Father Zandri recognized for ‘going the extra mile’

   In May the Department of Veteran Affairs informed Father William Zandri of Rapid City that he had been selected to receive a national award. A. Keith Ethridge, director of the National Chaplain Center in Hampton, Virginia, wrote a letter stating, “It is my pleasure to notify you of your selection as a Department of Veterans Affairs award winner for the 2009 Secretary’s Awards for Excellence in Chaplaincy in the category of ‘intermittent Chaplain (including Contract or Fee Basis).’” The award will be presented in Washington, D. C. this August.

    Father Zandri is pastor of St. Therese the Little Flower Church, Rapid City, and a mission parish, St. John the Evangelist Church, New Underwood. Since 2001, he has served as a “Fee Basis Chaplain” at Ft. Meade VA Medical Center, Sturgis. He was nominated for the award by the Chaplain Staff at Ft. Meade, as “the one who goes the extra mile to serve the veterans who come to Ft. Meade for spiritual care and support.”

    Father Zandri is a veteran himself. He served as a U.S. Army Medic. Among his duties, he was the personal medic assigned to Rudolf Hess, the last surviving Nazi War Criminal held at Spandau Prison, West Berlin, Germany. The United States, (former) Soviet Union, Britain and France alternated control of the prison in three month shifts and Spc. 5 Zandri was assigned to Hess during the United State’s rotation in 1972. Hess was the deputy Nazi Party Leader under Fuhrer Adolf Hitler.

    Father Zandri was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Rapid City, January 3, 1984. He has served in Rapid City, Lead, New Underwood, Lakeside, and Lead. He currently serves as chaplain for the state Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Previously, he was the mascot of the St. Thomas More High School Cavaliers in Rapid City. He attended games in the cavalier regalia to cheer on the teams. He has taught religion at St. Martin’s Academy (which is now closed), St. Elizabeth Seton School, and St. Thomas More High School. In 2002 he was on the honor roll of outstanding educators for Today’s Catholic Teacher magazine.

    In 1998 he was recognized by Rapid City Regional Hospital and Black Hills Rehab for 1,500 hours of volunteer service.