butcher
Ari Cullers
David Cabrera
Christopher Newman
James Darrough
Carlo Eugenio
Stephen Dunning
Cody Norris
Nickolas Daniels
Christopher Gailey
David Hickman
James Burnett Jr.
Matthew Colin
Sean Walsh
Jonathan McCain
Calvin Pereda
Theodore Rushing
Jackie Diener
Zachary Reiff
Adam Dobereiner
Joshua Corral

December 2011

Vincent Bell
Adam Buyes
Dennis Murray
Clark Corley Jr.
Ryan Lumley
Thomas Mayberry
Samuel Griffith
Jalfred Vaquerano
Ronald Wildrick Jr.
Christopher Muniz
Christopher Levy
Justin Whitmire
Kurt Kern
Noah Korte
Mikayla Bragg
Stacy Johnson

January 2012

Matthew Seidler
Bryan Bell
Matthew Schwartz
Chad Regelin
Pernell Herrera
Neil Turner
Michael Pyron
Dustin Napier
Jonathan Metzger
Brian Leonhardt
Robert Tauteris Jr.
Christopher Patterson
Travis Riddick
Phillip McGeath
Keith Benson
Benjamin Wise
Kenneth Cochran
Jon-Luke Bateman
David Johnson
Joshua Pairsh
Christopher Singer
Kevin Reinhard
Daniel Bartle
Jesse Stites
Nathan McHone
Joseph Logan

February 2012

Edward Dycus
William Stacey
Billy Sutton
Terence Hidner
Kyler Estrada
Osbrany Montes de Oca
Allen McKenna Jr.
Julian Scholten
Justin Wilkins
Nicholas Whitlock
Ryan Hall
Paris Pough
Jerry Reed II

March 2012

Robert Marchanti II
John Loftis
Joshua Born
Timothy Conrad Jr.
Cesar Cortez (in Iraq)
Conner Lowry
Jordan Bear
Payton Jones
Daquane Rivers
Jesse Grindey
Daniel Wilford
Daniel Wade
Edward Acosta
For the 16 villagers killed in Afghanistan, and for the soldier who is accused of these killings
Dennis Weichel Jr.
Jamie Jarboe
Ray Clovis
Francis Imlay
Joseph D'Augustine
William Wilson III
Daniel Brown
Aaron Istre

Holy Week: Prayers for peace, remembering our soldiers sailors and Marines who died in the last year

A few of us gathered at noon on Monday in the worship nave of St. Paul's to say a few prayers for peace from the prayer book, and to read the names of all of the soldiers, sailors and Marines who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since last Easter. All of them.

At first there was only Paula Kettlewell and myself, and we agreed we would say them all if only we were the ones to hear them.

And then another member of our parish came, and another. And then a few students. By 12:30 pm there were 10 of us in the church. It took us a half-hour, taking turns, to read all of the names.

When we finished, we prayed our Confession, and then we shared the Holy Eucharist together gathered around the Holy Table.

I must confess that as we started reading the names, I looked down at the first page and thought for a moment that it is just too many names, and maybe I should just shuffle the pages and read the last page and call it done. I read the first two names: "Robert Collins, Anthony Blount. . ." Then I kept going. Paula took the next page. And then another took another page. On we read.

All of these name have been read aloud in our church during the week they had died (or the week their death was publicly reported). Every week we add their names to the prayers of the people. Some weeks the list is short, other weeks there is a major engagement, and the list is long. It is always painful to hear, and our intercessors who read the names sometimes choke with emotion or tear up. We read the names every week at St. Paul's Memorial Church no matter what.

There was something about hearing all of the names read all at once on Monday that was different. There were Anglo Saxon names, Hispanic names, Asian names, and many names that were a mix of many nationalities, like Diego Solorzanovaldovinos. There were Muslim names like Jamal and Vietnamese names like Tevan Nguyen.

Most of the dead were men, but there were women on the list: Faith Hinkley, from the week of August 14, and Barbara Vieyra from the week of Sept. 18. That same September week, we also read the name of Brendan Looney, a member of the University of Virginia graduating class of 2004.

So many names, most of them young, many only teenagers. Most of them were the age of the kids in my youth group in my congregation in Sacramento.

