Author Archives: frdavid11

Shorter story means time for a longer prayer. I don’t think prayer should be a sermon, but yet, when done correctly, it can teach us—including the one praying—something about who God is, and what our relationship is to Him. Still, this is a good story to illustrate that maybe things aren’t quite so bad now,Continue reading “Daily Prayer, 22 April”

One of the ships I have deployed with is the USS San Jacinto. A Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser, she and the rest of her sisters are named for significant battles in US History. San Jacinto is an interesting choice to name a US warship, because the United States was not really involved in that battle.Continue reading “Daily Prayer, 21 April”

I had to go back and update the numbers on this one, and was surprised to find that, while two years ago the Cubs and Dodgers were tied for the lead in the dubious distinction mentioned herein, both have added to their totals and they are no longer tied. I noticed this time, that moreContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 20 April”

I’m never ashamed to be patriotic, and I don’t know if this current crop of Sailors—or even my own kids—are told these stories in school at all. If they are, they don’t seem to be told with the same patriotic fervor that they were when I was growing up. It isn’t cool, I guess. ButContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 19 April”

I found it quite exciting to write about the history of places that we were sailing in and around, and I hoped that others would also find it so. I don’t remember many conversations after this particular prayer, but I did notice an increase in the use of the term described herein. It gave meContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 18 April”

This was a fun story to write because I got to pretend that I know as much about basketball as I do baseball. Because this prayer generated so many conversations the next couple days I was quickly exposed, but delightfully so since I was then able to get to the real point I was tryingContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 17 April”

I’m sharing this Easter Prayer on Pascha, rather than Easter because I can. But originally it was, as you can surmise, offered on Easter Sunday. The feast mentioned is the special meal that the command planned as a morale boost for the crew, but, for logistical reasons made more complicated by COVID restrictions, did notContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 16 April”

I suppose it’s the same everywhere, but a Sailor has to mark his career with specific achievements if he or she wants to promote to the next higher paygrade. Sometimes in our efforts to gather accomplishments and accolades, we forget that only we remember our achievements, and everyone else only remembers how we treated them.Continue reading “Daily Prayer, 15 April”

Celebrating significant holidays underway on deployment is tough for anyone, but it was especially tough during COVID. It was hard to imagine that my Holy Week on board a ship was closer to normal than the ones my brother priests were celebrating back home in the States. In order to observe the Easter/Pascha season, weContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 14 April”