BALTIMORE, MD – A record-high 38 prospective Catholic U.S. Military chaplains gathered at St. Mary’s Seminary this past weekend for the annual fall discernment retreat for young men discerning the “vocation within a vocation” as both Catholic priests and military chaplain officers on active duty. The Vocations Office of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), holds two of these retreats each year—one in the spring on the West Coast and another in the fall on the East Coast—as part of its ongoing strategy to relieve a shortage of Catholic priests on active duty.
The weekend retreat in Baltimore, held Oct. 30-Nov. 2, was only the second organized and directed by AMS Director of Vocations, Father Paul-Anthony Halladay, CH (MAJ), USA (Ret.), himself a retired veteran U.S. Army chaplain. The record turnout surpassed the previous attendance record set April 3-6 in Menlo Park, CA, when 37 prospective chaplains participated at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Father Halladay’s first directed retreat. Father Halladay was appointed Vocation Director earlier this year by His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, who, as always, participated in the four days of prayer, reflection, and dialogue, and celebration of Holy Mass over the weekend in Baltimore.
Commenting on the second consecutive record-high retreat attendance, Father Halladay said, “I want to give so much credit to all of our Chaplains and Chaplain Recruiters, their hard work produced the numbers we had on this retreat.”
The prospective chaplain candidates converged on Baltimore from dioceses throughout the United States. They included 11 discerning service to the U.S. Army, nine to the Navy, and eight to the Air Force. Another ten are keeping their service branch options open as they pursue discernment. “There was a particularly ‘sweet spirit’ among this group,” Father Halladay said. “Even though they were large in number, and from all different backgrounds and connections with the military, they bonded remarkably well. I know there were plenty of people praying for us on our retreat and it was certainly fruitful.”
The AMS will hold next year’s Spring Discernment Retreat April 9-12, 2026, at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, CA. Young men interested in participating may contact Father Halladay at vocations@milarch.org or (202) 719-3600.