Catholic Military Life

The military lifestyle, with its unique culture, frequent deployments and permanent changes of station (PCS), triggers ongoing stress for those who serve and their families. All too often, that stress leads to alcohol and drug addiction among military personnel, particularly after they are discharged or retire and no longer subject to zero-tolerance policies and random testing. In this edition of...

The U.S. Military is on the frontlines of America's war with what is now its worst enemy--the coronavirus and the potentially deadly disease it can cause, COVID-19. The Defense Department is providing millions of N95 respirator masks and more than a dozen testing labs, Army scientists are hard at work on developing a vaccine, the Navy is preparing hospital ships for New York and California, the Ai...

Suicide among U.S. Veterans is a persistent problem that continues to vex VA health professionals and chaplains alike. According to the latest figures, at least 60,000 veterans died by suicide between 2008 and 2017. That's nearly ten times the number of American military personnel killed since 9/11 in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined, and even more than the total number killed throughout...

Linda & Steve Jaramillo by Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA

Since 1997, Catholic radio in the United States has grown from just seven stations to more than 500, becoming a powerful and effective voice for the Church. Catholic radio stations broadcast the New Evangelization to millions throughout the nation and beyond U.S. borders, and they consistently receive conversion stories and testimonies on the power of Catholic radio to teach the faith and draw lis...

Are you interested in connecting with other women who share your Catholic faith, interests, and everyday concerns? If so, go online and order the new book, Joyful Momentum, by Elizabeth A. Tomlin. In the paperback, just published by Ave Maria Press, Ms. Tomlin shows you how you can start, expand, strengthen, or retool an existing women’s group or ministry in your own Catholic parish. Whether you w...

The Fifth Commandment tells us, "thou shalt not kill." Yet, killing is integral to warfare. How, then, can war be justified? Philosphers have grappled with that question for centuries. Saint Augustine, a Fourth Century Catholic thinker, developed a theory of "just war" that remains influential in the postmodern era. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdi...

Military chaplains often accompany the men and women they serve into the worst of circumstances. Father Eric Albertson, CH (COL), USA, knows all too well. On Nov. 11, 2004--Veterans Day--Father Albertson was accompanying fellow soldiers across Iraq's western desert in Al Anbar Province when their Humvee hit a roadside bomb. Father Albertson was knocked out and suffered a severe concussion. He reco...

Any way you look at it, the U.S.-led War on Terror has been a costly venture: a half-million lives lost so far, including nearly seven-thousand U.S. Military personnel killed in action, and more than seven trillion in U.S. tax dollars spent fighting the enemies of freedom and the values we hold dear. And while some 50,000 American service members and veterans bear scars from the physical wounds of...

"The Field Afar" is a new feature-length documentary film about Vietnam War hero Father Vincent R. Capodanno airing on ABC TV stations nationwide through the Christmas holidays. Check listings for showings in your area, or purchase a DVD, at thefieldafar.com. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, film creator Tim Mor...

For more than thirty years, retired U.S. Army officer Ed Wilson and his wife Dolly have been active in the American military Catholic community at Stuttgart, Germany. Among other volunteer activities, they have organized travel for military Catholics to the annual Pèlerinage Militaire International, or International Military Pilgrimage, in Lourdes, France, where the Americans join military members...

Much is known about the life and death of Father Vincent R. Capodanno, M.M., Servant of God. How the United States Navy Chaplain lieutentant was shot to death in Vietnam on Sept. 4, 1967, while rushing--unarmed--to the aid of U.S. Marines under enemy ambush. How he was posthumously awarded the nation's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. How the Holy See's Congregation for the Causes...

At Sunday Masses the weekend of Nov. 9-10, most Catholic parishes throughout the United States will take up a second collection. Proceeds will go to support the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). The AMS is the only Catholic jurisdiction responsible for providing pastoral care to Catholics in the U.S. Armed Services, VA Medical Centers, civilian service to the federal government bey...

