Our Boys Served their Country: The 1940s at Mercy Home

Our Boys Served their Country: The 1940s at Mercy Home

“They Were Names and Nothing More”: World War II’s Effect on Mercy Home

Below is an excerpt from the December 1944 edition of The Waifs’ Messenger recognizing some of the young men who once lived at Mercy Home but were now serving their country.

Names.

Letters from the War

These letters, printed in the March 1944 issue of The Waifs’ Messenger, were written to the readers of the magazine from two former residents who were currently stationed overseas.

Jim's letter

The End of the War

For the October 1945 issue of The Waifs’ Messenger, Fr. Kelly wrote a reflection on the war’s end and his relief that Mercy Home’s young men would be coming home.

“At long last, the final curtain has fallen on World War II.

Its end brings to a fulfillment the prayers of this nation…

Thanks be to God, the blood of our sons will no longer be shed on battlefronts, at sea or in the air – God willing, the day will soon be here when we can bestow upon them personally the affection we felt toward them since they were away.”

-Father Kelly

130th Anniversary Stories

We’re traveling through the last 13 decades of Mercy Home history. Read more!

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