Later, I looked up the first two names that we read. Robert Collins was 24 when he was killed in Iraq. He was a 1st Lieutenant in the Army. The second name on our list: Anthony Blount, 21, was a Private 1st class from the same unit. They died together on April 7, 2010 -- Easter Week last year -- when a roadside bomb demolished their vehicle. They never saw who killed them.

Lt. Robert W. Collins

Here is the announcement from the Department of Defense about their deaths:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of Lt. Robert W. Collins, 24, of Tyrone, Ga., who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. He died April 7 in Mosul, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Fort Stewart, Ga. Killed with him was Pfc. William A. Blount, 21, of Petal, Miss. They had only been in Iraq since the fall of 2009.


He is survived by his parents Deacon and Sharon Collins and Nicolle, his childhood sweetheart and girlfriend of eight years.

An obituary for Pfc. William A. Blount noted that he was a devout Mormon, and then said this:

His wife, Amanda, is eight months pregnant with their daughter Avery, and he was scheduled to be home for her birth.

Pfc. William A. Blount

I cannot imagine the pain of the families and loved ones both of these men left behind. I cannot imagine what this last year has been like for William Blount's wife and his parents, or Robert Collin's "sweetheart." I wonder how baby Avery is doing; her first birthday is right about now.

The Department of Defense announced today. . .

We ask a great deal of our young, a great deal of those who volunteer to wear a uniform and serve our country. They go where we send them, and they die on battlefields and roadsides far away. We read their names in church on Sundays, and we read their names once again on Monday in Holy Week. We remembered again their supreme sacrifice, and reminded ourselves of the terrible human cost of war. Monday was not about politics, or foreign policy, or elections, or Republicans or Democrats or Tea Parties or MoveOn.org.

It was about soldiers dying in wars far from home because we send them there and they go.

We read their names because they deserve to be remembered, to have their names spoken out loud again. They deserve to have their names fill the air and ring in our ears one more time. Maybe by hearing their names we remind ourselves that our leaders bear a tremendous responsibility when they send our soldiers to war, and we bear a tremendous responsibility by electing them. May God have mercy on our souls.

Here are the names of the soldiers, sailors and Marines who died in these wars since last Easter. The least we can do is hear their names again. The list is long.

The Department of Defense announced today . . . 

4/10/10

Robert Collins
Anthony Blount
Kurt Kruize
Roberto Diaz Borio
James Lackey
Randall Voas
Curtis Swenson
Michael Sweeney

4/17/10
Joseph Caron
Sean Durkin
Michael Jankiewicz
Jonathan Hall

4/24/10

Charlie Antonio
James Patton
John LaBorde
Robert Barrett
Randolph Sigley
Michael Ingram

5/1/10

Keith Coe
Christopher Worrell
Thomas Rivers
Nathan Kennedy
Grant Wichmann
Ronald Kubik
Jason Santora

5/8/10

Ralph Mena
Anthony Magee
Wade Slack
Richard Penny
Brandon Barrett
Austin Benson
Harvey Holmes
Mark Coleman
Eric Finniginam
Salvatore Corma

5/15/10

Essau Gonzales
Dennis Kisseloff
Joshua Desforges
Donald Lamar II
Jeffrey Johnson
Kenneth May Jr.
Kurt Shea
Jeremy Brown
Kyle Comfort
Joshua Davis

5/22/10

Shane Barnard
Patrick Xavier Jr.
Joshua Tomlinson
Richard Tieman
Thomas Belkofer
Paul Bartz
John McHugh
Nicholas Paradarodriguez
Billy Anderson
Adam Perkins
Zarian Wood

5/28/10

Roger Culver
Amilcar Gonzales
Stanley Sokolowski
Edwin Rivera
Christopher Barton
Jason Fingar

6/5/10

Francisco Guardado-Ramirez
Alvaro Sessarego
Jonathan Peney
Anthony Diliso
Jake Suter
Jacob Leicht

6/18/10

Christopher Opat
Michael Bailey
Jeffrey Sandfest
Benjamin Osborn
Brian Anderson

6/26/10

Jacob Dohrenwend
Michael Cassidy
Israel Obryan
William Yauch
Steve Theobald
Russell Madden
Anthony Justesen
Joshua Dumaw
Eddie Turner
Claudio Patino IV
Kevin Cueto
Andrew Looney
David Miller
Scott Andrews
Timothy Serwinowski
Brandon Silk
James Hunter
Benjamin Park
William Ortega
Nathan Cox

