Catholic Military Life

The televised images of the U.S. Military airlift of refugees from Afghanistan are strangely familiar to Catholic former Congressman Anh (Joseph) Cao of Louisiana. When he was a boy of only eight, he fled his native Vietnam to start life anew without parents in America, went on to graduate from Baylor University with a degree in physics and spent six years as a Jesuit seminarian before becoming a lawyer and the first Vietnamese American ever elected to Congress. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, former Congressman Cao shares his thoughts on the quandary now facing Afghan refugees.

On Sept. 7, 2021, at 6:30 p.m., Archbishop Timothy Broglio will celebrate the annual Memorial Mass for Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, in Washington, D.C. EWTN will televise the Mass live across North America. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Retired Admiral P. Steve Stanley, Chairman of the Father Capodanno Guild, and Retired U.S. Marine Sergeant Major Henry Hernandez, who served with Father Capodanno, share why they believe "the Grunt Padre" should be canonized in the Catholic Chruch.

The First Amendment right to free exercise of religion is alive and well in the U.S. Military despite ongoing cases and controversies. That's the encouraging assessment of Mr. Daniel Blomberg, Esq., Senior Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. He elaborates in this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

COVID-19 has taken a steep toll on the Catholic War Veterans (CWV) of the USA and its Auxiliary. Between March 2020 and July 2021, the veteran service organization lost more than 300 of its eight-thousand members at a time when membership, once boasting 50,000, was already in steady decline. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, CWV National Commander David Crum considers the future of the organization founded in 1935 and chartered by Congress.

Since 2014, 65 men have entered seminary to become Catholic U.S. Military chaplains, and so far 38 have been ordained priests, nine have gone on active duty, and another 24 will go on active duty over the next three years with more on the way. Those strong numbers are thanks in large part to Father Aidan Logan, O.C.S.O., who soon leaves his role as Vocations Director for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), to pursue other ministry. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the AMS, Father Logan reflects on a remarkably successful seven-and-a-half years guiding young men discerning the vocation within a vocation to serve those who serve.

Learning about the Catholic faith can be fun for children and teens on the portal, AMS Family Witness to Christ. The portal, powered by Catholicbrain.com, provides games, puzzles, videos, songs, and other innovative and interactive tools to attract and hold the interest of students in grades pre-K through 12. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Catholicbrain CEO and Founder Mosongo Osong and Director of Content and Marketing Pete Socks share how the Catholicbrain came to be and why it's an especially useful educational tool for military families.

Father Jason E. Hesseling, CH (MAJ), USA, was recently awarded the U.S. Army Order of St. Martin of Tours Chaplaincy Award for his service to the Catholic community at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State. The award is given to a chaplain or religious affairs specialist who has demonstrated "the highest standards of integrity and moral character," displayed "an outstanding degree of professional competence," and "selflessly served soldiers and families, and contributed to the promotion of the Army Chaplaincy. Father Hesseling serves with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the AMS, Father Hesseling talks about his life and service as a U.S. Army chaplain and how he came to receive the Army Chaplain Corps' most prestigious award.

Is it a virtue to endure hardship without complaint? The Stoics of Ancient Greece certainly thought so. In her new book, "Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience," Dr. Nancy Sherman, a Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and former holder of the inaugural Chair in Ethics at the U.S. Naval Academy, cites evidence the practice of stoicism can actually help treat a condition afflicting many in the Military: moral injury, the spiritual agony suffered from committing, failing to prevent, or witnessing an act contradicting one's deeply-held moral beliefs. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Dr. Sherman shares insights to be published in her new book, out May 11, 2021. Preregistration is open at Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Since 2004, the Knights of Columbus have funded publication of "Armed with the Faith," a Catholic prayerbook specifically for Catholics in the U.S. Military. The pocket-size, water-resistant prayerbook (shown on the desk in the photo) is designed for use anywhere those who serve may find themselves, whether in the relative safety of a home base or port, or in the field or high seas of battle. "Armed with the Faith" has proven to be so popular all available copies have been distributed and the prayerbook is currently out of stock. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), Father Daniel R. Sweeney, S.J., a U.S. Air Force chaplain colonel and the prayerbook's editor, reveals a new edition will soon go to press and shares when "Armed with the Faith" will once again be available to Catholics in uniform.

While in High School, the Reverend Mr. Jason Allan thought he would become an engineer, but God had other plans. In May of 2021, he will be ordained a priest of the Diocese of Fort Worth, TX, with plans of eventually becoming an active-duty U.S. Navy Chaplain. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, the Rev. Mr. Allan traces his journey through priestly formation and shares how he hopes to relieve a chronic shortage of Catholic chaplains on active duty.

With active-duty chaplains in short supply, the U.S. Navy has recruited a reservist to serve as 3rd Battalion chaplain at the U.S. Naval Academy. Father Paul Kostka, CHC, LT, USN, came to Annapolis from Denver, CO, in October 2020 to begin a one-year assignment. Before his tour at the Naval Academy, Father Kostka served in support of the 3rd Marine Expedition at the Navy Reserve Center in Denver, where he was also a chaplain at the University of Denver. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Father Kostka, a member of the religious congregation, Servants of Christ Jesus, shares his experiences providing pastoral care to the midshipmen.

