Catholic Military Life

Auxiliary Bishop Richard B. Higgins is soon to retire as Episcopal Vicar for Veterans Affairs. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA, Bishop Higgins looks back on his 45 years in pastoral service to Catholics in the United States Military and those receiving treatment in the nation's VA Medical Centers. He retraces his...

War heroes are generally made on the front lines, but what about the unsung heroes left behind--the spouses of the men and women who defend our nation in uniform? Those who put their own careers on hold to move between duty stations every two or three years or raise children as single parents while their significant others serve on lengthy deployments? Catholic author Michelle Still Mehta, Ph. D.,...

He first sensed a call to holy orders in the fourth grade, but it was not until after a four-year tour in the U.S. Navy followed by years in private business that Father William (Bill) Muhm, CHC, CAPT, USN (Ret.), came to his senses and entered seminary to become a Catholic priest. Now, on the heels of 20 years of service as Navy Chaplain, Father Muhm has been selected by the Holy See to be ordain...

Check out the latest edition of our podcast, Catholic Military Life. Father Joseph L. Coffey of Philadelphia, 58, pictured, has come a long way since he sold cars as a young man in Europe. On Jan. 22, 2019, Pope Francis named Father Coffee, a U.S. Navy Chaplain and Captain (Select), a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, (AMS). Bishop-Elect Coffey will be ordain...

One-point-three million men and women are now serving in the U.S. Military. The vast majority of them are young adults, and one in four is Catholic. How do Catholic young adult ministers reach so many of the faithful spread all over the world and on constant move between duty stations? It's up to Ms. Casey Bustamante, USAFR, Associate Director for Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese for the M...

With so many secularistic influences now competing for the hearts and minds of the young, rare indeed is the young man who hears God's call to both the Catholic priesthood and military chaplaincy. How does one discern a vocation amid so many worldly distractions? Mr. Steven Booth, a Co-Sponsored seminarian for both the Diocese of Fall River, MA, and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA,...

How does a guy go from being a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot, combat veteran, real estate investor, and eligible bachelor to a Catholic priest and Navy chaplain? Father Bill Appel, CHC, LT, USN, explains in this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

When Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida's panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018, Tyndall Air Force Base suffered catastrophic damage. Tyndall is home to the 325th Fighter Wing--the "Checkertails"--and 55 F-22 "Raptor" jets, considered the world's most advanced fighter, most of which were flown to safety before Michael made landfall. The category 4 storm battered the 29-thousand acre base with top sus...

The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, (AMS), has officially kicked off its 2019 National Collection campaign. The collection, to be taken up in Catholic parishes throughout the United States at weekend Masses Nov. 9-10, 2019, will support pastoral care and ministry to Catholic families stationed worldwide in the U.S. Military, and Catholic patients in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)...

The United States Air Force, like all other branches of the U.S. Military, is facing a desperate shortage of Catholic priests on active duty. Right now, only 55 priests are on active duty in the Air Force, serving a population of more than 78,000 Catholic airmen. That's one priest for every 1,425 airmen, not counting their families, and those Catholics are spread all over the United States and at...

November 11 is Veterans Day, and this year, it also marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I. To commemorate the occasion, the Knights of Columbus (K of C) and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, (AMS), will hold a ceremony including the celebration of Holy Mass. The commemoration will take place on Nov. 11, 2018 at the Saint John Paul II Natio...

As a Catholic U.S. Navy chaplain recruiter, Father David A. Daigle, CHC, LCDR, USN, has his work cut out for him. The Navy, like other branches of the U.S. armed forces, is confronting a desperate shortage of Catholic priests on active duty. Currently, only a few dozen active-duty Catholic Navy chaplains serve not only the entire Navy, but also the Marines and the Coast Guard as well as the U.S. N...

