Interfaith service commemorating the life of Jan Deanna O'Rourke, interreligious collaboration, and the importance of upholding religious freedom for all.

Rev. Selena Fox, Senior Minister of Circle Sanctuary (Wisconsin), will conduct the service and will be assisted by:

• Rev. Barry Lynn, United Church of Christ minister, and Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church & State (Washington, DC)
• Paula Johnson (Florida), Gardnerian Wiccan priestess from Florida
• Margot Adler (New York), Wiccan priestess, author, and elder
• Marci Drewry (Virginia), Director of Military Affairs, Sacred Well Congregation
• Michael Akins (Maryland), Executive Director, Military Pagan Network
• Orion Foxwood, Elder in Celtic Traditional Witchcraft, High Priest of Foxwood Temple & Faery Seer - Author
• Kathryn Fuller (New Mexico), High Priestess of Circle of the Wildewood & National First Officer emeritus, Covenant of the Goddess
• David & Jeanet Ewing (Virginia), Stewards of the Order of the Pentacle, and Directors of Northern Virginia Pagan Network
• Debby Morris & Suzanne Krall (Maryland), The Goatwalkers, and Order of the Pentacle
• Rev. Charles Butler, III, Founder of Ecumenicon Fellowship, Maryland
• Captain Richard Arlington Briggs, Jr. & April Brennan (New Jersey & Texas), Order of the Pentacle
• others

Open to the public. Veterans and those on active duty in the US Armed Forces are invited to wear uniforms and/or dress hats.

About Jan O'Rourke:
     Jan Deanna O'Rourke was born on March 4, 1958. Her adult life was one of service. A few days before she died, she expressed her last wish ... to be buried with her veteran husband, Captain O'Rourke, and to have the pentacle, the symbol of the Wiccan religion she practiced, inlcuded on her side. She died on February 24, 2005. Her request to have the pentacle on her headstone was at last fulfilled on May 1, 2007, as a result of the settlement of the Circle Sanctuary vs. Nicholson federal lawsuit: http://www.au.org

About this Pentacle Headstone:
     This headstone is the first VA-issued headstone at a national veterans cemetery that includes a pentacle along with another religious system. Jan's husband, Captain William O'Rourke, was a Christian veteran and his side of the stone has a Christian cross. She was Wiccan and her faith is represented by the pentacle on her side of the stone.

Location of O'Rourke Headstone: 60 7491

Directions to Arlington National Cemetery
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/directions.html

Subway Travel to Arlington National Cemetery
http://www.wmata.com

Visitor Information for Arlington National Cemetery
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/index.html

History of Arlington National Cemetery
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/historical_information/index.html

For more info, contact Circle Sanctuary:
email: events@circlesanctuary.org
phone: (608) 924-2216

Back to Veteran Pentacle page