Chaplains invite civilian priests to 'Come Be With Us'

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class C.C.
  • 432nd Wing, 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
LAS VEGAS --  The base welcomed a group of Roman Catholic priests during the "Come Be With Us" tour Feb. 25. The tour helps to recruit civilian Roman Catholic priests to become military chaplains.

About eight civilian priest attendees traveled from several countries to attend the tour as part of their first step to becoming a military chaplain.

"About 60 to 70 percent of those who attend join the military and we have about two or three of these a year," said Father John Kinney, director of the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Corps Accessions.

Even though "Come Be With Us" is successful, the Chaplains Corps is still heavily undermanned. Currently the Chaplain Corps has half of the Roman Catholic priests needed; there are 54 currently on active duty. The Air Force has a need for 120 Roman Catholic chaplains.

To successfully recruit military chaplains, it is important to expose civilian priests to military culture, which is why the group tours both Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases.

"We wanted two operational bases,especially this one with it being similar to a deployed environment," said Kinney. He added how this offers them a look at what military life is like from the perspective of both state-side and down-range environments.

While chaplains are ordained in their particular faith, whether it be Jewish, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Latter Day Saints, Protestant or Eastern Christian Orthodox, they are trained to provide support or direct individuals even if they are of a different faith.

"The two main things that a chaplain does, is provide services and religious observations, and to provide for people the opportunity to exercise freedom of religion," said Kinney.

"I think that everyone in the ministry, no matter their faith, is serving a higher calling. That calling is service to the people and for military chaplains, the nation as well," said Kinney.

The Chaplain Corps plays an integral role in how the Air Force provides spiritual support to Airmen and supports their right to exercise their beliefs. The Chaplain Corps also advises leadership on issues such as spiritual, ethical, morale, core values and religious accommodation.

For more information about becoming a chaplain, call 1-800-803-2452 or visit the Air Force Chaplain Corps website at http://www.airforce.com/chaplain/.