On behalf of the Chaplains in the URG Chaplaincy, I wish the members of the Rio Family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This year is the 300th anniversary of the publication of the French hymn “Noel Nou Velet, Noel Chanton Ici” better known to us today as “Sing...
This year is the 400th anniversary of the event most Americans recognize as the first Thanksgiving. Permit me to share with you a few facts about this event which may reveal to you a Thanksgiving such as you have never experienced. One of the earliest written...
This Veterans Day is also the centennial of the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. We know nothing of the life of the Unknown Soldier, but we do know some facts about the lives of the quartet of Chaplains who helped lay...
Two decades have now passed since the horrific events of September 11, 2001, though there are times that it does not seem that the attacks have been that long ago. People of a certain age will remember where they were, what they were doing and who they were with when...
This year’s theme for the National Day of Prayer is “Pour out your love, life, liberty” from 2nd Corinthians 3:17. This is the second National Day of Prayer since the pandemic. Much has changed in America because of the pandemic. The power of prayer has remained the...
On behalf of the Chaplains in the URG Chaplaincy, I wish to the members of the Rio Family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. To the Jewish members of the Rio Family, I offer greetings for a Happy Chanuakh! This Christmas carol I will examine this year is a...
Thanksgiving 2020 will soon arrive. Given all the problems of this year, one could be forgiven if anyone were to examine the national scene and find only a scarcity of things that would generate thanks. Permit me to offer a potential solution to this Thanksgiving...
The subject of this year statement is Col. Conrad “Connie” Walker one who was given a unique nickname among the Army chaplains that have served in the U.S. Army since 1775: He is also known as “The Leapin’ Deacon”. Walker was born in Herrick, Illinois on March 2,...
This year American will commemorate the events of September 11, 2001 during a pandemic. This pandemic has altered the normal ceremonies that occur on that day of remembrance. The National 9-11 Pentagon Memorial is closed. The National Park Service plans for the...
The nation is experiencing a situation it has not encountered in more than a century. A highly contagious disease is throughout our land, altering the way of life for most Americans. However, this disease has not lessened or altered the need or power of prayer. ...
Auschwitz- a name infamously preserved as one of the major Nazi sites of the Second World War. Why does this place stand out more than other similar Nazi death camps? Two factors make this camp unique. It was the largest concentration and extermination camp operated...
On behalf of the Chaplains in the URG Chaplaincy, I wish to the members of the Rio Family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. To the Jewish members of the Rio Family, I offer greetings for a Happy Chanuakh! John and Charles Wesley. George Whitefield. Felix...
This year, I thought I would examine a Thanksgiving tradition with a Presidential connection- The pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey. A common belief is that Abraham Lincoln began this practice in 1863, a story reported by the press two years later. Though this...
1969 had its share of memorable events, such as the Moon Landing and Woodstock. Another event that year is not as well known as the two mentioned above. On November 4, 1969, United States Vice President Spiro Agnew made a posthumous award of the Congressional Medal...
Five years ago, the dedication ceremony for the National September 11th Memorial and Museum was conducted with speeches by the President of the United States and the Mayor of New York City. Among the items at this memorial museum are the Ground Zero Cross and a fire...
This year marks not only the eightieth anniversary of the Second World War, it is also the seventy-fifth anniversary of a lesser known, yet important film None Shall Escape, the first Hollywood film to openly depict Nazi brutality towards Jews. In this film, made more...
On behalf of the members of the URG Chaplaincy, I wish the members of the Rio Family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! To the Jewish members of the Rio Family, I offer greetings for a Happy Chanukah! 2018 is not only the centennial anniversary of the end of...
On behalf of the members of the URG Chaplaincy, I bid the members of the Rio Family a Happy Thanksgiving! The United States is not the only country to celebrate Thanksgiving. Canada, China, Germany and Liberia are among those countries that celebrate their own version...
On behalf of the members of the URG Chaplaincy, I take this opportunity to offer greetings to the veterans in the Rio Family in honor of Veterans Day! This year not only marks the centennial of the end of World War One, it is also the centennial year for the U.S. Army...
As we pause today to remember the founding of Rio, let us not forget what happened seventeen years ago today at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville. In regards to that day, may we as a people and a nation NEVER FORGET the sacrifices of Americans...
Those familiar with the Holy Bible likely know the story of the crucified convict known as the Good Thief who, being crucified with Jesus Christ said “Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom”. Jesus replied “Assuredly I say unto you, today you will be with...
Sixteen years ago this month, our nation was forever changed by the attack of Islamic terrorists on our citizens and our way of life. The faces of those who perished that day still stare at the living from picture frames on walls and the pages of photo albums in homes...
On this Holocaust Memorial Day, the civilized world again pauses to remember the lives lost through the evil of Adolph Hitler and his followers over seventy years ago. For some people that is the end of the story. Others recognize that the end of the Holocaust was...
This Christmas season, our nation is still recovering from a divisive national election for President of the United States. The thoughts of peace on Earth and goodwill towards men may be far removed from the minds of those whose candidate lost the election. Instead,...
This Thanksgiving Day follows an exhausting national election with supporters of victorious candidates pleased with the results. Others in our country mourn the defeat of their chosen candidates. Perhaps all sides can admit to having some relief with a break in any...
This year, the world again remembers the Holocaust of the Twentieth Century while the wicked specter of a Twenty-First Century Holocaust haunts our modern world in the form of ISIS and those ideologues of a similar mindset who seek to rain misery, torment and...
On behalf of the members of the Chaplaincy Program, I would like to offer to the members of the Rio family a hearty Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. To the Jewish members of the Rio family, I offer wishes for a Happy Chanukah. Recently, the campus witnessed the...
CHRISTMAS STATEMENT 2014 On behalf of the members of the Chaplaincy Program, I would like to offer to the members of the Rio family a hearty Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. (To the Jewish members of the Rio family, I offer wishes for a Happy...
Statement Concerning the Fifteenth Anniversary of September 11, 2001 This year is the fifteenth anniversary of the attack on America by Islamic terrorist in 2001. For some, the span of years has moved by quickly. Others have perceived a much slower passage of time,...