7/03/10

Johnny Lumpkin
Morganne McBeth
Bryant Haynes
Ryan Grady
Larry Harris Jr.
Matthew Hennigan
John Rogers
Khristopher Chapleau
Eric Shaw
David Thomas
William Richards
Joseph Caskey
David Holmes
Jared Punk
Blair Thompson
Daane DeBoer
Robert Repkie
Edwardo Loredo
Joshua Dumaw
Andrew Looney

7/9/10

Jordan Tuttle
Louis Fastuca
Christopher Cabacoy
Edwin Wood
Jerod Osborne
Keenan Cooper
Andrew Creighton
Jacob Dennis
Clayton McGarrah
David Wisniewski
David Jefferson

7/18/10

Chase Stanley
Jesse Reed
Matthew Johnson
Zachary Fisher
Brandon King
Christopher Stout
Sheldon Tate
Christopher Moon
Nathaniel Garvin
Christopher Antonik
Shaun Mittler
Carlos Negron
Jesse Ainsworth
Robert Crow
Donald Edgerton
Tyler Roads
Joseph Dimock
Daniel Raney
Anthony Simmons
Marc Arizmendez
Michael Pridham
Roger Lee

7/24/10

Michael Runyan
Julio Vargas
Brian Piercy
Paul Miller
Joe Wrightsman
Christopher Eastman
Robert Bennedsen
Anibal Santiago
Justin Allen
Matthew Weikert
Jesse Tilton
Justus Bartelt
Dave Santos
Leston Winters
John Jarrell

7/31/10

Jason Holbrook
Kyle Warren
Shane Martin
Abram Howard
Frederik Vazquez
Conrad Mora
Daniel Lim
Joseph Bauer
Andrew Hand
Jerod Newlove
Justin McNeley
James Oquin
James Weis
Mario Carazo
Julio Vargas

8/7/10

Jared Van Aalst
Kyle Stout
Michael Stansbery
Jason Holbrook
Kyle Warren

8/14/10

Faith Hinkley
Christopher Karch
Jose Saenz III
Kristopher Greer
Rob Burnham
Paul Cuzzupe
Bradley Rappuhn
Andrew Nicol
John Andrade
Vincent Gammone III
Kevin Cornelius
Max Donahue

8/21/10

Christopher Wright
Jamal Rhett
Cody Childers
Martin Lugo
Collin Thomas
Christopher Boyd
Kevin Oratowski
Edgar Roberts
Derek Farley
Benjamen Chisholm
Charles High IV
Michael Bock

8/28/10

Brandon Maggart
Justin Shoecraft
Robert Newton
Ronald Rodriguez
Steven Deluzio
Tristan Southworth
Pedro Meletiche
Jason Calo
Jordan Bancroft
Alexi Maldonado
Nathaniel Schultz
Cody Childers

09/04/10

Joshua Twigg
Christopher Rodgers
Cody Roberts
Joseph Bovia
Vincent Adkinson III
Raymond Alcaraz
George Matthew
James Page
Dale Goetz
Jesse Infante
Kevin Kessler
Matthew West
Chad Clements
Mark Noziska
Casey Grochowiak
Floyd Holley
Ellery Wallace
Bryn Raver
James Ide
Andrew Castro
Patrick Durham
James Robinson
Daniel Fedder
Chad Coleman
Adam Novak
James Swink

9/11/10

Philip Jenkins
James McClamrock
Todd Weaver
John Bishop
Philip Charte
Jason McMahon
Andrew Griffiths
Joseph McFarlane Pool
Jesse Balthaser
Ross Carver
Diego Montoya

9/18/10

John Burner III
James Hansen
Deangelo Snow
Aaron Kramer
Daniel Sanchez

9/28/10

Anthony Rosa
Michael Buras
Jonah McClellan
Robert Baldwin
Marvin Calhoun
Joshua Powell
Matthew Wagstaff
Dennis Miranda
Adam Smith
David McLendon
Joshua Ose
Andrew Jones
Andrew Howarth
Barbara Vieyra
Eric Yates
Joshua Harton
Paul Carron
Ronald Frider
Jaime Newman
Timothy Johnson
Brendan Looney, University of Virginia class of 2004

