By Jimmy Gilmartin ‘23

On Thursday, Nov. 10, Brother Rice held its annual Veterans Day prayer service. Brother Rice hosts this prayer service every year to honor and remember all the brave men and women who have served for this country.

The service started with an opening prayer and scripture reading by peer ministers Bill Reardon and Joe Heilmann.

The next event to take place was the saying of petitions, led by peer ministers Kevin Lufrano and Ben McMurray.

Ben McMurray ’23 said, “I think it’s great that the school took time out of the day for the prayer service. We often take our lives of comfort for granted and fail to realize the sacrifices countless veterans have made for us to be here.”

After that was the highlight of the prayer service. JJ Konstant, a Marine Captain and Brother Rice graduate in the class of ‘99, reflected on his time in the marines, and what it means to serve for your country.

Senior Christian Clettenberg said, “The speech made me think about how brave some of these men are. Not every man is willing to die for his country, and those who are should be talked about more.”

Candles were then lit to honor all the former Brother Rice graduates who have died in uniform. Senior band members Brendan Kenny and Alex Cichowicz followed the candles with the playing of “Taps”.

The service ended with a closing prayer and concluding song, “America the Beautiful”, played by the Brother Rice band and directed by Mr. Zielinski.

Bill Reardon said, “It was great that the school came together to remember our fallen veterans, especially our fallen alumni. We remember all the sacrifices they made so that we could have the freedom that we have today.”