In appreciation of our chaplains
Please join Bishop Claude Miller in appreciation of the New Brunswick Anglican chaplains who take the light of Christ into the darkest corners of the war in Afghanistan and to the homes of grieving families half a world away.
To my beloved friends, senior Padre Malcolm Berry and Padre Steele Lazerte in Kandahar, Afghanistan; Major John Organ (regular forces), the senior Anglican chaplain at CFB Gagetown; the Ven. Walter Willliams of Woodstock and the Rev. Greg McMullin of Saint John, captains in the reserve forces; and the Rev. Rod Black of Bathurst, a civilian called upon to do chaplaincy work in the north east of our province.
The news from Afghanistan is dark, but the light of Christ shines through these dark days, thanks to you.
Mac and Steele, you left for Kandahar in March praying for an “everybody comes back safely” miracle. But I know you were also completely prepared to help the soldiers of the Second Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment (2RCR) and their families get through whatever their six-month tour of duty had in store for them.
Thank God you were well prepared, because you have faced the worst. And thank God you have not had to face the darkness alone.
Your extensive training, as well as your Christian love and charity, 
enable you to offer comfort to those with wounded bodies, broken hearts and exhausted spirits.
Clearly you are in the right place, at the right time for the right reasons, but we can’t help but appreciate that it takes immense courage and humility to do the dangerous work God has called you to do. While we wait for the world to embrace the Prince of Peace and put an end to armed conflict, we hold you, your fellow padres, the troops and their families before God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The same can be said for the team of Anglican chaplains on the ground here in the diocese, close to the families of the troops
You are all in our hearts and prayers as you minister to our troops and the innocent civilians brutalized by war in Afghanistan.
Go with God.
