Monks and soliders join forces for healing

Monks of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE) are joining forces with a member of the Massachusetts National Guard to help men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan find a safe place to heal. Episcopal Life Online reports,

"There is a tremendous need to help these folks," according to Capt. Jeffery Cox of the Massachusetts National Guard.

Cox, a clinical social worker with the Guard, offered his expertise and advice to the brothers of the Society in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to create a time of healing at the monastery specifically for members of the armed services who have spent long stretches away from home in war zones.

Cox has been deployed twice since 2003 and served in a combat stress company in Iraq in 2005-2006. He is a postulant for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and the Episcopal Church Province 1 Coordinator for Episcopal Relief and Development. He works full-time as a contractor for the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program, supporting seriously injured and wounded soldiers throughout New England.

The brothers reserved the first weekend in October at the monastery to offer a healing retreat for people returning from places of war.

Read it all here

More from Associated Press here

Posted by Ann Fontaine on July 17, 2007 6:00 AM | |
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