Tag Archives: Four Chaplains Day

National Wedding Ring Day

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I made it through the entire first month of 2026 without mentioning any gimmicky “National Days Of…” but that streak ends today. I wanted to mention a couple different “special designations” of February 3 I have brought up before and then elaborate on an additional one.

Last year on this date I wrote about a significance of February 3 that is very much NOT a gimmick—about as far away from one as you can get. Today is Four Chaplains Day and it commemorates four men who paid the ultimate sacrifice serving our country and serving God. If you need a shot of inspiration, please read my blog post from last year.

Today is also National Carrot Cake Day. Although I have not written a post commemorating this super important observance (😉), I did write at length about carrot cake a few years back on International Carrot Day. You see, my mother-in-law makes the best carrot cake and part of the reason for her mastery of the dessert is the secret ingredient she uses: baby food. Intrigued? You can read my blog post here.

But what I am focusing on today is National Wedding Ring Day. I have written about wedding rings in the past—mostly after the times I lost mine (here and here)—so it is a topic I am somewhat versed in. A wedding ring is very much a tangible (and for many an expensive) object but it is also a symbol. For a married couple, the rings truly are a bond, a piece of jewelry that conveys love and loyalty. To the outsider, it is an indicator that the person wearing it is “taken” and is off-limits to any pursuing.

Sorry, my hand is not “model worthy.” However, I wanted to show off my wedding ring.

I take the wedding rings of both Sid and me very seriously. They were sprinkled with holy water and then slipped on our fingers with care when we entered into the sacrament of holy matrimony. From that moment, they became part of us. Although I do slip my ring off to exercise and shower, it stays on my finger pretty much 23.5/7. If the ring isn’t on my finger for any other reason, I become anxious and almost feel naked. 

Fr. James LeBlanc, pastor of St. Andrew Parish in Myrtle Beach, looks on as we sign our marriage certificate. I had worn my ring for about 30 minutes up until this point. (photo courtesy of Nicholas Gore Weddings Photography).

My wife places similar devotion on her wedding ring. She wears it all the time and has done a better job keeping track of hers. Whereas I have two documented times of when I “lost” my ring, I can only remember one instance when Sid misplaced hers and that was very early in our marriage. Speaking of early in our marriage, my wife added another ring to her finger that carries great significance.

Sidney wears a ring with “Don’t Blink” engraved in my handwriting. 

If you have one, wear it proudly. As someone who had never worn any type of jewelry prior to tying the knot, I wasn’t sure if I would like wearing a wedding ring. I sure was wrong. Don’t Blink.

Four Chaplains Day

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This past Saturday I became aware of a tragic war event that also packed courage and inspiration. I hope you will follow along as I summarize it…

Fr. John P. Washington was ordained to the priesthood in 1935. He served several New Jersey parishes for a handful of years. However, his ministry took a different turn with the attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Deeply impacted by the event, Fr. Washington made the choice to enlist in the U.S. Army so he could bring the message of God’s love and his sacraments to the service people defending our country.

This is First Lieutenant Fr. John P. Washington.

The priest from New Jersey would earn the rank of lieutenant and eventually found himself at Chaplains School at Harvard University. Destined for deployment to Europe, the school was to prepare him for his ministerial mission. While at Harvard, he met three friends—Alexander D. Goode, a Jewish rabbi, George L. Fox, a Methodist preacher, and Clark V. Poling, a Reformed Church pastor.

The four friends, who all wished to minister to troops on the battlefield, were first assigned a mission to what seemed like a much less hostile location—Greenland. They boarded the USAT Dorchester that was bound for the country’s Army Command Base at Narsarsuaq. Unfortunately, the voyage wouldn’t be smooth sailing.

These are the four chaplains who were assigned to sail the Dorchester to Greenland.

About two weeks after departure a German submarine struck the Dorchester with a torpedo. The strike devastated the ship and it became apparent that it only had about 30 minutes before complete sinkage. As chaos ensued, the four chaplains banded together and helped direct traffic and lead troops to the life boats. As things became increasingly bleak and life preservers ran short, the four friends removed their own life jackets and gave them to others. During this time, Fr. Washington gave absolution to soldiers as they entered the waters.

With only moments left before the ship was completely submerged, the four chaplains linked arms, prayed for those in the water and those still on the ship, and sang hymns. Survivors say the final image they had of the ship before it went completely underwater was this show of unity between the men who gave their lives for the troops and God.

One survivor said of the powerful scene: “It was as close to Heaven as I ever hope to be.”

An artistic depiction of the four chaplains on the sinking Dorchester.

The Dorchester sank on Feb. 3, 1943. Today is officially remembered as Four Chaplains Day. I didn’t know about this historical event until this weekend, but I hope that from this point forward I will always turn to it for a courageous example of faith and selflessness. Don’t Blink.