| | Bishop, Father Arts
take part in pastor flight with 185th
By RENEE WEBB, Globe
editor
May 17, 2007The
185th Air Refueling Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard offered its
second pastor flight on May 10.
Among
the nine clergy who were first nominated to take part in the flight and
then opted to participate were two from the Diocese of Sioux
City -
Bishop R. Walker Nickless and Father Paul-Louis Arts, rector of the
Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City.
According
to Lt. Col.
Stephanie Samenus, community manager of the 185th Air Refueling Wing,
they refer to the program as - Send Your Pastor Flying.
"We
had to send the approval all the way up to the National Guard Bureau,
our headquarters, because this is a real-world mission," Samenus said.
"They went on a training mission - went up to Ellsworth Airforce Base
in South Dakota, so they were up over the Black Hills."
Bishop
Nickless mentioned that he had heard about the 185th but was not aware
of their duties.
"This
was a wonderful experience to learn what they do and how significant
they are to the Sioux City area. They are a wonderful addition to the
economy and the community. They do great work for the country," said
the bishop. "I had the opportunity to meet some of the fine people who
are part of the 185th and I was very impressed with their dedication to
the mission that they have undertaken at a difficult time in our
nation's history."
Father Arts described it as a
wonderful and unique experience and said he was happy he participated
in the flight.
The
bishop and Father Arts were able to witness two other planes being
refueled. They were passengers in a KC-135 Stratotanker. The aircraft's
principal mission is air refueling. It can carry about 200,000 pounds
of fuel.
"Visually it was a very exciting
experience," said Father Arts.
They
both were able to lie on their stomachs in the bottom of the plane to
watch the boom operator direct the pipe into the other plane during the
mid-air refueling.
"I was totally amazed by the
technology and the ability for the refueling - going so fast and so
high," said Bishop Nickless.
Samenus,
whose father happens to be a director at the Cathedral, mentioned that
they offer this clergy flight for several reasons. First of all, they
want to raise awareness as to the duties of this particular unit.
About
350 people work full-time at the 185th Air Refueling Wing in addition
to the traditional guards who hold regular full-time jobs elsewhere and
work in the guard monthly.
"Those people have at
times been
deployed and we want these pastors to know about the military so if one
of their parishioners comes to them they can better understand what
people are going through. It gives them an insight about the military,"
explained Samenus.
They also want to raise awareness
about the
need for auxiliary chaplains at the 185th. She mentioned that Father Al
McCoy celebrates Mass there once a month for Catholic members of the
guard participating in drills.
Bishop Nickless
said he would
encourage priests to be of service to the 185th and he is personally
willing to celebrate a Mass for them some weekend.
"This
is a
reminder for us to pray for the men and women in the Air National Guard
and remember the wonderful work they do in serving our country," said
the bishop.
In addition, the 185th has hopes that
the clergy
will speak about their experiences and in turn that will create some
curiosity about the military or interest in serving.
"I
was not
aware of the type of work that they do, so this was really a learning
experience," said Father Arts. "I was taken back with the efficiency in
which they do their work and how vital that is to the defense of the
country."
He learned that the 185th refuels planes
all over the world.
"We
appreciate the bishop and the pastors taking time out of their busy
schedules to come down and see us," said Samenus. "It all does help add
to the military members well-being - emotional and spiritual."
Last
year, in the first year of the pastor flight program, 40 members of
clergy took part and the 185th said it did much to raise awareness.
On
this year's flight, along with members of the clergy, some spouses of
185th members and a few of their employers also were part of the flight. |
