For the American servicemen and women who are Catholic, finding a church on Sundays is not an easy task. To alleviate this hardship, Pope Pius XII created the military ordinariate in 1939. This grew out of an informal brotherhood of volunteer priests, formed in 1917.

Originally, the military ordinariate branched from the Archdiocese of New York, an additional task for the Archbishop of New York. In 1985, however, Pope John Paul II created the Archdiocese for Military Services, USA.

This Archdiocese is unique in that is has no physical boundaries, cathedral, or bishop’s chair.

Priests serve as military chaplains throughout the world, but remain affiliated with their home diocese or religious order. The official offices of the Archbishop and the two Auxiliary Bishops are in Washington, D.C. Pastoral ministries of the Archdiocese include soldiers in more than 29 countries, patients in V.A. Medical Centers, and federal employees overseas, totaling over 1.5 million men, women, and children.

Priests serving as chaplains in the military are classified as noncombatants by the Geneva Conventions and therefore do not participate directly in hostilities and fighting. If they are captured, they do not become prisoners of war but are instead either returned to their home country or minister to the captured prisoners of war.

Boston College has a special relationship with the Archdiocese for Military Services, because current Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio is a BC graduate. Broglio was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland in 1977. He has served as Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and Asunscion, Paraguay as well as Chief of Cabinet for Angleo Cardinal Secretary of State to His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

He was installed as the fourth Archbishop of the Military Services, USA in 2008.

Father John McLaughlin, the Director of Vocations is also an Eagle. Acording to the Military Archdiocese website, “Priestly ministry to those serving in the military is a unique and special vocation.” No military experience is required to apply for service, but young men need to have a college degree, meet the academic requirements for the seminary, and qualify for military service.

Two seminarians studying on BC’s Brighton Campus, Salvatore Circosta and Mark Murphy, will both be involved in the military upon ordination.

These men will take on a large responsibility as Military Chaplains. Constant change is a large factor in the life of a chaplain; they are often the only priest in a large area ministering to frequently shifting “parishioners.”

“The work of chaplains is not confined to the chapel. They go wherever their people are—in a tent in the desert, on the deck of an aircraft carrier, under the sea in a submarine, in the barracks on base, on a fire-fighting line, in the VA hospital, in the halls of the Pentagon,” says the website.  The Archdiocese sponsors the Catholics Seeking Christ movement, helping young adults in the military address spiritual questions and discover Catholic identity.

The Boston College community should be very proud of the Eagles in the Archdiocese for Military Services, USA and all they do for God and country. Archbishop Broglio will return home to the Heights on Tuesday March 16th to speak to students. Fr. McLaughlin will also visit BC on March 29th.