WASHINGTON, DC – Last week Father Daniel L. Mode, CHC, CAPT, USN, an accomplished and highly respected Catholic U.S. Navy chaplain, who remains in good standing with both the Navy and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), received notice from the U.S. Coast Guard that he has been permanently removed from his duties as Chaplain of the Coast Guard. Some media outlets have reported that Father Mode failed to act on knowledge of another’s past sexual misconduct.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio takes sexual misconduct and the reporting of sexual misconduct seriously, and he is confident that within hours of receiving documentation of the 2011 incident of sexual misconduct, Father Mode ensured and directed that key Coast Guard personnel and chaplains responsible for advising and briefing their commanders were emailed all of the detailed and pertinent documents.
Father Mode further noted to Archbishop Broglio that he believed that his initial report in 2022 would be more broadly communicated. However, having reviewed the Coast Guard’s investigation findings, Father Mode now realizes that his presumption that all field commanders involved in the case were informed following the initial report, was incorrect.
Father Mode reiterated to the Archbishop that he fully embraces the Coast Guard’s core values, and he has earnestly worked to ensure his priorities were aligned with the Commandant’s expectations. He stressed the importance of recognizing “biases and barriers” to intervention regarding allegations of sexual assault and apologized profoundly for the circumstances that led to his removal as Chaplain of the Coast Guard which he views as his own leadership failure. Father Mode supports the Coast Guard’s efforts to address sexual assault with full accountability and transparency.
Father Mode has been reassigned to an administrative position within the U.S. Navy Chief of Chaplains Office and remains a priest in good standing with this Archdiocese. Archbishop Broglio expressed his continued confidence in Father Mode’s giftedness as a Catholic priest and chaplain and his dedication to building and maintaining a safe environment in the Church.
