October 27, 2020

Dear Saint Bernadette Parishioners,

It has been a year since my return from serving as an active duty Catholic chaplain for RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in England. During this time, we have worked together to navigate the current pandemic and generate COVID19 mitigation procedures that I am grateful you are dutifully following so as to keep one another safe. I believe the timing of my return was providential.

I must announce to you today that another deployment rotation has arrived that will take me once again to RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall so I can serve their Catholic military community while their only priest deploys to another part of the world. Our military members need access to the sacraments, and it is the responsibility of our Catholic military chaplains to provide them. Given the great shortage of priests who serve in the military, it is essential that Guard chaplains like myself and the civilian parishes they serve step into the gap. This deployment will begin for me soon after Christmas and continue until early July 2021. 

This pattern of deployment is very familiar to our military families who must sacrifice regularly to allow their loved ones to serve our nation abroad. This brings much stress and strife into their lives, as you can imagine. As we now experience first-hand this deployment cycle through my service responsibilities, I am hopeful that I will be able to bring a bit of our Saint Bernadette community spirit to those who serve our nation. I hope to be able to minister to the stresses military service brings to those who give up so much.

We are providentially blessed to have Fr. Brandon still with us for a third year as well as the professional, caring staff we have come to reliably depend upon. I am confident in their collective ability to lead our community in my absence. Given Fr. Brandon’s experience, I will not be asking Fr. Pepper to live in residence so as to assist weekly. However, Fr. Pepper will help the three weeks Fr. Brandon is scheduled to be away on vacations. I ask that each of you find a way to encourage and support Fr. Brandon and our staff in the coming months.

Our Kentucky Guard members regularly are called upon to support the larger mission of our military around the world, and their families and employers share this burden. My new orders will again join Saint Bernadette in this sacrifice so as to support our troops in harm’s way. I ask for your continued prayers and know of mine for you.

Sincerely, Fr. Jeff