Letters to the Editor

Spiritual Comfort

Thank you for the latest edition of New Frontier, which I have read with interest and will as usual pass on to other people interested in the news it conveys.

In regard to the Littleton tragedy, I was interested to note Captain Carla Lafayette’s comment that “we need to make a stronger effort at being a church to provide spiritual comfort to victims in times of need.”

When some years ago I was divisional youth secretary for Ireland during the height of “the troubles,” I and colleagues were frequently on the scene following bombing and shooting incidents, when the mobile canteen was helpful, yes, in providing physical sustenance, but the spiritual ministry was also crucial.

The last incident I attended was when a car bomb went off, killing two little girls playing in the street. It was a privilege to minister to the Roman Catholic families affected, and I was grateful for thanks received from their priests the next day. Later, when among other things I was national emergency officer, I was very much involved with colleagues in ministering to people as a result of major disasters such as the Zeebrugge ferry disaster and London Clapham Common train disaster. In these situations a ministry to the victims and also the emergency personnel was an essential role for our officers.

Trevor A. Smith, Major
Director: AIDS Support Service
United Kingdom Territory

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