veteran – The Community of Warrior Penitents

Why Warrior Penitents Embrace Daily Rosary Prayers

Within the Community of Warrior Penitents, the Rosary is not merely a private devotion, it is a disciplined act of love, offered daily for the salvation of souls. After praying the traditional five decades, we add a sixth decade, intentionally offered for the souls in Purgatory.

This practice flows directly from Catholic teaching, the witness of the Saints, and our commitment to live the Gospel through concrete acts of charity and mercy.

What is the Church’s Teaching on Purgatory

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that those who die in God’s grace but still require purification undergo a final purification before entering heaven:

“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”

(CCC 1030)

These souls are saved, but they suffer in longing for the fullness of union with God. The Church further teaches that our prayers truly assist them:

“The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead.”

(CCC 1032)

Praying for the souls in Purgatory is not optional piety. It is an expression of charity rooted in the Communion of Saints.

The Church is not divided by death. The Catechism reminds us:

“In the communion of Saints, a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth.”

(CCC 1475)

The souls in Purgatory can no longer merit for themselves. They depend entirely on the mercy of God and on the prayers of the Church on earth.

As Warrior Penitents, formed by fraternity and mutual reliance, we recognize this bond instinctively. We do not abandon our own, we never leave a fallen comrad, and we never forget the fallen.

Why the Rosary?

The Rosary places us in the school of Mary, who leads us to contemplate the life, death, and resurrection of her Son. It is a prayer of mercy, trust, and perseverance which is precisely what the souls in Purgatory most need.

St. Alphonsus Liguori, a Doctor of the Church, wrote:

“It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”

Through the Rosary, we ask Our Lady, our Mother of Mercy, to intercede for those undergoing purification, just as she intercedes for us.

But, Why a Sixth Decade?

The sixth decade is a deliberate act of intercessory love.

The traditional five decades draw us deeply into the mysteries of Christ. The sixth reminds us that prayer must move beyond ourselves. It trains the heart in spiritual generosity and mercy. The first five decades are internal reflection and contemplation on the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, the sixth decade is for charity toward others, hope in eternity, and love for those in need.

St. Catherine of Genoa, whose writings on Purgatory are among the most profound in the Church, explains both the suffering and the hope of the holy souls:

“The souls in Purgatory willingly endure their pain because they see it as God’s will, and they are certain of reaching Him.”

Yet she also teaches that our prayers hasten their purification. If we can be helpful in helping people get to heaven, why would we not take action?

A Spiritual Work of Mercy

Praying for the dead is one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy, and the Catechism explicitly affirms its power:

“From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them.”

(CCC 1032)

St. John Chrysostom urged Christians not to neglect this duty:

“Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.”

For Warrior Penitents, men and women shaped by service and sacrifice, this practice is a natural extension of fraternity. It is loyalty beyond the grave. It is also an extension to our service where we were trained from the first day of Basic Training to never leave a fallen comrad.

Mercy That Forms the Heart

Praying daily for the souls in Purgatory also transforms us. It reminds us of our own need for mercy, our dependence on God’s grace, and the seriousness of the call to holiness. It takes our focus from the temporal to the eternal.

St. Padre Pio said:

“We must empty Purgatory with our prayers.”

By offering the sixth decade each day, we participate in Christ’s redemptive love and unite ourselves to His mercy.

Never Leaving a Soul Behind

The sixth decade of the Rosary is a simple act, but it carries eternal weight. It is a reminder that love does not end at death, that prayer reaches beyond time, and that the Church remains one body.

As Warrior Penitents, we commit ourselves to this daily offering, not out of obligation, but out of love.

May our prayers bring relief to the suffering souls. May Our Lady lead them swiftly to her Son. May we, in praying for them, grow in mercy ourselves. May we continue to live lives of charity and mercy for those present around us, and those who have passed on before us.

