vocations

Twenty Men Gather for Discernment Retreat on Possible Vocations as U.S. Military Chaplains

MENLO PARK, CA – Twenty-one men are gathering here this weekend for a February 16-19 discernment retreat aimed at helping them discern if they are called by the Holy Spirit to be Catholic priests and U.S. Military chaplains. The Vocations Office of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), is holding the retreat at St. Patrick’s Seminary in hopes of relieving a chronic shortage of Catholic priests on active duty. The theme is “The Priesthood and Military Chaplaincy: Discerning a Vocation within a Vocation.”

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Prospective Catholic U.S. Army Chaplain Ordained a Priest in Richmond, VA

RICHMOND, VA – Father Armando Herrera (1LT), USAR, was ordained a Catholic priest on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Richmond, VA, thus reaching a crucial milestone in a formational journey he hopes will lead to full-time service as a U.S. Army chaplain with requisite endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). Father Herrera, who already serves in the U.S. Army Reserve, wants to accede to active duty following a three-year period of civilian assignments in his home Diocese of Richmond under a co-sponsorship agreement with the AMS. The civilian service is meant for the Richmond Diocese to reap early fruits of labor from a new priest while giving Father Herrera opportunities to develop practical, ministerial experience before embarking on the vocation within a vocation, serving those who serve as an active-duty Army chaplain. Under the co-sponsorship agreement, Father Herrera will return to Richmond as a diocesan priest upon completion of his military service.

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Twenty-Six Men Explore Possible Vocations as U.S. Military Chaplains in Discernment Retreat

BALTIMORE — Twenty-six men discerning possible vocations as Catholic priests and U.S. Military chaplains came together in Baltimore over the weekend of Sept. 29-Oct. 2 for a discernment retreat aimed at helping them hear God’s call. The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), held the four-day retreat at St. Mary’s Seminary under the direction of the Vocations Office. Among the retreatants were three cadets from the U.S. Military Academy West Point and one from the Army’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) , a Marine,  six sailors, five midshipmen, two airmen and eight civilians. AMS Vocations Director Father S. Matthew Gray directed the retreat. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D.,  Archbishop for the Military Services, participated and celebrated Holy Mass twice for those gathered.

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Catholic U.S. Army Chaplain Candidate Ordained a Transitional Deacon in San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO, TX – The Reverend Mr. David B. Chacko, (1LT), USAR, a candidate for the Catholic priesthood and United States Military chaplaincy, was ordained a transitional deacon on Saturday, Sept. 10, in his home Archdiocese of San Antonio. The new deacon, an alumnus of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, is on track to be ordained a priest next year and hopes eventually to serve as an active-duty Catholic chaplain in the U.S. Army, and provide pastoral care to Catholic soldiers and their families with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).

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Memorial Mass Scheduled SEPT. 6, 2022 for Vietnam War Hero Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM

The annual Memorial Mass for Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, United States Navy chaplain and Vietnam War hero, will be celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 in observance of the 55th anniversary of his death on a Vietnam battlefield. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the United States Military Services, will be the main celebrant and homilist.

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Vocations Director S. Matthew Gray to Lead Eucharistic Revival Novena to Saint John Vianney for Vocations

WASHINGTON, DC — As the United States Military energetically seeks more Catholic priests to serve as active-duty chaplains in all branches, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), has chosen a more powerful approach by invoking divine intervention through prayer. Beginning Wednesday, July 27, and continuing through Thursday, Aug. 4, Vocations Director Father S. Matthew Gray will lead the faithful in an online novena. The term “novena” comes from the Latin word for “nine”—“novem.” A novena is series of prayers for special petitions, said for nine consecutive days. While novenas may be offered to any one of a number of saints, this one will implore the intercession of Saint John Vianney (1786-1859), the patron saint of parish priests. The timing coincides with the three-year Eucharistic Revival, an initiative approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) last November to rekindle awareness of the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharistic Revival, which began on June 19, the Feast of Corpus Christi, will culminate in 2024 with a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN. 

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Prospective Catholic U.S. Navy Chaplain Ordained a Priest in San Diego

POWAY, CA – Father Bradley David Easterbrooks, LTJG, USNR, a candidate for United States Military chaplaincy, was ordained a priest on Friday, June 24, 2022, at St. Gabriel Catholic Church in Poway, CA.  He hopes eventually to serve as an active-duty chaplain in the U.S. Navy with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).

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Prospective Catholic U.S. Navy Chaplain Ordained Priest in Michigan

EAST LANSING, MI – Father Peter Ludwig, USNR, a candidate for United States Military chaplaincy, was ordained a Catholic priest on Saturday, June 11, 2022, in East Lansing, MI.  He hopes eventually to serve as a Catholic chaplain in the U.S. Navy with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).

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Prospective Catholic U.S. Army Chaplain Ordained a Transitional Deacon in Richmond, VA

RICHMOND, VA – The Reverend Mr. Armando Herrera (1LT), USAR, a candidate for the Catholic priesthood and United States Military chaplaincy, was ordained a transitional deacon on Saturday, May 21, 2022, in Richmond, VA. He hopes eventually to serve as a U.S. Army chaplain with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). The new deacon is on track to be ordained a priest in December and hopes to go on active duty following a three-year period of pastoral service in his home Diocese of Richmond under a co-sponsorship agreement between the diocese and the AMS.

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Catholic U.S. Navy Chaplain Candidate Ordained a Priest in Arlington, VA

ARLINGTON, VA – Father Peter J. St. George, LTJG, USNR, a candidate for the United States Military chaplaincy, was ordained a priest on Saturday, June 4, 2022, in Arlington, VA. He hopes eventually to serve as a Catholic chaplain in the U.S. Navy with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). The new priest plans to go on active duty following a three-year period of pastoral service in his home Diocese of Arlington under a co-sponsorship agreement with the AMS. In his first assignment, he will serve as parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Alexandria.

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