The Diocese of Phoenix will celebrate its annual Red, White and Blue Mass to honor and pray for military veterans, Sunday, Nov. 9, two days ahead of Veterans Day, the national holiday to honor American servicemen and women.
The Mass at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix, will begin at 11:30 a.m.
Fr. Estevan Wetzel, who serves as chaplain for the Arizona National Guard, will serve as one of this year’s celebrants. Fr. Wetzel, who is also the diocese’s director of Prison Ministries, will deliver the homily. He will concelebrate the Mass with Fr. Fernando Camou, rector of St. Mary’s.
“I’m pretty excited,” Fr. Wetzel said.
This is the 15th such Mass, having been instituted by Bishop Emeritus Thomas Olmsted in 2010.
The service will be Fr. Wetzel’s first time celebrating the Red, White and Blue Mass.
Military service to one’s nation is a higher calling, one that Fr. Wetzel said reflects Christ’s own acts of love and self-sacrifice.
“Our most grateful and fervent prayers can be given toward those who have served our nation,” he said. “And, even more, our attendance at the Mass is appreciated because the cost of military service is not always readily apparent to us who are unfamiliar with the military. We extend our prayers and blessings to those who served, so that they may experience every accompaniment, grace, healing and blessing to live life in peace and strength.”
Unlike Memorial Day, which is dedicated to America’s soldiers who have died, Veterans Day recognizes the living soldier. Many of these individuals, however, carry battle wounds, physical and mental, as well as emotional and spiritual scars, many of which never heal, noted Army Maj. Gen. (Ret.) and Dcn. John Scott of St. Phillip the Apostle Church in Payson, Ariz., part of the Diocese of Tucson. Dcn. Scott will serve at the Mass as well.
“We have all these other ministries, [but] we didn’t have one for one of the largest groups in our diocese: veterans,” Dcn. Scott said. “Bishop Olmsted wanted not so much to honor but to welcome them into God’s Church and family, and let them know they’re appreciated and there is a community here for them.”
Veterans Day is an occasion to thank active-duty, reservists and all those who have served previously in the U.S. military, whether in war or peacetime. It is a time to acknowledge those individuals for their contributions to the nation’s security, letting them know their service is appreciated and underscoring their sacrifice.
And while those who have not worn the uniform may never be able to fully appreciate what veterans have given up to defend America, those acts and the individuals who have carried them out are known intimately by God. Fr. Wetzel does not want that truth to be lost on soldiers.
“Your tremendous sacrifice … has had costs, for your family life, relationship, any aspect of your life. Your service has come at a cost, and sometimes that cost is not seen or able to be fully appreciated, yet you [have] remained faithful and dedicated,” he said.
For a veteran, remembering one’s service is not often a happy occasion.
“We have veterans suffering because they have had things done to them, did things or didn’t do things that gnaw at them years later,” Dcn. Scott explained. “That’s why we have a lot of veterans [dying by] suicide, and why veterans sleep in parks and out under trees.”
He commended the work of agencies, such as Catholic Charities, which Dcn. Scott said “does great work” on behalf of veterans.
And while the wounds of war can be treated with medical expertise and therapy for mental health, ultimately, Dcn. Scott pointed out, there is but one true source of healing.
“The hardest person to forgive is often yourself. Christ can do that. Christ is the healer.”
The Diocese of Phoenix Mass typically includes prayers for veterans and their families and the ceremonial lighting of one red, one white and one blue candle.
Fr. Wetzel’s participation combines his roles in the clergy and the military.
Ordained a priest in 2020, he was sworn in as Army National Guard chaplain in April 2024, when he also became 1st Lt. Estevan Wetzel. His chaplain position is part-time.
While he has no prior service experience, several of Fr. Wetzel’s cousins served in the Marines, and a grandfather was a U.S. Army engineer.
Veterans Day began as a national occasion in the U.S. in 1919 as Armistice Day, taking place on the first anniversary of the truce in 1918 that ended World War I; at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
The U.S. first conducted the burial of an unknown soldier, from World War I, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., in 1921.
Armistice Day officially became a national holiday in 1938. Congress changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor Americans who had served in all conflicts.
Dcn. Scott said there are many things one can do to honor and remember a veteran for his or her service, such as prayer, but heartfelt expressions of love may be one of the most important, something all Catholics can easily do.
“Let them know there is someone who loves them and forgives them,” he said.
A Prayer for Veterans Day from the U.S. Conference of Catholics Bishops:
Lord God, Almighty Father,
creator of mankind and author of peace,
as we are ever mindful of the cost paid for the liberty we possess,
we ask you to bless the members of our armed forces.
Give them courage, hope and strength.
May they ever experience your firm support, gentle love and compassionate healing.
Be their power and protector, leading them from darkness to light.
To you be all glory, honor and praise, now and forever. Amen.
