May 29, 2023

Bishop Byrne remembers the fallen at Memorial Day Mass

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Carolee McGrath

SPRINGFIELD – Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne celebrated a Memorial Day Mass at Gate of Heaven Cemetery on Tinkham Road in Springfield, Monday, May 29 at 10 a.m. Father Ryan Rooney, the pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Springfield, was the concelebrant. Deacons Michael Pray and Daniel Prats assisted during the Mass which was held outside the Most Holy Redeemer Mausoleum.

 “We’re here to remember those who gave their lives so we may be free,” said Bishop Byrne during his homily. He described how he was truly moved when he visited Normandy, France. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the allied forces led by the United States stormed the beaches of Normandy occupied by Nazi, Germany. The invasion led to the eventual defeat of the Nazis.

“What these young men did, the hill they had to scale, landing at the beach, to witness it is to see the sacrifice of the young men and women who serve so we can live freely,” he said.

Memorial Day has been observed since the late 1800s, following the Civil War, to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U.S. military.

Dozens of Memorial Day Masses were held across the Diocese of Springfield in both cemeteries and churches as people prayed for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and for the families they left behind.

Some of those in attendance visited the graves of loved ones before and after the Mass.

“My brother was 18 when he went to Vietnam,” said Joseph Vaughan, who cleaned the gravestone of his brother Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ronald Vaughan. Lance Cpl. Vaughan was killed in Vietnam at the age of 19.

“The whole platoon died except for one person,” said Vaughan. He remembered what his brother told him the last time he saw him. “He said, ‘Make sure you take care of your family,’” recalled Vaughan. “That’s why I am here every year.”

Vaughan comes from a military family. His father served in World War II and his son served in the U.S. Navy.

Vaughan shared a poem written by his brother while he was in Vietnam. One line reads: “I catch myself, I’d hear me say ‘Oh God, do not forsake my dreams, give us strength, us 1^st Marines.”

Vaughan said he hopes everyone remembers the sacrifices that have been made by military families.