James Craig, now Second Lieutenant James Craig, co-sponsored by the Diocese of Corpus Christi and the Archdiocese for the Military Services as a Chaplain Candidate, accepted an officer’s commission in the U.S. Army Reserve. 

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The first time I realized our country’s current need for military chaplains was while reading a local Catholic newspaper where I saw an advertisement for the military chaplaincy. The ad depicted servicemen and women waiting in line to receive Communion, but there was no priest. The words at the top of the advertisement asked: “Who will serve them?” 

I was 14-years-old.

The ad underscored the need for Catholic chaplains in the U.S. Armed Forces. The image of the military men and women serving our country needing Communion became emblazoned in my mind. I recalled the conversation I had with a long-time family friend who had served a tour in Iraq years ago. He said he was able to attend Mass only three times during his nine-month deployment. 

During these times, servicemen and women cling to their faith more than ever, relying on God to help them through tense, life-and-death situations that they confront daily in combat zones. They experience emotional upheavals, homesickness, and even moral challenges. 

It is a shame that our brave service members do not get spiritual comfort during a time in their lives when they have such a great need for it.

One might ask just how bad this scarcity of military chaplains is? A look at some statistics serves as a sobering illustration of the military’s actual needs. All faith groups in the military currently suffer from a shortage of chaplains. Still, according to Paul D. Shinkman in U.S. News and World Report, Catholics are the hardest hit. Shinkman writes that Catholics make up approximately 25 percent of all U.S. troops, while roughly 8 percent of the chaplain corps is made up of Catholic priests. 

“Just more than 200 active-duty Catholic chaplains remain, while more than 275,000 active-duty troops identify themselves as Catholic. That number is exceeded only by those who list no religious preference, according to recent Pentagon data,” Chris Carrol wrote in Stars and Stripes. The ratio of “Catholic service members to Catholic chaplains is nearly 1,300-to-1,” which is spread throughout the world, wherever U.S. service members serve. 

The fact that Catholic chaplains do not just serve Catholics exacerbates the scarcity of priest chaplains. Catholic soldiers will undoubtedly try to seek out a priest since only Catholic priests can celebrate Mass and offer reconciliation. Since priests are also able to provide spiritual support for soldiers from other denominations, they are in high demand. Regardless of their religious preference, a priest can always offer soldiers prayer, counseling, and a reassuring presence in the face of imminent danger. 

Besides these spiritual duties facing chaplains in their role as priests, chaplains also hold an officer’s rank in their particular branch of service. In other words, chaplains must balance their “religious responsibilities with [those] of a staff officer,” mainly when deployed to a war zone. 

“A chaplain assigned to a unit must coordinate with the commanding officer and plan for logistics and travel, as well as battlefield situational awareness to ensure he is not putting himself or others in unnecessary danger,” wrote Paul D. Shinkman in U.S. News and World Report. This need for situational awareness means that priests considering service as a military chaplain must undergo additional training before they can serve in an active-duty capacity. The demands of active duty situations is another reason for the scarcity of new priest chaplains. 

Anyone thinking of entering life as a Catholic priest-chaplain will ordinarily face 11 to 14 years of education, training, and pastoral experience before finally seeing active duty military service. But service members, who are willingly serving to preserve the safety of everyone in America, are deserving of our help in a unique way with spiritual matters. 

I am currently in my fifth year of post-secondary education. With the help of the Lord, I plan to persevere on this road to the military chaplaincy. I pray and trust that the Lord, who called me to his service, will keep this option open in his plans for me. Amen.   
 

2nd Lt. James Craig (left) swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies. His Commissioning Officer was 1st Lt. Callan Sweeney of the Diocese of Austin and Archdiocese for the Military Services (right). Craig is currently studying at St. Mary Seminary in Houston. Contributed photo