By Dan Russo
Editorial
As far as priestly vocations go, Father Bill Kneemiller was a late bloomer. Ordained for the Diocese of Davenport in his 40s, he was later commissioned as a chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserves. Beginning in 2001, at age 51, Father Kneemiller was deployed to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. He later served at U.S. military bases in Jordon.
Speaking to The Catholic Messenger before the Scott County Veteran’s Day Parade (held Nov. 11), the now 75-year-old called it a privilege to be chosen to give a benediction at this year’s event.
“My dad was in World War II,” said Father Kneemiller. “My time (in the military) was light compared to my dad. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded.”
In retirement, the pastor has not forgotten the warriors he ministered to or the people he met in the Holy Land, who have been suffering greatly due to the recent conflict. Father Kneemiller has a special place in his heart for Christians in the town of Bethlehem in particular. He founded the Holy Land Military Rosary Project. Through it, a community of Catholics in Bethlehem coordinate with Catholics in Muscatine to make rosaries.
“As we have been doing for years, we donate 700 to 1,000 olive-wood Crucifix Rosaries a month to military chaplains around the world, via our contact with the Augustine Institute,” wrote the priest in a recent update. “Our charitable funds go to purchase rosary supplies, and the key purchase is the Olive-wood Crucifix made by the 70 families of ‘Little Bethlehem,’ who make the crucifixes. We estimate that we have donated over 80,000 Olive-wood crucifix rosaries to chaplains in the past decade!”
A year ago a new project began — The Ghana Rosary Project, sponsored by Father David Paintsil of St. Joseph Parish in Hills. Father Paintsil asked the charity to donate 15,000 Holy Land Rosaries to Catholic school children in Ghana. To date, over 6,500 rosaries have been sent to Ghana, according to Father Kneemiller.
“As we get charitable contributions to make the olive-wood Crucifix Rosaries, we help spread the Holy Rosary in Ghana, but also support the needy Catholic families in Bethlehem who make the olive-wood crucifix,” he reported.
Surviving in Bethlehem, in war-torn Israel, has been a trial for these Christians, who live within walking distance of Jesus’ birthplace. Although a cease-fire agreement has halted fighting in that area and a peace deal is on the table, people in the region are still struggling to obtain food and other necessities. The rosary projects help the families involved earn income that has become essential to them.
Most of us probably couldn’t make it to veterans’ parades this year, but our concern for those who served doesn’t have to stop once the holiday is over. We can obviously thank the veterans we meet in our daily lives. We can also help current military members and non-combatant victims of war by supporting good charities like the one Father Kneemiller is involved with. The rosary project is addressing both physical and spiritual needs. Another way we can acknowledge our debt to service men and women, is to heed the pope’s call to pray for peace. “The rosary is one of the most powerful devotions entrusted to us by Our Lady, and in these turbulent times, it remains a sure path to peace, conversion, and deeper love of Christ,” Pope Leo XIV said at a general audience in October.
For more information on the Holy Land Military Rosary Project, visit holylandmilitaryrosary.org
Dan Russo, editor