In Christ and Prayer,

Prayer:

Deliver them from Purgatory
My Jesus, by the sorrows Thou didst suffer in Thine agony in the Garden, in Thy scourging and crowning with thorns, on the way to Calvary, in Thy crucifixion and death, have mercy on the souls in purgatory, and especially on those that are most forsaken; do Thou deliver them from the terrible torments they endure; call them and admit them to Thy most sweet embrace in paradise. Amen.

Renewing Faith and Fraternity in 2026

I did not write a New Year post when the calendar turned. Not because the moment lacked meaning, but because our life as Warrior Penitents is not governed by dates as much as it is by fidelity.

Still, the beginning of a year invites reflection on our faith and on our journey. Not on resolutions that fade, but on who we are walking with and why we walk at all along a path less traveled.

As we step into this year, the Community of Warrior Penitents is called to renew its focus, not by adding burdens, but by returning to what is essential: Christ, fraternity, prayer, and service lived faithfully together.

We Do Not Walk Alone

One of the deepest wounds many veterans carry is isolation, whether by force or by choice. After years of shared mission and mutual reliance, civilian life can feel fragmented and solitary. Our community exists precisely to answer that wound. We are not recreating the military, rather we are forming something deeper: Christian fraternity between brothers and sisters in arms and faith.

We are not a collection of individuals pursuing holiness on parallel paths. We are brothers and sisters bound by a shared Rule of Life, walking toward Christ side by side, developing depths of strength in our bonds between one another.

This year, let us be intentional about presence:

Check in on one another.
Pray for one another by name, immediately when in need.
Show up, even when it is inconvenient. Be the brother or sister who can be counted on regardless of the day or time.
Refuse the quiet drift toward isolation. Seek fraternity and community among one another.

Fraternity is not an accessory to our faith. It is one of the ways Christ chooses to sustain us.

Focus Before Force

The temptation at the start of any year is to do more, through resolutions to pray more, read more, serve more. While discipline matters, focus matters more. Maybe it is time to strengthen something that is already part of your life to grow stronger in your faith.

Our Rule of Life already gives us direction:

A life rooted in prayer.
Faith expressed through works of mercy and charity.
Simplicity, humility, and readiness to serve.

Rather than adding new demands, let this year be about greater faithfulness to what we have already embraced. A well-prayed Divine Office. Scripture read attentively and meditated upon. Service offered without recognition, the only witness being those served and our Lord. Small acts done consistently out of charity and love.

Holiness is not achieved through intensity alone, but through perseverance and consistency, and a willing to get up and begin again after falling.

Active Contemplation, Lived Together

Active contemplation is prayer united to action and is not meant to be lived in isolation. Our prayer shapes our service, and our service deepens our prayer. When we share that rhythm as a community, it becomes a source of strength.

This year, let us allow our common prayer and common mission to bind us more closely. Let our prayer build bridges between one another. Let our service sharpen our love for the poor and those in need. Let accountability be an expression of care, not control.

In a divided world, a community that prays, serves, and remains united becomes a powerful witness and does more than demonstrate our faith, it shares it with the hearts of others.

Faith That Endures

This year will bring challenges, some expected and others not. Fatigue, doubt, and distraction will test each and every one of us. But endurance is something we understand well.

As Warrior Penitents, we are not called to perfection, and we knowingly will never attain it on this side of Heaven. We are called to faithfulness and action. To return again and again to Christ. To rise when we fall. To remain when leaving would be easier. To help our brother and sisters in arms to carry their burden, together.

Let this be a year marked not by grand achievements, but by quiet perseverance.

A Simple Intention for the Year

If we were to name a single intention for the year ahead, let it be this:

To grow closer to Christ by growing closer to one another.

Grow in your prayer life.
Grow in fraternity, within your community.
Grow in service with a willingness to serve anyone in need.

May we be men and women who carry one another’s burdens, who seek Christ in the poor, and who remain rooted in the humility and simplicity of St. Francis.

We walk forward together, we are all penitents, brothers and sisters, servants of Christ.

May God bless you this year and may you finish 2026 stronger in your faith and relationships.