New York Times bestselling author Joe Drape is out with a new book called The Saint Makers. It explores how the Holy See's Congregation for the Causes of Saints goes about deciding who gets to be a saint, focusing heavily on the current case of Korean War hero, U.S. Army Chaplain, and Medal of Honor recipient Father Emil Kaupan (1916-1951). The rich and unique narrative leads from the plains of Kansas where Father Kapaun was born and raised to the opulent halls of the Vatican, through brutal Korean War prison camps, and into the stories of two individuals, Avery Gerleman and Chase Kear, whose lives were threatened by illness and injury and whose family and friends prayed to Father Kapaun, sparking miraculous recoveries in the heart of America. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Mr. Drape shares some of what he found while researching Father Kapaun's life story and all that's required in the Catholic Church to become a saint.

Two weeks after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the National Guard was called in to keep order during the inauguration of President Joseph Biden. Father Michael Zimmer, Ch, Capt, USAF, a chaplain in the Nebraska Air National Guard, was among those deployed to the Nation's Capital. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Father Zimmer joins us by phone from Lincoln, where he is stationed with the 155th Air Refueling Wing. He shares how he celebrated Mass on a makeshift altar in the Capitol building while providing pastoral care for Guard members on a tense but ultimately successful mission to keep the peace in a turbulent time on Capitol Hill.

Father Alejandro De Jesus is the new president of the National Conference of Veterans Affairs Catholic Chaplains (NCVACC). He works full time at the San Antonio VA Medical Center and succeeds Father R. Peter Francis as NCVACC president. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Father De Jesus joins us by telephone from San Antonio to share how the NCVACC supports pastoral care for Catholics receiving treatment from the VA. And he explains how a recent change in the federal employment classification of VA chaplains is meant to raise the standard of ministry but could also make it harder for Catholic priests to become VA chaplains at a time when some medical centers are suffering a shortage of Catholic chaplains.

In Nigeria on Dec. 27, 2020, thugs wielding semi-automatic rifles kidnapped Auxiliary Bishop Moses Chikwe of Owerri and his driver, Mr. Ndubuisi Robert. Bishop Chikwe is a former chaplain at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Diego, CA. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Bishop Chikwe shares how their abductors held them for five days in the Nigerian wilderness, at one point attacking Mr. Robert with a machete, only to receive His Excellency's forgiveness and blessings upon their release, but not the ransom they had sought.

Seminarian Patrick DiLoreto discovered his military calling before he did his priestly vocation. Through the ROTC program at the University of Northern Colorado, he joined the Colorado National Guard at the end of his freshman year in 2012, inspired in part by the influence of an older brother who served in the U.S. Army and deployed to Afghanistan while Mr. DiLoreto was still in high school. But it was not until he made a spiritual retreat his junior year in college that he discerned a call to priesthood and military chaplaincy. Now, Mr. DiLoreto is on track to be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Colorado Springs in 2023 with plans to go on active duty as an Army chaplain. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Mr. DiLoreto reflects on his priestly calling and how he hopes to make a difference serving those who serve.

Meet Father Joseph M. Fleury, CH (COL), USA. At 69, he is the oldest active-duty chaplain in the U.S. Military. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Father Fleury traces his extraordinary 32-year career in the Army, recapping tours in Korea, Panama and elsewhere, and he shares how his 2005 deployment to war-torn Afghanistan has so far been the most meaningful of his long period of service to those who serve, which, by the way, has just been extended another two years.

Father Mark Bristol, CHC LT, USN, is one of four U.S. Navy chaplains assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theordore Roosevelt (CVN-71), and the only Catholic priest. Father Bristol was on board in late March when an outbreak of COVID-19 sidelined the Roosevelt at Guam for more than two months during a deployment to the Western Pacific. Ultimately, more than 1,200 sailors were infected--about 25% of the carrier's crew, and one died. For the first time Father Bristol gives a complete first-hand account in this, the Nov. 23 edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

Mr. Armando Herrera majored in pre-medicine while going through the ROTC program at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), hoping one day to become a doctor in the U.S. Army. While finishing up his degree, though, Mr. Herrera began to explore life's deeper meaning. He discerned God's call to the priesthood and military chaplaincy. Now, Mr. Herrera, 27, is immersed in priestly formation at Theological College in Washington, D.C., where he is on track to be ordained a priest in 2022. Mr. Herrera plans eventually to go on active duty as an Army chaplain following a period of pastoral service in his home Diocese of Richmond, VA. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Mr. Herrera shares how his vocational ambitions evolved from "doctor of the body" to "doctor of the soul."

Mr. Liam O'Shea-Creal, 25, grew up in Lincoln, NE, just two blocks from his Catholic parish. Although he went to a Catholic school and was active as an altar server, he had no intention of becoming a priest. Not until after he went to college at the University of Nebraska. There, as a student majoring first in business and then psychology, he began to discern a vocation. Now, Mr. O'Shea-Creal is in nearing the final stages of priestly formation at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmittsburg, MD. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), the seminarian shares how he realized God was calling him to be both a priest and a chaplain in the U.S. Navy with AMS endorsement and faculties.