10/1/10

Marc Whisenant
John Carillo Jr.
Gebrah Noonan
Timothy Jackson
Justin Officer
Calvin Harrison
Mark Forester
Ralph Fabbri
Donald Morrison
Mark Simpson
Clinton Springer II
William Dawson
Jaysine Petree

10/9/10

Stephen Sockalosky
Scott Lynch
Daniel Johnson
Ryane Clark
Joseph Prentler
Karl Campbell
Cody Board
Lance Vogeler
Anthony Matteoni
Willie Harley Jr.
Luther Rabon Jr.

10/16/10

Alec Catherwood
Carlos Benitez
Rafael Martinez
Tramaine Billingsley
Joseph Lopez
Irvin Ceniceros
Eric Newman
Justin Cain
Phillip Vinnedge
Joseph Rodewald
Victor Dew
Jordan Byrd
Raymon Hohnson
Matthew Powell
Frank Zaehringer III
Dave Weigle
David Hess
John Sparks
Edwin Gonzalez

10/23/10

Dylan Reid
Kenneth McAninich
Gerald Jenkins
Francisco Jackson
Joshua Cullins
Jorge Villarreal Jr.
Ian Tawney
James Boelk

10/29/10

David Jones
Terry Honeycutt Jr.
Michael Krispel Jr.
Phillip Tanner
Charles Sadell
Steven Dupont
Thomas Moffett
Ronnie Pallares
Arcely Gonzales O'Malley

11/6/10

James Young
Todd Harris
James Zimmerman
Andrew Meari
Jonathan Curtis
William Blanchard
Brett Land
Diego Solorzanovaldovinos
Pedro Maldonado
Adam Dickmyer

11/13/10

James Stack
Dakota Huse
Robert Kelly
Anthony Vargas
Andrew Hutchins
Scott Hughes
Aaron Cruttenden
Dale Kridlo
Randy Braggs
Shane Reifert
Michael Paranzino
Blake Whipple
Jordan Emrick
Jason McCluskey
Brandon Pearson
Matthew Broehm

11/20/10

Kyle Holder
Justin Culbreth
Javier Ortiz Rivera
Kevin Pape
David Senft
Shane Ahmed
Nathan Lillard
Scott Nagorski
Christian Warriner
Jesse Snow
Jacob Carroll
Jacob Carver
Juan Rivadeneira
Shannon Chihuahua
Shawn Fannin
Andrew Bubacz
David Lutes
Edward Bolen

12/4/10

Matthew Abbate
Chad Wade
Scotty Milley
Barry Jarvis
Curtis Oakes
Matthew Ramsey
Jacob Gassen
Austin Staggs
Buddy McLain
Devon Harris

12/11/10

David Finch
David Luff Jr.
Kelly Mixon
James Ayube II
Michael Geary
Jason Peto
Colton Rusk
Derek Wyatt
Nicholas Aleman
Jason Reeves
Vincent Ashlock
Lucas Scott
James Thode

12/18/10

Sean Cutsforth
Justin Schmalstieg
Jose Hernandez
Sean Collins
Willie McLawhorn Jr.
Patrick Deans
Kenneth Necochoa Jr.
Derek Simonetta
Jorge Villacis
Ethan Goncalo
Stacy Green

12/24/10

William Crouse IV
Conrado Javier Jr
Eric Torbert Jr.
Jose Maldonado
Sean Osterman

2011

1/02/11

Tevan Nguyen
GarretMisener
Kenneth Corzine

1/8/11

Jose Cintron Rosado
Jose Delgado Arroyo
Eric Nettleton
Jacob Tate
Maung Htaik
Michael Beckerman

1/15/11

Zachary Salmon
Zainah Creamer
Jarrid King
Benjamin Moore
Robert Near
Ira Laningham
Ethan Hardin
Joseph Giese
Christian Romig
Robert Pharris

1/23/11

Michael Evarts
Jose Torre Jr.
Michael Bartley
Martin Lamar
Jason Amores
Amy Sinkler
Dominique Cruz
Joshua Lancaster
Joseph Whitehead
Zachary Salmon
Evan Mooldyk

