Author: civilleadmin

Dear Friends, It was a time of serious stock market losses, deep disappointment over greed and selfishness in high places, and palpable national anxiety over the economic days to come. No, we’re not talking about the Fall of 2008, but the Fall of 1933. It was in that year that the newly elected president, Franklin…

Although the time and date of the first American thanksgiving observance may be uncertain, there is no question but that this treasured custom derives from our Judeo-Christian heritage… A band of settlers arriving in Maine in 1607 held a service of thanks for their safe journey, and twelve years later settlers in Virginia set aside…

Dear Friends and Family, It was 20 years ago this year that a low-orbit telescope was launched from the earth by Space Shuttle Mission STS-31. At the time there were modest hopes that a new telescope operating outside the confines of earth’s atmosphere would offer us a slightly better view of the cosmos and what…

Dear Friends, Just two days after the horrendous events of 9/11 at the World Trade Center in New York City, a construction worker approached a Catholic priest standing among the smoking ruins, “Father, do you want to see God’s house?” he asked. “Look over there.”* Father Brian Jordan squinted across the tons of twisted rubble…

Dear Friends, America – “The land of the free and the home of the brave.” At one time or another, all of us have heard our great land described in those terms. Recently, we were all bombarded with each candidate’s view of what that looks like. In the process, I’m afraid, all too many lost…

Dear Friends, They were a group accustomed to hardships. Imprisoned in their native country because of their beliefs, they fled their homeland when first possible. Treacherous weather conditions caused them to set sail without their wives and families. The hostile king they fled sent agents to hunt them down even in the foreign country where…

Dear Friends, “It should be the object of all to avoid controversy, to allay passion, give full scope to reason, and to every kindly feeling.” “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we…

Dear Friends, What significant day in our country’s history is almost as old as Thanksgiving and was celebrated for decades on the same day? The answer might surprise you. It is the National Day of Prayer. For nearly 250 years, Americans of all backgrounds, creeds and faiths have come together to ask the Almighty to…

The story of America is unlike any other. It is the saga of a nation formed and sustained not by might, political alliances, or geographical advantage, but upon the shared ideals of liberty and opportunity pursued with an indomitable spirit. These core convictions run deep in our American character and are so powerful in scope…

Dear Friends, For the past 22 years, we have been sharing pieces of our American heritage with you so that it may enrich your season of Thanksgiving. This is our 23rd edition. But this 23-year tradition pales in comparison to the Thanksgiving custom of our American presidents. George Washington began the tradition on October 3,…