Assumption Parish, School honor veterans at annual Mass, program

Students and parishioners at Assumption Parish and St. Albert the Great at Assumption Academy in Broadview Heights gathered for a special Mass and program on Nov. 10 to honor and thank United States veterans.

It was the sixth time they had the celebration. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, the program continued as a drive-thru event.

Auxiliary Bishop emeritus Roger Gries celebrated the Mass. Concelebrants were Father Justin Dyrwal, OSB Assumption pastor, and Father Louis Carey, OSB parochial vicar.

Bishop Gries thanked all veterans and their families for their sacrifices and service. He reminded the congregation, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” In addition, he said we should remember to ask God for guidance as we go about our daily activities.

After Mass, the students lined up as a bagpiper led the veterans in a procession to share in a breakfast and program hosted by the Assumption Student Council and staff. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the seventh-grade bell choir and the school’s Viking Choir performed patriotic songs.

Sienna Tepley, a junior at Walsh Jesuit High School, spoke to the group about commitment to country and faith. She will be attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, beginning in the summer of 2024. Sienna talked about how her military family members influenced her to answer the call to serve. She also thanked all veterans.

Students participated in the traditional Veterans Day White Table display honoring the men and women who served in the nation’s armed forces and who are missing from the ranks. The display includes:

• A white cloth symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call of duty.
• A single plate symbolizing strength and healing.
• An inverted glass symbolizing their inability to share the meal.
• A black napkin as a reminder of the isolation, deprivation and cruel fate of prisoners of war.
• Silverware shining in remembrance of a shining soldier.
• A single red rose that symbolizes the life and the blood shed by service men and women as well as the faith of their loved ones who await answers.
• A vase tied with a red ribbon that serves as a symbol of our commitment and continued determination to account for the missing.
• A candle reminding us that America is a light to the world of darkness.
• A slice of lemon as a reminder of the bitter fate of those who were captured and are missing in a foreign land.
• Salt to symbolize the tears endured by those missing and their families who still seek answers.
• A small flag as a reminder us that America will not forget those who served to give us our freedom.
• A simple letter of thanks is a reminder of the sacrifices that the service men and women made.
• A Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from the United States, which was founded as “one nation under God.”
• An inverted glass symbolizes those who are not able to share the event.
• And an empty chair is tilted as a reminder that they are not here and it will remain so until they return or are accounted for.

Each veteran received a letter of thanks created by the students along with a red poppy pin. The poppy pin is a nationally recognized symbol of sacrifice worn by Americans since World War I. It honors those who served and died for their country in all wars.