Twenty-seven men gathered in Menlo Park, CA, March 21-24 for a retreat aimed at helping them discern if they are called by the Holy Spirit to be Catholic priests and U.S. Military chaplains. The AMS Vocations Office held the retreat at St. Patrick’s Seminary in hopes of relieving a chronic shortage of Catholic priests on active duty.
The retreatants include 20 men already associated with the military, and seven civilians. Most have expressed interest in a particular branch of service. Ten are considering the Army; nine, the Air Force, which also provides chaplains for the Space Force; and two, the Navy, which provides chaplains for the Marines and the Coast Guard. A half-dozen are undecided going into the retreat.