In the summer of 1984, my second summer at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, I spent five weeks on a cruise aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Taney, a 327-foot ship named after Roger B. Taney, the 12th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. In 1984, the Taney was 48 years old and was a unique ship on active service in the Coast Guard because it was present at Pearl Harbor 77 years ago today on December 7, 1941--a date that, as President Franklin Roosevelt correctly predicted, lives in infamy. You can visit the Taney in Baltimore Harbor where it has been a National Historic Landmark since 1988. Even though it is gradually disintegrating, I still have my "Cutter Taney" ball cap from 1984.
Obviously, I was thinking of the Taney because today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Dates like this are valuable times to reflect on values like patriotism, service, sacrifice and the fortitude that our nation has shown over the course of its history. I asked the students at an assembly yesterday to use the time during the singing of the National Anthem at school events to reflect on those moments in our nation's history when such strength of character was called for especially, as well as on those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Seeing our Sisters renew their vows during Mass yesterday was another moment for being reminded about service and sacrifice...as well as humility and many other attributes. As she has done in the past, Sister Regina, on behalf of all the Sisters, thanked the students for letting the Sisters be part of their lives. So, as we were trying to salute the Sisters, Sister turned the salute back to the student body in a way that reflects the selfless service we see in all of the Sisters we are blessed to work with in our community. It happened that the General Superior of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was with us at Mass yesterday too. She shared with the students that when the IHM Sisters of her community around the world rise before dawn to pray each day, they pray the Angelus for the students of the school communities where they serve. I thought this was a powerful moment for the students to get a stronger sense for both the meaning and the power of prayer.