Lumen Christi Award finalist

Father John (Frank) O’Grady

BETHESDA, Md.  Father John (Frank) O’Grady, a Catholic clinical chaplain at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center here and a priest of the Paterson Diocese, has been recognized for his exceptional pastoral care for wounded and ill U.S servicemen and women and their families with his nomination as one of eight finalists for Catholic Extension’s 2017-18 Lumen Christi Award.

This marks the first time that a Catholic military chaplain at a military hospital has been named a finalist for the national award, which honors a person or group that works in a mission diocese in the U.S. and “demonstrates how the power of faith can transform lives and communities.” A panel of judges at Catholic Extension selected the finalists from 45 nominees among clergy, religious and laity from around the country.

A retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, Father O’Grady told The Beacon, “I was surprised to be counted among the eight finalists for the Lumen Christi Award. I regard it as an honor for all priests who are involved in ministry to wounded warriors and ill patients, as well as a reflection on the work we do. It reminds me also that priests are successful in their ministry when they have a good support base and enjoy a good spirit of teamwork with chaplains and personnel of other faiths. This type of ministry in a hospital setting, to wounded warriors and their family members, is difficult but it is prayer, which keeps one going,” he said.

Finalists will receive $10,000 each to help support their respective ministries. The ultimate award winner, to be named in the fall, will receive $25,000 with another $25,000 for the winner’s diocese. The late Ethel Williams of Our Lady of Victories Parish, Paterson, won the Lumen Christi Award in 1986. Currently, Father O’Grady serves with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, U.S.A. In 2013 he retired as U.S. Army chaplain after 26 years of service and was awarded the Legion of Merit.

“So great has been Father O’Grady’s impact at Walter Reed that the Army called him out of retirement to help fill the need for priests there and do what the hospital community knows he does so well: guide fallen warriors and their families through agony, illness, and grief — always pointing the way toward the hope of Jesus Christ,” the Archdiocese for the Military Services affirmed in documentation that it submitted to Catholic Extension in support of Father O’Grady’s nomination for the Lumen Christi Award by Archbishop Timothy Broglio of Archdiocese for the Military Services.

Father O’Grady has provided “compassionate pastoral care” that “has revealed the light of Christ” to active-duty military personal and their families in South Korea, Germany and throughout the U.S., Archbishop Broglio wrote.

“His ministry of presence nourishes the faithful amid many trials. As a clinical chaplain at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the past seven years, he is frequently found praying with those severely injured in combat. His frequent visits to soldiers receiving treatment for the long-haul brought spiritual healing, when hope was difficult to grasp,” Archbishop Broglio wrote about Father O’Grady.

Archbishop Broglio cited examples of Father O’Grady’s compassionate care, including his spending five nights at the Pentagon with survivors and victims’ families after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He earned an Army Commendation Medal for his “leadership, dedication to duty and calm professional demeanor during a time of extreme crisis,” enabling him to “flawlessly perform” his duties. He was responsible for taking care of the mortuary section of the recovery operation. He served the United Army Garrison at Fort Belvoir in Virginia in the Military District of Washington, the archbishop wrote.

Father O’Grady helped the U.S. military community in Darmstadt, Germany, deal with an unusual tragic event in 2000: the deaths of two German drivers and the severe injuries of others, after three American teenagers hurled 20-pound rocks off an autobahn overpass. The 7,000 Americans there grappled with feelings of guilt and bewilderment in the aftermath of the deaths and subsequent criminal charges, Archbishop Broglio wrote.

“Father O’Grady took a leadership role and encouraged those, who came to the Army post’s chapel, to pray for the victims, the youths and their families. As the youths were prosecuted in German court, Father O’Grady counseled those struggling with the tragedy and helped the community find healing,” the archbishop wrote.

Father O’Grady began serving with the Army Reserve 2nd Brigade 76th Division, Lodi, in 1987. During the Gulf War, he was stationed at Fort Dix on active duty during part of 1991. Then, the priest left diocesan ministry for full-time service in the Archdiocese for the Military Services, the U.S.’s only global archdiocese and only Catholic jurisdiction responsible for endorsing and granting faculties for priests to serve as chaplains in the U.S. military and Veterans Administration medical centers. During his military service, he also was stationed in South Korea in 2004.

“I was delighted to learn that Father O’Grady was nominated for the prestigious Lumen Christi Award because of his pastoral ministry throughout the years especially now as the Catholic clinical chaplain at Walter Reed national military medical center,” said Msgr. John Hart, director of the diocesan Clergy Personnel Office and pastor of Assumption Parish, Morristown. “He is a devout, dedicated, hard-working priest who has served the people of God in the Diocese of Paterson at St. Margaret’s in Morristown; Our Lady of Pompeii in Paterson and DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne, and the former Paterson Catholic High School. Prior to becoming a full-time military chaplain in the U.S. Army, Father O’Grady served in the Army reserves as a chaplain. He has served our men and women who are defending our nation around the world and this honor is well deserved.”

In 2006, Father O’Grady, then an Army chaplain serving the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade in Fort Huachuca, Ariz., was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, which followed his 1998 promotion to the rank of major. In 2010, he was assigned as the Warrior Transition Brigade chaplain to provide wounded soldiers with the care they need and ability to transition to life, according to the U.S. Army.

Father O’Grady was born in Ireland where he was ordained a priest. He served parishes in England until his arrival in the U.S. in 1978. He earned a doctorate in ministry from Drew University, Madison, in 1983.

Father O’Grady “has led the military communities in each of his assignments through the healing sacraments and prayer,” the Archdiocese for the Military Services documents that support his nomination. “This theme of leading prayer, celebrating the Sacraments and guiding soldiers and families through difficult times highlights the importance of the ministry of the priest in the military,” the Archdiocese for the Military Services stated. “In a particular way, it also points to the gifts that Father O’Grady possesses. Those gifts enabled him to move in and out of people’s lives at key moments, listening to their needs, honoring their dignity and encouraging them in prayer,” it stated.