By DAVE SCHULTZ
He’s a Catholic priest and he’s a U.S. Army veteran, having served two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
Father Stephen Falicichia is a Waynedale native, a 2004 graduate of Bishop Luers High School, and he is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point.
He was the speaker for Wells County’s Memorial Day commemorations, speaking particularly at the Bluffton ceremony outside the home of American Legion Post 111 on West Washington Street and later in Ossian, at Oak Lawn Cemetery.
He joined the Army out of high school, and there was no doubt about it: Sept. 11 was his motivation. His parents were both police officers; he felt the need to serve and received an appointment to West Point.
When he graduated, he was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the Army. He was eventually promoted to captain.
“I got to serve with some of the best human beings I ever met in my life,” Falicichia said after Monday’s ceremony “I lost two of them in my second deployment and I did my best to give honor to their memory.”
When he closed his remarks in Ossian, he challenged his listeners.
“What do you remember?” he asked. “What’s worth holding on to? What’s worth passing on to others?”
“I remember those men,” he continued. “I remember my family. I remember my faith — and through those memories, I live it. May it please God, you do the same.”
Falicichia decided to enter the priesthood during that second tour in Afghanistan. For the past three years, he has served as the parochial vicar of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Fort Wayne. Starting June 20, he will serve as the pastor of St. Mary’s of the Lake in Culver, Ind.
The ceremony was a somber event, and members of the American Legion provided a rifle volley and led in the moments of remembrance. Father David Violi of Bluffton’s St. Joseph Catholic Church provided the opening prayer and the benediction.
In addition to ceremonies in Bluffton and Ossian, there were ceremonies at Elm Grove and Fairview cemeteries.
daves@news-banner.com
