War & Grace Project

Dear Veterans:

Sacred Story Institute (SSI) would like you to help us with a holy project to help all veterans find greater healing and hope. We are collecting experiences of wounded warriors whose stories can be both therapeutic to relate and healing for others to read. And in speaking about “wounded warriors,” we know that war wounds can be physical, emotional and spiritual. Sometimes one soldier can have all three.

The experiences we would like to collect in the War & Grace Project include the challenges and tragedies of wounded warriors, but also the miraculous ways God comes to help soldiers in the midst of what appear to be the most hopeless situations both during and post-deployment.

We aim to gather all the stories that come into SSI and put them in a book. Also, down the road, there is the possibility of filming some or all of the stories.

We seek stories from the whole spectrum of wounded warrior’s experiences—from the ordinary to the profound—from the humorous to the haunting.

The War & Grace Project wants to give hope, where there is none; to offer peace where there is fear; to show healing where there was only brokenness and to manifest grace, where there was only trauma. In the end, to show that God is with us no matter where we have been, or what we have witnessed others doing, or even done ourselves.

You can check out the two stories on our website. One is very vivid but there will be hundreds of “true stories “that are very different and seemingly more “ordinary” but no less impactful in the long run. We offer these as simply two kinds of stories on war and grace.

Thanks for taking the time to consider this holy project. We offer you our prayers and look forward to connecting with you through David Guarriello, military chaplains who are friends, and those who have offered to assist us.  

We hope you can help us help others.

Should you feel called to submit your own story, simply follow the template design below as you begin to plan the structure of your reflection. The story template the two veterans followed is simple and straightforward.

Please give your story to me at admin-team@sacredstory.net   All stories will be anonymous, if you choose, so you can speak freely.

Do you feel called to tell your story for The War & Grace project? We pray that is the case. If yes or you have questions, contact me at: admin-team@sacredstory.net  or 206-302-7630.

God bless you!

Fr. Bill Watson, S.J.

Founder/President

War & Grace

WAR & GRACE

TEMPLATE FOR REFLECTION STORIES

 1.   Introduction

a.        Family Background

b.   Why are you choosing to share your story?

2.   Prior to service

a.        Faith background

b.   Faith experiences prior to military life

3.   Service

a.        Deployment stories that involve an unexpected encounter with God or spiritual realities

b.   Hardships, near death experiences, trials, etc.

4.   Post deployment

a.        How did experiences shape you after your military service?

b.   Where you stand now with your beliefs

5.   Conclusion

a.        Closing reflection that summarizes your thoughts and experiences