WASHINGTON, D.C. – More than a half-dozen Catholic priests from around the nation will gather in Washington, D.C., in June for a five-day discernment retreat aimed at helping them determine if they are called to the “vocation within a vocation” to serve as U.S. Military chaplains. The all-expenses-paid retreat, “For God and Country: a Call to Serve Those Who Serve,” is the fourth of its kind to be sponsored by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), since 2015.
The retreats are meant to help relieve a chronic shortage of Catholic priests serving on active duty. The shortage, which has been growing for decades, is due mainly to attrition within their ranks: aging chaplains are reaching military retirement faster than they can be replaced. Currently, 205 priests are on active duty, about half the number serving at the time of 9/11.
During the June 25-29 retreat, AMS clergy, staff, and chaplains will join His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, in giving the priests a realistic picture of what it is like to be a military chaplain and how to become one. The AMS Chancellor, Father Robert R. Cannon, Ch, Col, USAF (Ret.), said “the For God and Country Retreat is an excellent brief exposure to the various service branches of the military for priests discerning whether to become a Catholic chaplain. All of the Catholic priest recruiters are on hand to answer questions about ministry in each service branch. The priests who have attended the retreat have found it very helpful.”
Staying at the Theological College in Northeast Washington, the priests will gather daily for prayer and the Eucharist. They will visit Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer, Va., Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. In those real-life settings, they will meet and talk with military officers, enlisted personnel, and other chaplains.
A highlight of the gathering will occur in the Pentagon Memorial Chapel at the 9/11 crash site, where the priests will concelebrate Mass. The retreat will conclude after Morning Prayer on Friday, June 29.
Currently, nine priests are signed up to make the retreat. The AMS still has one more slot open for any qualified priest who submits an application.
To qualify for consideration:
- The priest must have a minimum of two years of ordained ministry in a parish;
- The priest must be a citizen or have a Green Card; priests with only a Visa will not be considered;
- Preference will be given to those priests who can enter active duty before their 42nd birthday.
For more information, contact the AMS Chancellor at Chancellor@milarch.org or (202) 719-3600. To apply, go to https://www.milarch.org/for-god-and-country/application/.