On this Memorial Day (2017), we remember our service men and women who have died. Let us determine to create a world of Justice and Peace! St. Thaddeus Parish family includes many members of the military. They have served with little fanfare from WWI through the current conflicts. One of our members is centenarian who served in War World II. Please know our prayers are with you and those who have died. This is the first Memorial Day in 58 years that we have not commemorated together. We continue to work towards our goal of reopening our church. Please continue your prayers and letters to Pope Francis. “However, as Christians we remain profoundly convinced that the final aim, worthy of humanity and of the human community, is the abolition of war. Therefore, we must always make efforts to build bridges that unite rather than walls that separate; we must always help to look for a glimmer of hope for mediation and reconciliation.” -- Pope Francis Audience with international humanitarian law for military chaplains Oct. 26, 2015 The photograph is from the first Memorial Day. “Memorial Day was started by former slaves on May, 1, 1865, in Charleston, S.C., to honor 257 dead Union soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in an upscale race track converted into a Confederate prison camp. They dug up the bodies and worked for two weeks to give them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. They then held a parade of 10,000 people led by 3,000 Black children, where they marched, sang and celebrated.” - BayView National Black Newspaper