This article has been imported from our web archive. As a result, it may contain formatting errors, broken links or images, or other inconsistencies from the original publication.
Military fellowship helps Christians in Canadian Forces to grow in faith
Sheila Nonato
November 11, 2010
As Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan ends next year, the need to support returning soldiers and the work of chaplains will increase, says the new director of the Military Christian Fellowship of Canada. Soldiers will be facing spiritual issues related to “whatever has happened in Afghanistan” once they return to Canada, said Jane Twohey, who took the helm of the fellowship on Oct. 29.
“There will be a greater need (for chaplains’ services) as troops go home,” Twohey, a Catholic mother of two, told The Catholic Register from Port Perry, Ont.
The non-profit Military Christian Fellowship of Canada is an inter-denominational body of military and civilian men and women who assist and encourage military Christians to grow in their faith. It also supports military chaplains in their work. There are about 600 members across Canada.
The military fellowship is a sister organization of the Officers’ Christian Union of the United Kingdom, which dates back to the 1800s. In Canada, the fellowship’s work began in the 1980s. It works with chaplains to provide them with the necessary resources, including handing out Bibles to troops.
Twohey said among her priorities as director will be to engage the Canadian churches and raise awareness about the need to pray and intercede for the military and chaplains.
“They’re putting themselves in harm’s way and we need to be praying for them,” she said.
Twohey, 50, is a parishioner at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Port Perry. She says her call to serve the military was sparked after the terrorism attacks of 9/11. As a child, Twohey would have nightmares about dying in a war. This fear resurfaced during 9/11 which led Twohey to pray for God’s help and guidance.
In 2006, Twohey was photographing a military parade during the unveiling of a veteran’s memorial in Toronto when she saw a young cadet in conversation with an elderly veteran.
“God changed my heart and I realized how much I had taken peace and our Canadian military for granted,” she said.
Twohey soon established the initiative called “Team Red Take a Stand Inc.” which supports and pays tribute to soldiers in Afghanistan with a custom designed hockey jersey.
Two years ago, Twohey joined Canada’s then Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier at a red rally to support the military in Bridgewater, N.S. Hillier wore a Team Red jersey which he had received earlier during a chance meeting with Twohey and her family before an Ottawa Senators’ game.
“The appreciation for what our men and women in the Canadian Forces do for Canada and all Canadians is obvious in the effort and compassion that went into the creation of those hockey sweaters and the equally proud wearing of them,” Hillier said in a statement. “All servicemen and women will stand taller, be prouder and serve with even more dedication because of this.”
So far, 2,500 sweaters have been sent to soldiers in Afghanistan, sponsored by several churches, individuals and businesses who buy a jersey and write their “Thank you” notes on the jersey.
In a letter, the first soldier to receive the jersey wrote of the troops’ appreciation.
“Words cannot express the joy you have brought to my heart and the hearts of the 10 troops here in the 114 degree heat of sandy Afghanistan,” wrote Warrant Officer Mark Kendall. “We here in the dust and dirt, among the bullets and the bombs, believe heroes like you are working hard at home to make our jobs in this amazing country worthwhile.”
Since 2002, 152 soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan. Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan is scheduled to end in 2011.