Good News — Priests Back!
By BARBARA SIMPSON The news of the decision hit with a big punch. Just before Easter this year, the U.S. Defense Health Agency (DHA) announced that the Franciscan priests and friars of Holy Names College Friary of Silver Spring, Maryland, would no longer minister to patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.The news of this was a shock to all concerned. The Franciscans had served military members and veterans at the medical center as chaplains for nearly twenty years. When this move was announced it meant that all Masses, sacraments, and other ministry would be discontinued on March 31.Instead of continuing the agreement with the Friars, the Medical Center then contracted with Mack Global, LLC. It’s a firm which…Continue Reading