In 2009, Ms. Ann Schmalstieg married a Marine in the Catholic Church. Her husband, Justin Schmalstieg, Gy Sgt, USMC, was killed in action in Afghanistan barely a year later, just a few months after his conversion to Catholicism. On Dec. 15, 2010, Sgt. Schmalstieg and his team were returning to base after a period of intense fighting. Following multiple attempts at crossing a canal and facing the i...

The priesthood, and military chaplaincy, are both, in some ways, like a marriage: the challenge is to live out one's commitment, even when it's not fun or easy. That's been among the many insights Father Christopher Doering has gained in living out his priestly vocation, from his time in the seminary in the 1990s through his current assignment at Fort Rucker. In this edition of Catholic Military L...

The process of becoming a Catholic U.S. Military chaplain is a spiritual journey that typically takes eight or more years to complete. Not only does the chaplain candidate spend five years in seminary. The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, (AMS) requires him to spend three years in his home diocese doing pastoral work and gaining valuable experience as a priest before it will endorse him...

The U.S. Marine Corps motto is "Semper Fidelis," which means "Always Faithful." But what does "faith" really mean to those who serve? Father Curtiss Dwyer, CHC, LT, USN, serves as a chaplain at Marine Corps Base Quantico. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Father Dwyer joins us by phone to share how he goes about...

In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Tyler Harris recounts how he first sensed a vocation to become a priest and a military chaplain way back in 2001 while he was climbing the enlisted ranks. But it took Tyler many years, including time spent serving as a chaplain's assistant in Kuwait and Af...

On Thursday, May 31, 2018, three former Anglican U.S. Military chaplains were ordained Catholic priests for the Personal Ordinariate for the Chair of St. Peter. The Ordinariate was erected by the Holy See in 2012 to provide a way for groups of former Anglicans to become Catholic, while retaining elements of their worship traditions and spiritual heritage. All three newly ordained Catholics will co...

Do Catholic women have a distinct role to play in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to U.S. Military installations, and if so, what is that role? In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), Michelle Nash and Elizabeth Tomlin share how their vast and growing organization, the Military Council of Catholic Women (MCCW),...

Recently ordained Catholic Father Joseph W. Reffner, CH (CPT), USA, began his spiritual journey as an Evangelical. He later became a priest in the Anglican Church, and on May 31, 2018, was ordained a Catholic priest for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. So how does a married man with five children find acceptance in a flock accustomed to single shepherds living out promises of ce...

With Catholic priests on active duty in short supply, deacons have a role to play in serving those who serve. Deacon Joe Pak, a native of South Korea, is one of two deacons incardinated in the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the official podcast of the AMS, Deacon Pak recounts how he came to discern his vocation in response to a visit to...

Faced with a chronic shortage of Catholic priests to serve on active duty as chaplains in the U.S. Military, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), is looking for volunteers from dioceses across the country and abroad. In June, the AMS will host its fourth, all-expenses paid retreat for already-ordained priests discerning whether they are called to the "vocation within a vocation."...

The 2018 Warriors to Lourdes Pilgrimage for Non-Wounded, Wounded, Ill or Injured Military Personnel during the 60th Annual International Military Pilgrimage will take place May 15-22, 2018. The theme for the 60th PMI is Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). The pilgrimage, sponsored by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), and the Knights of Columbus, is the latest event in a long hist...

The U.S. Military draws Catholic priests to serve as chaplains from a variety of sources, including dioceses throughout the United States and beyond as well as religious orders. Father Matthias Rendon, OFM, CH (CAPT), USA, is a Franciscan who has spent almost a decade providing pastoral care to Catholics in the U.S. Army. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the...

With the nation's attention focused on U.S. Senate confirmation hearings for Secretary of State nominee and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, one of Mr. Pompeo's classmates from the Military Academy at West Point is Father Matthew Pawlikowski, CH (COL), USA. Father Pawlikowsi, who was also a classmate of U.S. Army Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper, joins us in the latest edition of Catholic Military Life, the o...