Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Ninety-four years later, we still remember. 

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, World War I officially ended. The tradition of Remembrance Day on November 11 began in England and has spread across the globe as a time to remember the fallen, the men and women who gave their lives in conflict.   

Our church joined in the commemoration of Remembrance Day. We offered special prayers for those who have died in these conflicts and those who have served faithfully. We observed two minutes of silence at the beginning of the service, and we gave thanks for veterans and their families in the congregation.

My own feelings about the military are mixed. I have a peace sign on my ankle, but I’ve never had to face real conflict, real war in my own community. I’ve seen war only through the silver screen and grainy photographs. 

But for many in our congregation, war and its terror is not a detached field of study but a personal experience. They lost loved ones. They fought in the battles. They remember the fear. Their tears on Sunday still bear witness to the many casualties of war. 

We handed out small poppy flowers to be tucked into a button or lapel. The red 
poppy is a symbol for Remembrance Day—apparently the flowers bloomed across the fields of some of the worst battles in World War I. 

And the priest read the poem, “In Flanders Field.” 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow 
Between the crosses, row on row, 
That mark our place, and in the sky, 
The larks, still bravely singing, fly, 
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead; short days ago 
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 
Loved and were loved, and now we lie 
In Flanders fields...

Whether we’ve experienced war firsthand or not, we all should remember. And pray.