WRNMMC, Bethesda, MD  –   For the past decade, the Archbishop for the Military Services has led the Ash Wednesday Mass at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), and he continued that tradition this year, leading the liturgy on Feb. 22 in Memorial Auditorium.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS) since 2008, and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops since 2022, annually makes his sojourn to WRNMMC to begin Lent, placing ashes on the foreheads of patients, staff and visitors.

During the mass this year, Broglio spoke about the people in Ukraine, whom he said are “experiencing the daily rigors of war and are victims of a brutal aggression from a powerful enemy which they are resisting valiantly.” He visited Ukrainian missions last December, and said he saw “amongst the destruction, the charitable response of the world.” He also said the Ukrainians’ fight for their independence makes him think of “the ragtag Continental Army” that faced the British in 1776 and 1812.

Brogolio said the sacrifices of the Ukrainian people is for a greater cause, which is the real meaning of life, he added.

The archbishop said many of the patients at WRNMMC have also made great sacrifices for the United States, as do their care providers at the medical center. He paralleled those sacrifices to Lent and the need to keep hope for the better.

“We engage in sacrifice, fast, and [abstinence] during Lent to remind ourselves that this world will pass, and we must be ready to welcome the kingdom of God,” Brogolio said. “Lent is a time of conversion and renewal, and it provides an opportunity to look forward filled with hope. Easter reminds us that victory is possible, and worth the effort,” he concluded.

Pope Benedict XVI named Broglio head of the AMS on Nov. 19, 2007. He was installed on Jan. 25, 2008, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

Pope John Paul II created the AMS to provide the Catholic Church’s full range of pastoral ministries and spiritual services to those in the U. S. armed forces. This includes more than 220 installations in 29 countries, patients in 153 Veteran Affairs Medical Centers, and federal employees serving outside the boundaries of the United States in 134 countries. Numerically, the AMS is responsible for more than 1.8 million men, women, and children, according to its website.