Valley Forge Commemoration Church Service
On a cool and breezy afternoon of April 26, Society members and guests gathered at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne Pennsylvania to commemorate the encampment at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-78.
Our annual Society church service is always a statement event, encompassing history, commemoration of our ancestors, memorializing recently deceased Society members, and a service of faith and reflection on what we hold dear and to what we aspire.
Our Society Chaplain, The Reverend Tommy A. Thompson, Rector of Washington Memorial Chapel and also co-Chairman of this event, welcomed our membership and guests. The Service of Evensong included singing of the hymn America and our National Anthem, and powerful lessons read by Color Guard Lt. Timothy E. Games, Esq., and Society President C. Michael Whelan. Our Society Registrar, Brad S. Miller, then read aloud the Necrology, the names of our members who have died during the past year, and the service culminated with Chaplain Fr. Thompson’s profound Homily.
After the Service, the Color Guard lead the congregants down to the historic cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony at the grave site of General Anthony Wayne. After that, everyone re-convened a few miles away at St. Davids Golf Club for a delightful late-afternoon cocktail reception and buffet dinner. This event is always a family favorite, and this year was true to form.