1/28/11

Leslie Williams
Jason Amores
Marcin Pastusiak
Marcin Knap

2/12/11

Nathan Carse
Aaron Swanson
Patrick Carroll
Lucas Pyeatt

2/19/11

Corey Owens
Lashwan Evans
Dea Hutchinson
Robert Wood

2/26/11

Christoffer Johnson
Johnathan Taylor
Robert Sisson Jr.
Darren Hidalgo
Andrew Carpenter
Matthew Deyoung
Jonathan Pilgeram
Bradley Hart

3/5/11

Jason Weaver
Nicholas Alden
David Fahey Jr.
Chauncy Mays
Rudolph Hizon
Christopher Stark
Kristopher Gould
Andrew Wilfhart
Jerome Firtamag

3/11/11

Loren Buffalo
Andrew Wade
Kalin Johnson
Mark Wells
Jordan Stanton

3/20/11

Michael Hinkle II
Christopher Meis
Travis Tompkins
Arturo Rodriguez
Daehan Park
Ian Mukker
Andrew Harper
Eric Trueblood
Stephen McKee

3/26/11

Brandon Hocking
Vincent Filpi III
Michael Mahr
Joshua Gire
James Malachowski
Mecolus McDaniel
Donald Mickler Jr.
Rudy Acosta
Jamal Bowers

4/2/11

Dennis Poulin
Ofren Arrechaga
Frank Adamski III
Jameson Lindskog
Jeremy Faulkner
Dustin Feldhaus
Bryan Burgess
Yannick Scherrer
Justin Ross
Mark Burgan
Matthew Collins

4/9/11

Gary Nelson III
Wesley Hinkley
Jorge Scatliffe
Quadi Hudgins
Christian Garcia
Jason Rogers
Benjamin Rast
Jeremy Smoth
Scott Burgess
Michael Lammerts
Bartosz Spychala
Harry Lew
Robert Welch III
Siki Skare
Alan Cameron

4/16/11

Vorasack Xaysana
Donald Nichols
Brent Maher
Brandon Pickering
Jose Caraballo
Keith Buzinski

Prayers for Peace in Holy Week: Remembering those who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Before I came to Charlottesville, St. Paul's Memorial Church had set aside Monday at noon as a time to pray for peace. These prayers began sometime after the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq started, and that is now going on seven years -- longer than World War II.

The prayers are meant to be just that -- prayers for peace. The attendance on Mondays has waxed and waned, and there are weeks when there is only one. Yet whomever is there is praying for all of us, praying that wars may finally cease, that violence may end, that voices may lower, that swords may be beaten into plowshares, and that we may find peace at the last.

So it is that I joined the prayers for peace yesterday, Monday in Holy Week. A handful of us sat in the church, not exactly in silence because the sounds of traffic outside and voices inside echoed throughout the building (it is amazing to me how well sound carries in our building). We sat together, listening and longing for peace to come into our midst.

About 25 minutes into our time together, Darren Ball, a member of our Vestry, a father of two young sons, began to read the names of American soldiers, sailors and Marines who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since the beginning of the year. Every Sunday, we pray for those who have died in the last week in service to our country in these wars, and we pray for them by name in our prayers for people.

Darren read the entire list for 2010 so far. Then we ended with a Eucharist that was, to say the least, somber.

Below are the names of those Americans who have died this year in these wars. We could add other names of soldiers from other countries and civilians caught in the cross fire, and we could add the names of our nation's enemies. The list could be very long.

Please take a few moments to remember these soldiers, sailors and Marines from our country, people who represented us and gave the last full measure of their devotion to our country. Please take a few moments to say their names -- out loud -- and pray for their families, for the people they loved who they left behind, for the lives and dreams they left unfinished, and for the Iraqis and Afghanis who have died or been injured in these conflicts. Pray for peace.

