Warrior Welcome Home: a phenomenological case study of moral injury and soul repair

Abstract

ABSTRACT Warrior Welcome Home retreats have hosted Australian soldiers, veterans and their families since 2007. This article is an appreciative inquiry into theological and spiritual resources that respond to the emerging understanding of military moral injury. It discusses how Scriptural hermeneutics and experience of moral injury inform one another, how leadership fosters a nurturing community, how liturgy can aid spiritual healing and other implications of the retreats. Participants’ experience of Warrior Welcome Home demonstrates the therapeutic character of the Christian scriptures, community and liturgy in ways that are relevant to understanding and responding to moral injury with efficacious spiritual care.