CATHOLIC WAR VETERANS AND AUXILIARY OF THE USA

 (Excerpt taken from the booklet written about the Catholic War Veterans by Sister Mary Matthias, RSM)

Ever since the close of World War I, America had been threatened by the so-called political heresies commonly known today as the “Ism” movement, their purpose to destroy Christianity.

Incidentally, up until this time the Catholic Church in America had, strictly speaking, no military veterans organization made up of men and women who had served their country in time of war. It is true that the Knights of Columbus saw to the needs of Catholic soldiers in camps and behind the battlefield. However, The Knights of Columbus is not precisely a veteran organization, but rather a lay organization, commissioned by the United States Government to render services to Catholics in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.

Our Holy Father, Pius XI, warned the world of the dreadful disaster and danger of the “Ism” movements. In response to this warning, aimed directly at Communism, the Reverend Edward J. Higgins, Pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Astoria, Queens, New York, determined not only to heed the Pope’s plea, but also to do something about it.

Father Higgins, who had served as a commissioned Lieutenant Chaplain in the United States Army, had discovered that Catholic servicemen and women had very little organized voice in national matters that concerned their God, their Country and their Home. He knew that without some sort of organized action, the Catholic Veterans could not, as a specific group, voice their approval or disapproval on any matters of grave importance.

Thus, Father Higgins conceived the vital need for an organized Catholic veterans' group. It was due to his priestly guidance, together with the worthy efforts of Past National Commander, John M. Dealy, that the Catholic War Veterans of the United States was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York on May 19, 1935.

 To promote service to God, Country, and to fellow man through the understanding of Christian values, recognized by the Catholic Church; and to support local veterans, youth, and community organizations and strengthen our Cathould faith