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Clergy Appreciation Week celebrated by Hope Civitan Club

Clergy Appreciation Week Hope Civitan Club Mayor Don Still Proclamation

The Hope Civitan Club, along with Civitans worldwide, is observing Clergy Appreciation Week during the month of February. Hope Mayor Don Still met with local Civitans Friday, February 2, and signed a proclamation, designating February 4-10 as Clergy Appreciation Week in Hope. The proclamation reads, in part: WHEREAS, on February 3, 1943, four chaplains aboard the sinking troopship USS Dorchester gave their lives so others might live; and Civitan clubs have taken the initiative to set aside a special time to recognize and honor these and modern-day clergy of all faiths; and ministers, priests, and rabbis have dedicated their lives to service; and many citizens benefit from the presence and work of clergy in the community; Mayor Still, on behalf of the City Board of Directors, declares the week of February 4 through February 10, 2024, as Clergy Appreciation Week in the City of Hope, and calls upon all citizens to show appreciation and support for the clergy whose efforts make this community a better place in which to live.The annual Civitan observance honors leaders of all faiths for their dedicated service to their local communities. Civitan clubs have set aside a week in February since 1963 to honor local faith leaders, inspired by the story of four military chaplains -- Rev. George L. Fox, a Methodist minister; Fr. John P. Washington, a Catholic priest; Rev. Clark V. Poling, a Reformed Church in America minister; and Alexander D. Goode, a Jewish rabbi, who all sacrificed their lives in service to others on board the USS Dorchester after it was hit by a torpedo fired by a German submarine. The troop transport ship was in route to Greenland with over 900 soldiers on board. The four chaplains, all lieutenants in the United States Army, distributed life jackets and when the supply of life jackets ran out, gave theirs to other soldiers and locked arms in prayer for the safety of others as the ship submerged into icy waters. When the last lifeboats were gone, the chaplains prayed with those unable to escape the sinking ship. Twenty-seven minutes after the torpedo struck, the Dorchester disappeared below the waves with 672 men still aboard. The last anyone saw of the four chaplains, they were standing on the deck, arms linked and praying together. Each of the four chaplains was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart. The story of the Four Chaplains has been commemorated in several books, films and in song. However, Clergy Appreciation Week is not intended to be a memorial to the chaplains – but rather a week of celebration and appreciation for clergy who dedicate their lives to the service of others in their communities. The Hope Civitan Club encourages everyone to show appreciation to Hope’s dedicated members of the clergy during Clergy Appreciation Week.

Pictured with Mayor Still (center) at the proclamation signing are Civitans (from left) Bonnie Anderson, club President Mona Still, Debbie Hines, Twyla Pruden and Jerry Pruden.

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