IMAGE: CNS illustration/Liz Agbey
By Chaz Muth
COLUMBIA,
S.C. (CNS) — When Father Adam Muda arrived at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center
and School at Fort Jackson earlier this year, he noticed prominent signs for a
museum that showcased the history of what he was about to become.
The
U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Museum has such a prominent place where priests and
clergy from other religions train to be chaplains, because the role of the chaplain
is stitched into the fabric of the U.S. military.
The
patchwork of the military chaplaincy was revealed on a warm March morning as the
museum’s curator, Marcia McManus, walked a visitor through the carefully lit
exhibit hall with a scent that reminded him of vintage books and photographs.
The
man noticed the displays were laid out in chronological order, beginning with
the origin of the name chaplain, which derives from the relic cape (“cappa”
in Latin) of St. Martin of Tours, a second-century bishop who is said to have
used his military sword to cut his cloak in two, giving half of it to warm a
shivering beggar.
Eventually,
all clergy affiliated with the military were referred to as the “cappellani,”
translated into French as “chapelains” and then English as chaplain,
McManus said.
“The
history of the chaplaincy in the United States is almost as old as the country,”
said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military
Services in Washington. “The first thing that George Washington asked the
Continental Congress for was the provision for chaplains.”
The
U.S. Army Chaplains Corps was officially established July 29, 1775, with the
first formal chaplains being Protestants.
However,
there was one Catholic priest, Father Louis Eustace Lotbiniere, from the
Diocese of Quebec, who did provide pastoral care to the soldiers fighting in
the Revolutionary War, McManus told Catholic News Service during a March
interview at the museum.
Though
he was not necessarily considered part of the original Army chaplain corps, he’s
considered the country’s first wartime Catholic chaplain, she said.
In
the early years of the nation, there were a few priests who would help out in
the military, but the first official Catholic presence within the armed forces
came in the 1840s during President James Knox Polk’s administration.
At
the onset of the Mexican-American War, Polk became concerned that the conflict
was going to be interpreted as a struggle between Catholic Mexico and
Protestant U.S., so he recruited two Jesuit priests, Father Anthony Rey and
Father John McElroy, to serve as the first official Catholic chaplains in the
U.S. military, Archbishop Broglio said.
Father
Rey was killed during the war and Father McElroy returned to civilian life at
the conflict’s conclusion and eventually founded Boston College, he said.
The
need for Catholic chaplains began to grow in the subsequent years, and priests
served in both the Confederate and Union armies during the U.S. Civil War,
Archbishop Broglio said.
During
both World War I and World War II, the U.S. armed forces enjoyed its most
robust service of Catholic chaplains, around 2,000 during those years, the
archbishop said.
That
number pales in comparison to today’s 214 priests on active duty.
“Remember,
there was a tremendous mobilization in the United States, particularly during
the Second World War, and there was a tremendous response, both on the part of
the dioceses and then also the Knights of Columbus supported and sometimes even
paid for chaplains, because this was seen as a need,” Archbishop Broglio
said.
Some
Catholic chaplains have gained notoriety throughout the years, including Father
Francis Patrick Duffy, who served as a chaplain with the 69th Infantry
Regiment, a unit of the New York Army National Guard, on the western front of
France during World War I, for which he was highly decorated with military
honors, such as the Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguished Service
Medal.
Hollywood
chronicled his wartime chaplaincy in the 1940s film “The Fighting 69th.”
Though
Father Duffy wasn’t awarded the Medal of Honor, three other Catholic chaplains
have been, including Father Joseph O’Callahan, a World War II chaplain; Father
Emil Kapaun, who served during the Korean War and died in a prisoner of war
camp; and Father Vincent Capodanno, who served in Vietnam and was killed in
action in 1967.
Sainthood
causes have been opened for both Father Kapaun and Father Capodanno.
One
of the greatest legacies of the U.S. military chaplaincy is that the men and
woman who serve have been granted the opportunity to exercise their freedom of
religion, or no religion at all, said Father Michael A. Mikstay, a Navy
chaplain who currently serves at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. “That’s
a great nation that we have.”
As
McManus wrapped up her tour, she turned to her visitor and said she believes the
chaplaincy museum offers more than a historical perspective of the
military chaplains who served in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
“There
are several stories throughout the museum that show the compassion and the
willingness of chaplains to stay with their soldiers. To minister to those
soldiers,” she said. “They nurture the living, care for the wounded
and they honor the dead.”
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Follow Muth on Twitter:
@Chazmaniandevyl.
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