Week through January 7

Brushaun Anderson
David Croft
Michael Jarrett
Anton Phillips
Brian Bowman
Joshua Lengstrof
John Dion
Bradley Smith
Jason Hickman
Mark Juarez
Jacob Meinhert
Nicholas Uzenski

Week through January 20

Gifford Hurt
Jaime Lowe
Matthew Ingham
Geoffrey Whitsitt
Daniel Merriweather
Lucas Beachnaw
Kyle Wright
Christopher Hrbek
Robert Donevski
Michael Shannon
Adam Ginnett
Paul Pena
Thaddeus Montgomery

Week through January 31

Scott Barnett
Gifford Hurt
Carlos Gill
Zachary Smith
Daniel Angus
Timothy Poole
Jeremy Kane
Xin Qi ("Gin Ki")

Week through February 5

Scott Barnett
Zachary Lovejoy
Daniel Whitten
Michael Freeman
David Thompson
Marc Paul Decoteau
Rusty Christian
David Smith

Week through February 13

Adriana Alvarez
Adam Ray
Dillion Foxx
David Hartman
Matthew Sluss-Tiller
Mark Stets

Week through February 19

Sean Caughman
Alejandro Yazzie
Noah Pier
Guy Mellors
Jason Estopina
Jacob Turbet
John Reiners
Jeremiah Wittman
Bobby Pagen

Week through February 27

William Spencer
Daniel O'Leary
Billie Grinder
Marcus Alford
Scott Barnett
Marcos Gorra
Matthais Hanson
Eric Ward
Adam Peak
J.R. Salvacion
Christopher Eckard
Michael Cardenaz
Gregory Stultz
Joshua Birchfield
Kielin Dunn
Jeremy McQuery
Kyle Coutu
Larry Johnson

Week through March 5

Nigel Olsen
Vincent Owens
Carlos Aragon
Ian Gelig
Matthew Huston
Josiah Crumpler
William Ricketts

Week through March 13

Aaron Arthur
Lakeshia Bailey
Garrett Gamble
Jason Kropat
Jonathan Richardson
Nicholas Cook
Alan Dikcis
Anthony Paci

Week through March 19

Richard Jordan
Erin McLyman
Steven Bishop
Adam Brown
Robert Gilbert II
Glen Whetten
Jonathan Porto

Collect for Tuesday in Holy Week

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an
instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life:
Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly
suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior
Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

List compiled from iCasualities.com

My experience of Monday in Holy Week: Prayers for Peace

Today began dark, dreary, drizzly, in such sharp contrast to yesterday's gorgeous blue skies, waving palms and the colors of daffodils blooming everywhere in Charlottesville. We descend into Monday of Holy Week in the grayness of the morning showers.

At noon, eleven of us assembled in the St. Paul's nave for our Prayers for Peace. The sun worked its way inside to find us, a sunbeam here and there bursting over our heads through the clear glass of the large windows. The palms from yesterday look a little drier, but the sunlight danced across the fronds in front of the altar.

We sat in silence, though silence not exactly. A bell rang, a wooden kneeler creaked to the floor, someone cleared his throat. The building resonates with voices from many corners. I could hear conversations downstairs in the office, and someone laughing in a hallway. A few moments later,  someone sitting a few rows in front of me began to chant, his voice vibrating from the walls around us. A few more souls arrive, their feet slowly sliding across the wooden floor. We pray for peace, and there is life in these walls, and life beyond these walls. Even whispers carry across and through this sacred space.

A twelfth pilgrim arrives, then a thirteenth and a fourteenth. We were now fourteen strong, praying for the peace that so eludes the world. A few offer spoken prayers, and the words are interspersions in the silence that is not exactly silence. Then I hear geese outside. A bell rings twice. It is time for our Eucharist, and we stand together again, around the table, and remember the events of Holy Week and the Cross.

And so we will gather again, tomorrow, in the Chapel, at noon. Join us if you can.

Monday in Holy Week: Pray for Peace

The most viewed item on this blog is a Jewish prayer for peace that I posted last December during our Day of Prayers for Peace. Please join us today at noon at St. Paul's for our Prayers for Peace and then a simple Eucharist. And pray for peace wherever you are. Here again is the prayer:

Jewish Prayer for Peace

Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, O Eternal Source of peace, and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth. Bless our country, that it may always be a stronghold of peace, and its advocate among the nations. May contentment reign within its borders, health and happiness within its homes. Strengthen the bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands, and may the love of Your name hallow every home and every heart. Blessed is the Eternal God, the Source of peace. AMEN

Gates of Prayer (Jewish), p. 695