Catholic Standard and Times - Her legacy: Honoring members of the armed services

Her legacy: Honoring members of the armed services

By NADIA POZO
CS&T Staff Writer

“Every man and woman who wears the uniform of the United States is a hero,” was a lifelong refrain of the late Sister Maria Veronica Keane of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

“I hate war,” Sister Veronica would say. But she always hastened to add that iit didn’t mean she owed any less honor to the men and women who defended her freedom — especially her freedom to worship.

After 50 years of teaching at Catholic schools, Sister Veronica went on to serve as the full-time archivist for the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching, supporting and fostering the principles and obligations of freedom.

She dedicated 17 years of her life to researching, compiling and producing nearly 100 volumes of information on the thousands of men and women who were recipients of the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor from the time of the award’s inception during the Civil War until she died in 2002.

Until she undertook that “labor of love,” as Sister Veronica referred to it, there was no comprehensive documentation of those who had received the highest honor that may be bestowed on anyone in the U.S. Armed Services.
The medal acknowleges its recipient for valor in action, or an act of supreme self-sacrifice, and is of such distinction that it is generally presented by the President.

Not only did Sister Veronica put together the factual information and citations for each serviceman and woman, she also detailed their individual acts of bravery, and shed light on who they were. She also went to great lengths to secure photos of the recipients. “I want no faceless heroes,” she said.

“It was extraordinarily generous for the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to donate Sister Veronica for all those years, in order for her to make such a sacred contribution to our nation … so that future generations of Americans will know just how costly our freedom is,” said Carolynn Carr, a close friend and former student of Sister Veronica.

“As Sister Veronica would say, ‘Freedom doesn’t come cheap.’ It comes at the price of many men and women making sacrifices so that we can live in freedom and worship our God,” Carr added.

Carr organized a memorial Mass and reception on Oct. 21 to honor the beloved nun, who died on Nov. 4, 2002, at the age of 93.

Right up until her death, Sister Veronica continued to remember and honor “her men,” many of whom visited her at Camilla Hall, the I.H.M. residence for retired and infirmed nuns, when she could no longer go to them. She had met 3,387 Congressional Medal recipients during her lifetime.

“When we pay tribute to Sister, we pay tribute to our own military and our veterans, who deserve increased respect and affection,” said Carr, who was in eighth grade when she met Sister Veronica.

During her life, Sister Veronica received numerous awards from the U.S. military, veterans organizations, and the Knights of Columbus, among others. And although she is buried at Immaculata-Camilla Cemetery, her work at Valley Forge had earned her the right to a full military funeral and burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Sister Veronica entered the I.H.M community out of high school, and her first assignment was to teach 110 first-graders. She taught grade school and high school, and then continued to share her knowledge and pride with tour groups of all ages at the Freedom Foundation.

It was during her time there that she befriended Dave Dolby, a U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who spent five tours of duty in Vietnam and miraculously survived. He had heard about Sister Veronica, but didn’t meet her until Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 1978, when she was stuck on a bus waiting to go to the Foundation.

“This was before SEPTA,” Dolby said. “I noticed that Sister Veronica was sitting on a bus that wasn’t moving, and it was snowing.”

Dolby asked her whether she was having a problem, and discovered that Sister Veronica took two buses and two car services to get to Valley Forge and back to her convent. Touched by her commitment, he offered to be her permanent driver. That sparked a lifelong friendship between the two.

Dolby attended the recent tribute to her, and said it was the best event he had ever attended.

“She is by far my best friend, and she taught me everything I know about U.S. military and world history,” Dolby said. “She always stuck up for the military. I was so impressed with her military knowledge. Being with her was a constant learning experience.”

Today he continues to cherish her memory.

Future generations will also come to know her legacy when they visit the Knox Museum of the Freedom Foundation, where a portrait of her painted by Remo Frangiosa — and unveiled by Sister M. Rose Yeager, I.H.M., a member of Sister Veronica’s congregation — was presented with an honor guard at the Mass and reception tribute. The painting now stands next to the volumes of handwritten work she produced during the years she worked there.

“[It] is a remarkable painting, and he really captured her dynamic and joyful persona,” Carr said. “She loved anything Philadelphia and anything Irish. So, at the unveiling, the Mummers Chorus of Philadelphia encircled it and sang ‘Our Lady Queen of Knock’ and an Irish blessing. It was a reverent but joyful event.”

The Mass was celebrated by Bishop John J. Kaising, a bishop for the Archdiocese of the U.S. Military Service, who spent 29 years in the U.S. Army. Five priests concelebrated.

The U.S. Flag, the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor Flag, and the Missing in Action Prisoners of War Flag were all carried in procession at her celebration, and representatives from her congregation, veterans organizations, Catholic schools and the military were present.

“She is remembered for her tremendous love of God and her patriotism,” Carr said. “She did not believe [it was] just a nice or respectful thing to do — but [that it was] our duty as Catholics to acknowledge the people who made the sacrifice. Many have given up so much. Sister thought it was our duty to respect and honor [them].”

CS&T staff writer Nadia Pozo can be reached at npozo@adphila.org or (215) 965-4614.