WASHINGTON, DC – The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), set new records Saturday evening for both attendance and giving at its 17th Annual Benefit. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, hosted a record 430 guests at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Northeast Washington, calling on them “to seek the Kingdom of God” and “to tell the truth about Jesus Christ and inspire hope in Him.” The guests, including active-duty and retired senior U.S. Military officers and their spouses, raised $530,000 for the Archdiocese, the largest amount ever collected in the history of the Annual Benefit. The funds will support the AMS mission and ministry, Serving Those Who Serve.
The event opened with a 5:00 p.m. anticipated Sunday Mass in the Redemptor Hominis (Redeemer of Man) Church and concluded with a sit-down dinner in the atrium of the Shrine. At Mass, Archbishop Broglio thanked the many participants for their strong turnout and prayerful support for the Catholic military chaplains, AMS clergy, and support staff who bring the sacraments and pastoral care to those in service to God and Country: “Your abundant and generous response to the invitation to build up both the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and the Saint John XXIII Foundation offers those engaged in meeting the pastoral needs of Catholics in the Military, the VA, and outside our boundaries hope, sustenance, and the pastoral care guaranteed by our Constitution. Thank you.”
In his homily, Archbishop Broglio reflected on the Gospel, Luke 21:5-19, wherein Jesus admonishes all to persevere in faith despite certain adversity. The Archbishop called on the faithful to “consider what is important” as the liturgical year draws to a close, asking, “how do we respond, and what do we do to help others hear the message of salvation?”
Archbishop Broglio reminded those gathered, “We are not eternal. At some point, the Lord will call our name…. The inevitability of death is not a reason for fear unless we are overcome by serious sin. It is a passage into the fullness of that life into which we were baptized. How eager we are for all to know that truth.” He added, however, that “is also not a reason to sit on our hands and wait.” Archbishop Broglio cited the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, in which Saint Paul reminds the nascent Macedonian Christian community “that we do not know the day nor the hour. We must live in a state of preparedness and give example of our use of the talents we have been given….”
Read the full text of Archbishop Broglio’s homily here. Watch the video here.
Concelebrating the Mass with Archbishop Broglio were senior AMS clergy, including Auxiliary Bishops F. Richard Spencer, Neal J. Buckon, William (Bill) Muhm, Joseph L. Coffey, Gregg M. Caggianelli, and Richard B. Higgins (Ret.). Also concelebrating were the Rev. Monsignor Anthony R. Frontiero, S.T.D., Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia; Judicial Vicar Father Mark Rutherford, J.C.L.; Vocation Director Father Paul-Anthony Halladay, CH (MAJ), USA (Ret.), and other retired and active-duty military chaplains. The Rev. Mr. Brendon Schneibel and the Rev. Mr. Christopher Wild served as deacons of the Mass, and some of their fellow co-sponsored seminarians participated as servers. Lieutenant Commander Craig Mauss, USN, and Sergeant Mark Baron, USA, served as lectors. Representatives from the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Naval Academy brought gifts to the altar.
At dinner after Mass, Archbishop Broglio recognized the work of AMS clergy and staff, including the “auxiliary bishops, the Vicar General, the priests and staff who toil every day in ensuring that the Gospel is preached, records are kept, bills are paid, and everything else happens that should in a global archdiocese….”
“In a particular way,” he said, “I am grateful to those in our Advancement Department who have worked so diligently to make this event a success. The Knights of Columbus continue to be our gracious hosts, and I could never really begin to list all that they make possible for the AMS. A special thanks for all who work here at this shrine. It is also opportune to thank the work of the Saint John XXIII Foundation and its patrons and donors for their constant support of the mission of the Archdiocese. You probably all know that Saint John XXIII, a chaplain during the first World War, was the last chaplain to become pope.”
It’s not too late to make a gift to the Annual Benefit. Donations continue to be gratefully accepted at milarch.org/annual-benefit.
Meanwhile, the AMS Office of Advancement announced the 18th Annual Benefit for the AMS will be held on Saturday, November 21, 2026, beginning with the Celebration of Holy Mass at 5:00 p.m. (EST) at the Saint Paul II National Shrine, 3900 Harewood Road NE, Washington, DC, 20017.