"IN YOUR OWN WORDS"

 I just heard about this from Don Sweet, who has been my friend for many years. I am a Priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, St. Raymond Parish. This is a WONDERFUL Ministry! Thanks for your service. You're in my prayers! Fr. John, Pastor St. Raymond Parish, Downey, CA 90242 

Thank you again, for coordinating the presence of the Military Ministry at David S’s funeral.  It is so kind of you and the members to give a final salute to veterans and I greatly appreciated your doing this for David.  To say thank you in a way that would help the ministry defray costs of fulfilling its mission, I sent a check for $100.00 to the church made out to OLPH Military Ministry.  Also, could someone in the group use David’s gold shirt, worn only 1-2 times? Or perhaps I could wear it and help out sometimes?
Our community is blessed to have Military Ministry.

 Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful tribute you all gave to Betty M. today at her funeral service.  Gold shirts seemed to shine as we celebrated Betty.  You all made me feel so blessed to be the spouse of an OLPH Military Ministry member.  Know that your presence does make a difference.

May God bless you all for your ministry. 

Thank you for adding Joseph's name to the prayer list.  His dementia, unfortunately continues to progress, but thankfully, I am still able to hug and kiss him.  You are to be commended for your commitment to this vital ministry. I only wish Joseph had control of his facilities. He was so proud to serve with the honor guard, while he was ambulatory. Especially, when he saw himself in one of the photos on the website.  You have no idea how much you affected his self esteem. He took pride in being a veteran.  May God bestow upon you, and all who participate in the Military Ministry, with a tremendous amount of bouquets of blessings.   

 My husband and I were parishioners at OLPH from 2009-2019. I was in the Air Force, which brought us to San Antonio and we were fortunate enough to find Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Selma. OLPH was an extension of our home as we became involved in several ministries and activities. I was invited to join the Military Ministry by Don Sweet several years ago and what a blessing it was. Sometimes it is difficult to feel part of a new parish after moving (again) and the OLPH military ministry helps ease the transition. I enjoyed being part of a group of men and women who have served or are serving our great nation and who understand the bond we all have. Don created a ministry that not only recognizes the sacrifices of our military, but also takes care of families in difficult times such as funerals. It was an honor to give a final salute to our veteran parishioners before they were laid to eternal rest. Thanks, Don, for inviting me and your commitment to the military members and families of OLPH. 

 It is an honor for me to be a member of this ministry.  Tasks include pall bearer, usher, honor guard, and other help needed by the requesting family. Christ asked us to “bury the dead “ in the corporal works of mercy.  This ministry provides the opportunity for us to demonstrate service.  Each member is a walking history of the U.S. and members share memories and opinions with each other for educational opportunity.  On designated holidays, we assist communities by participating in parades and programs and other service opportunities.  Having a big sale, on-site celebrity, or other event? Be sure to announce it so everybody knows and gets excited about it.

 Joining the OLPH Military Ministry made me realize, after so many years, that the Holy Spirit had been there for me all these years.  I didn’t have time to reflect on my 20 years of service as a US Army Corp of Engineers senior officer after my retirement in 1988. My family remained in Germany while I returned to Puerto Rico for my job-hunting efforts. I landed a job through networking with family members in about 3 weeks. I moved on to two other corporations and finally “retired” in 2016.  Observing the camaraderie among the OLPH Military Ministry for 4 years, I got the “nudge” from the Holy Spirit to join. After just two meetings I was able to finally reflect on my military service. As I compared my military life with my civilian life, I realized the military not only made me feel part of the “team” and my service was appreciated at a higher level.  I strongly recommend joining the OLPH Military Ministry.  Are your customers raving about you on social media? Share their great stories to help turn potential customers into loyal ones.

 As an Army retiree, I was attracted to OLPH  because of the monthly Military Appreciation masses. During those masses, I couldn't help but notice the gold shirts in the congregation and wondered what their significance was. On May 20, 2017, my husband and I attended Fr. Praveen Lakkisetti's Priestly Ordination at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church.  I felt out of sorts being at an unfamiliar church.  Suddenly, in the distance, I saw those familiar gold shirts and realized that folks from OLPH were also in attendance. Immediately, I felt a connection, camaraderie and comfort. After talking with some of them, I learned that they were from the Military Ministry and knew that I was among like-minded individuals and had to join the Ministry. The annual ministry fair in August of that year, gave me that opportunity. This ministry is exciting because there is always something new being planned. It starts with a suggestion or crazy idea and before you know it, something great happens that brings life and love to the community. Joining this ministry has been one of the best decisions of my life. It has been a  pleasure serving our parishioners with the members of the OLPH Military Ministry and can't wait to see what we will be doing next. Will you join us? Running a holiday sale or weekly special? Definitely promote it here to get customers excited about getting a sweet deal.