In 2017, Father Dennis Callan, S.V.D., needed a liver transplant after his nonalcoholic fatty liver disease developed into cirrhosis. Having served as a missionary in Taiwan for 18 years and in Korea for 16 years, the priest of the Society of the Divine Word had spent part of that time ministering to Catholics in the U.S. Army at Fort Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. When Army Warrant Officer Christopher...

Living out a commitment to marriage can be difficult under the best of circumstances, let alone when one of the couple serves in the U.S. Military, with its transient nature, long deployments, and periods of separation. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Mr. Murphy Lierley (pictured with wife Kelli) offers guidanc...

As a young dentist in the U.S. Army, Andrew Sanchez of Chalmette, LA, seemed to have it all. The Army had paid his way through dental school, and he was contemplating marriage to the woman he was dating. But something told the young Army officer he was meant for something more, and after a period of discernment, he left active duty and entered Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans to become a priest...

Captain George Phillips, USMC (Ret.), was among U.S. Marines with Father Vincent Capodanno, MM, Servant of God, when the Navy Lieutenant chaplain was killed by enemy gunfire in Vietnam’s Quế Sơn Valley on Sept. 4, 1967. Capt. Phillips now serves as chairman for the Father Capodanno Guild, which is overseeing the Maryknoll priest's Cause for canonization. In this edition of Catholic Military Life,...

The annual Pilgrimage for the Sea Services will be celebrated on Sunday, October 6, at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, 339 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD. The pilgrimage starts with Mass at 3:00 p.m. (EDST). Bishop Michael J. Barber, S.J., a retired U.S. Navy Reserve chaplain, will be the principal celebrant and homilist. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only of...

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a captain pilot on active duty, Tim Mergen had a lot going for him, flying the C-146A "Wolfhound" out of Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. But God's call to the priesthood proved too persistent for the up and coming officer from Wisconsin to ignore. So in 2014, he separated from active duty, took a demotion in rank to Second Lieutenant in the Air For...

On Sunday, July 21, 2019, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), will celebrate the 34th anniversary of its founding by Pope Saint John Paul II. The AMS will mark the occasion by remembering in a special way the 182 Catholic priests currently on active duty in the U.S. Military. It will hold a "Day of Giving," providing the public an opportunity to support Catholic military chaplain...

Mrs. Tracey Harger, Catholic Pastoral Life Coordinator at U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii, recently received the Medal of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), its highest honor. Mrs. Harger, wife of Col. Rick Harger, USA, was so honored for her exemplary moral character, fidelity to the teachings and mission of the Church, and devotion and service to the Catholic community. In this edit...

Each spring, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), teams up with the Knights of Columbus (K of C) to send active-duty servicemen and women and veterans on a spiritual journey to Lourdes, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette in 1858. The annual "Warriors to Lourdes" journey affords participants the opportunity to experience the sacred site first-hand, dip into...

At 10:00 p.m. (EDST) on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, EWTN will broadcast the premiere of "Frontline Fathers"--an original EWTN documentary about Catholic U.S. Army chaplains and the practicing faithful at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. EWTN's cameras follow Fathers Paul A. Halladay, CH (MAJ), USA, and Joseph Campbell, CH (CPT), USA, as they go about their service to the faithful in the shadow of commu...

Father Michael J. Cerrone, III, of the Diocese of Savannah, GA, gave 20 years of his life to the U.S. Army, 15 of them as a Catholic priest and chaplain. Now in retirement, Father Cerrone, a graduate of the Military Academy at West Point, is still going beyond the call of duty to support the free exercise of faith in the U.S. Military. He recently donated $50,000 to the Archdiocese for the Militar...

On April 24, Father Frank Brett, Ph. D., a retired U.S. Army chaplain, was laid to rest on Chaplains Hill in Arlington National Cemetery. He was buried in the same grave as his brother, U.S. Navy Chaplain Father Bob Brett, who died a hero in the Vietnam War when a 122-millimeter rocket struck his trench moments after he passed up what would turn out to be his last chance to evacuate the battlefiel...