Dr. Paula Scraba, O.S.F.
Assistant Professor of Physical Education
Sending veterans
on a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy, has been a 10-year mission of love for Dr.
Paula Scraba, O.S.F.
An assistant
professor of physical education at St. Bonaventure University, Scraba (called Dr. Paula by her students) comes
from a large military family and understands the challenges veterans can face after reentering civilian life.
“My dad
was a schoolteacher by trade and put all six of his children through college;
he was in the Army National Guard. So in my family, we’re either schoolteachers
or full-time military,” she said. “Supporting student veterans is very much a
part of my DNA.”
That is why Dr. Paula is a strong backer of the recently launched #BonaVetsToAssisi fundraising initiative. The goal is to raise $7,500 now through April 15, with a long-term aim of establishing an endowment to support a yearly pilgrimage for two new student veterans. Attendees will explore the history of the Franciscan intellectual tradition and engage in healing meditations and informative conferences which focus on wellness and connection.
Dr. Paula said that helping student veterans develop a strong sense of self is important
to her, as is providing support.
“War is
very difficult. Going on a pilgrimage is like an aha moment — of rebuilding who
you are and accepting who you are after what you’ve seen,” she said. “There’s a
greater need for student veterans to have that experience. The Veterans to
Assisi program allows them to be
at peace with themselves and to be in solidarity with others.”
The small Italian town of Assisi is the birthplace of St.
Francis, founder of the Franciscan Order.
Dr. Paula explained that student veterans and St. Francis of
Assisi have much in common, as Francis too was a soldier. Before giving his
life to God, Francis served as a knight and was captured by a rival city and
imprisoned for a year.
Dr. Paula holds a master’s in Franciscan
studies from St. Bonaventure (along with a bachelor’s degree in physical
education and master’s and Ph.D. in special physical education from the
University of Connecticut) and is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of
Washington, D.C.
Her Franciscan spirituality and military family roots are what drive her
interest in serving student veterans. Ten years ago, she established a
scholarship that
allows for one veteran per year to make the trip. This year, St. Bonaventure
intends to send five student veterans abroad.
The
pilgrimage includes student veterans from Franciscan colleges all over the
country.
Frank
Morales, a retired Army master sergeant and director of Bona’s
Veterans Services Program, believes the Veterans to Assisi Program is vital in
helping student veterans transition from soldier to student.
“Not every
veteran is given the opportunity to fully deal with the complexities of
combat,” he said. “Partnering veterans on this trip who have similar
experiences will allow them to overcome the stigma that may have prevented them
from receiving the buddy aid they might need.”
For Dr. Paula, helping student veterans
experience a pilgrimage feels natural.
“These
veterans have already given to their country and this is our way of giving
back,” she said.