In Christ and Prayer,

Growing in Faith: A Call to Action for 2026

As one year closes and another approaches, many people begin to set goals; physical goals, financial goals, professional goals. Yet for Christians, and especially for those of us formed by discipline, sacrifice, and service, the most important question is not what will I accomplish? but who will I become?

As we look toward 2026, the Community of Warrior Penitents invites all Catholics, especially our brothers and sisters who have served or who are currently serving, to dedicate the coming year to growing intentionally in the Catholic faith and living that faith openly through service to our neighbors.

This is not a call to shouting louder words, but to a clearer witness.

Faith That Is Lived, Not Hidden

Catholic faith was never meant to be confined to the private sphere. From the earliest days of the Church, Christians were recognized not primarily by what they said, but by how they lived; how they loved, how they forgave, how they cared for the poor, the sick, the needy, and the forgotten.

Our Lord Himself is unmistakably clear:

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

To live an open life of faith does not mean seeking attention or approval. It means refusing to separate belief from action, prayer from service, or Sunday worship from weekday living. Faith that remains hidden quickly becomes faith that withers.

Formation Before Action

The temptation is always to rush into doing. But the Church teaches, and experience confirms, that right action flows from right formation.

Dedicating 2026 to the Catholic faith begins with returning to the sources:

Sacred Scripture, read daily and prayed with reverence
The Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation
The Liturgy of the Hours, uniting our days to the prayer of the Church
The Rosary, contemplating Christ through the eyes of Our Lady
The teachings of the Church, received humbly and lived faithfully

For Warrior Penitents, this discipline is familiar. Just as training precedes mission, spiritual formation precedes fruitful service.

Faith Made Visible Through Service

The Letter of St. James leaves no room for ambiguity:

“Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:17).

An open life of faith is one that naturally moves outward. Love of God finds expression in love of neighbor. Prayer bears fruit in mercy and charity

In 2026, we are called to make our faith visible through:

Commitment to the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
Intentional service within our local communities
Presence to those who are lonely, struggling, in need, or forgotten
Willingness to give time, attention, and dignity, not just financial resources where they are needed

This is not about heroic gestures. It is about consistent fidelity in ordinary places: families, neighborhoods, parishes, workplaces.

Veterans Living With Purpose

For many veterans, the loss of mission after service leaves a deep ache. The Catholic faith offers not a replacement mission, but a greater one—a lifelong vocation rooted in Christ.

The discipline, readiness, and sense of brotherhood formed in military service find new direction when ordered toward the Gospel. In the Community of Warrior Penitents, fraternity becomes accountability, and accountability becomes love expressed through action.

To dedicate 2026 to faith lived openly is to reclaim purpose, not for personal fulfillment alone, but for the good of others and the glory of God. A purpose of self-growth and community growth towards Christ.

A Public Witness, Quietly Lived

Living an open life of faith does not require confrontation, argument, or spectacle. Often, it is the quiet consistency of a life shaped by Christ that speaks most powerfully. It is the bridges built in charity that bring the most people to the Church and to Christ.

Choosing integrity when compromise would be easier
Serving when no one is watching
Praying before acting (and praying while acting)
Forgiving when resentment feels justified

In a world hungry for authenticity, a Catholic life lived with humility, simplicity, and love becomes a powerful sign of hope.

A Resolution Worth Making

As 2026 approaches, consider making a resolution not simply to believe more, but to live more fully what you believe.

Let this be a year marked by:

Deeper prayer
Stronger community
Concrete service
Visible charity
Faith that moves from the heart, through the hands, to the community

For the Community of Warrior Penitents, and for all who walk alongside us, may 2026 be a year of growth, witness, and renewal. A year where faith is not hidden, but offered freely in service to Christ present in our neighbors.

May we live what we profess.
May we serve whom we love.
May we follow Christ, openly and faithfully.

May the Saints and Apostles pray for your growth this next year, and may there be opportunities for you to live charitably through faith in Jesus Christ.

In Christ and Prayer,