Friday, September 30, 2011

WARTIME PRAYER BOOKS



May the Lord give you his peace!

The call to defend one’s country is certainly a vocation of great honor and responsibility.  Indeed, the very nature of their military vocation calls our soldiers to daily sacrifice, and many have paid the ultimate price by giving their lives while fulfilling this service for God and Country.  Certainly Archbishop Sheen understood the important role a soldier has in our society, and he was happy to show his support for the men and women serving in the armed forces.   

The Archbishop was quite aware that along with the physical dangers that soldiers face, there are also very real spiritual battles that are unique to a soldier’s profession. It was in response to these needs that in 1943, he wrote his prayer book for soldiers entitled The Armor of God, which was reprinted as the Wartime Prayer Book. The Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation has distributed over 200,000 of these books to our soldiers stationed all over the world. I am convinced that the prayers and reflections of Archbishop Sheen are just as relevant today as they were over 60 years ago. I know that the Wartime Prayer Book has brought guidance, inspiration and peace of soul to tens of thousands of troops who have received them over the years. One of the most exciting blessings that has come about through this campaign is that non-Catholic members of our military are asking for copies of the Wartime Prayer Book as well. 


Your help has made all the difference in the past, but there continues to be so many more men and women who need our support. Our ability to meet these high volume requests is dependent on you, our faithful donors. For example in May we sent 9000 books overseas and they are already out of books and in need of more. We urgently need your help to reach out to our service men and women. By giving these men and women a copy of the Wartime Prayer Book, we show our appreciation for all that they do and for the sacrifices they make. Will you help us arm our young men and women in the military with a powerful weapon for their daily spiritual battles?

“I am not fighting for freedom from something; but for freedom for something: the glorious freedom to call my soul my own and then to save it in cooperation with God’s grace.” (Quoted from Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s Wartime Prayer Book)

May God reward your generosity,

Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.
Vice Postulator
Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation

$40.00 sends 10 books to our soldiers and $400.00 sends 100 books.  You may mail in a check to the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation or Click here to donate on-line DONATE