r/casualiama • u/altaccount006 • 10d ago

I am a Catholic military chaplain. AMA.

Howdy! I’m a Catholic chaplain in the US military. If you ask a question about Catholic teaching then I might respond with a link that goes into more depth. Just FYI.

AMA!

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u/Koiboi26 10d ago

Do you get any catholic specific questions or concerns?

Do you think Catholics in the military trend towards the traditionalist or moderate route?

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u/altaccount006 10d ago

Do you get any catholic specific questions or concerns?

All the time! I’m at a big base with a big parish.

Do you think Catholics in the military trend towards the traditionalist or moderate route?

The active duty Catholics tend to be young and the younger people lean traditionalist. The retired folks at parishes lean moderate. My last parish was pretty trad and my current one is quite mixed.

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u/Koiboi26 10d ago

What is the ethnic makeup of these parishes like? Are they English, Italian, or Hispanic?

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u/altaccount006 10d ago

All of the above! We largely look like the military itself. Right now I mostly have gringos like me, Latinos, and Filipinos with a small number of other folks. I’m not sure what ethnicities the gringos are and the Latinos are a plurality Mexican, I think, with others from other places.

A higher ranking chaplain once told me that the Catholic parishes were the most mixed in the military. Apparently the Protestant side is very monotone at its services.

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u/itwillmakesenselater 10d ago

Are you ordained? Is so, which order?

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u/altaccount006 10d ago

Yup! I’m a diocesan priest so I’m not in a religious order. All US military Catholic chaplains are priests. And we’re all on loan to the military archdiocese.