Faith in the Fight
History that matters
Being a mom, but most especially a boy mom (my first six are boys), has brought with it special challenges, especially when it comes to their education. When I first began homeschooling, over 20 years ago, my boys were having a hard time getting engaged in history. I talked to my husband about the problem, and his solution was “war.” His argument, which turned out to be true, was that anchoring our discussion about history on the proximate military conflicts would not only engage the boys in the subject matter, it would keep them engaged.
This solution has worked for our family. War has been the skeleton that has allowed us to discuss technology, living conditions, transportation, politics, economics… all the myriad aspects of the human condition. We pull the boys in with the big guns and airplanes, swords and shields and then flank them with the ordinary lives these soldiers were defending. We have traveled to many civil war battlefields, including Antietam, Gettysburg, and Andersonville.
While this strategy has worked well, I have been frustrated with most American history books. In every American conflict there is a group of heroes who may not always win awards or accolades, but who have faithfully served their fellow soldiers and God by providing comfort, consolation, care, and the Sacraments to anyone in need. Catholic military chaplains have played a critical, but often overlooked role in American military history.
Faith is an integral part of every person’s life - even those without a formal religion. There is a reason they say there are no atheists in foxholes - war is life and death, adn Momento Mori comes easily when you see people dying all around you. Unfortunately, there is an prevailing disposition that religion should not be talked about when we discuss history, but the reality is that faith and religion are critical pieces of the historical puzzle. If we fail to address this aspect of the culture, we miss a giant part of the story.
The priests who have served our country as military chaplains are particularly good role models. These are men who have taken their roles seriously, and discerned not only a vocation, but have freely chosen to lay down their lives for their sheep in a very dramatic fashion. To enter battle with only spiritual weapons takes deep faith and courage - and these stories need to be told and heard.
This summer, I am so excited to be teaching a two week intensive look at Catholic Chaplains in military history. This is a high school level course, and There are 8 class sessions - Monday, August 4th - Thursday, August 14th from 1-1:50 EDT, Monday through Thursday. You can find out more about the course and register here.
In this course, students will get to know some of the amazing men who have served Our Lord in this remarkable way. They will see the hidden stories of ordinary men who chose to serve God and their fellow man in an extraordinary way. This deeper focus will pay dividends in future studies, as the students will develop the ability to understand moral and historical truth by looking at a smaller slice of the picture and understanding it in context. A truly integrated learner sees the whole picture, and not divided “subjects” unrelated to one another.
This course is going to be great! I’m looking forward to it. Please feel free to share this post with anyone you think might be interested in joining us for this exciting look at Catholic chaplains in the United States miltary.