Late AMS auxiliary commemorated for key role in construction
KANEOHE BAY, HAWAII—The eight-year-old base chapel at Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) will be formally named Friday, February 1, 2013 in honor of the late Bishop Joseph W. Estabrook, D.D.
Bishop Estabrook served the Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS) as an Episcopal Vicar first for the Western half of the United States and then for the Eastern half from July 3, 2004 until his death on February 4, 2012.
For more than 20 years before his ordination as an AMS auxiliary bishop, he was a United States Navy Chaplain and instrumental in organizing the effort to secure local support and federal funding for construction of the $9.5 million base chapel that will bear his name.
Originally dedicated on June 3, 2005, the one-story stucco chapel with five elaborately stained glass windows and a freestanding bell tower gleams like a precious jewel over the MCBH community center, which encompasses a Child Development Center, Marine Corps Exchange and Service Outlets, Commissary, and U.S. Post Office.
The chapel itself contains 22,577 square feet of floor space, including a 543-seat main worship area, 45-seat Catholic Blessed Sacrament Chapel, sacristy, cry room, reception/administration area and kitchen, five chaplain offices and two RPC offices, and seven multipurpose rooms complete with a conference room and library.
The naming ceremony will commence at 10:00 a.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) with the unveiling of two bronze plaques—one on the exterior of the building, the other in the vestibule—both commemorating Bishop Estabrook’s role in realizing the chapel. The late bishop’s name will also appear in letters above the main doors.
The Marine Forces Pacific Quintet will perform at the ceremony. Former Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) is scheduled to be among the 150 expected in attendance, including members of the Estabrook family.
Among those scheduled to deliver remarks, in order of presentation, are: Col. Brian Annichiarico, Commanding Officer, Marine Corps Base Hawaii;the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services; Maj. Gen. Peter Talleri, Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations, Pacific; and Mr. Timothy Estabrook, brother of the late bishop.
A reception sponsored by Marine Corps Community Services will follow on the chapel lanai (porch).
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The AMS was created as an independent archdiocese by Pope John Paul II in 1985 as the only Catholic jurisdiction responsible for endorsing and granting faculties for priests to serve as chaplains in the U.S. military and VA Medical Centers.
AMS-endorsed priests serve at more than 220 U.S. military installations in 29 countries, making the AMS the nation’s only global archdiocese. AMS-endorsed chaplains also serve at 153 VA Medical Centers throughout the U.S.
The AMS service population also includes American Catholic civilians working for the federal government in 134 countries, but currently, due to limited resources, the AMS cannot adequately serve this population.
Worldwide, an estimated 1.8 million Catholics depend on the AMS to meet their spiritual and sacramental needs.
For more information on the Archdiocese for the Military Services, visit www.milarch.org, the only official Web site for Catholics in the military and for the Cause of Father Vincent Capodanno, M.M.
