Father Jeffrey Kirby: Why ‘Pietas’ Is the Forgotten Virtue We Need to Remember on Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, we pause as a nation and remember those who have died in defense of our freedoms. As we honor our fallen heroes, we can best revere their memory by extolling the virtues they exemplified.

Some years ago, I was visiting Arlington National Cemetery and came across a large headstone that had the simple inscription “Pietas.” There were no names or dates or accolades on the stone, as if to say this one word said it all.

When the Latin word pietas is translated into English, we have the word “piety.” Regrettably, piety has an effeminate connotation in some corners and in general the English word doesn’t hold the gravitas of the Latin term. We certainly lose something in translation. …