Catholic Military Life

As AMS Director of Faith Formation Mr. José Amaya is responsible for training and mentoring catechetical leaders on U.S. Military installations all over the world. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, Mr. Amaya shares how he encourages religious educators to commit themselves to service to others with missionary zeal.

A newly established Catholic Military Apostolate of the United States (CMA-US) aims to build Catholic communities on installations worldwide in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. President Nicholas Cammaroto, SSgt, USAF, and colleagues share details including how you can join in this edition of Catholic Military Life.

Child sex abuse at the hands of a former Catholic Church lay leader is the topic of a new book by U.S. Army wife and abuse survivor Carrie Bucalo and Auxiliary Bishop William (Bill) Muhm of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the co-authors share how the Book of Matthew, Chapter 18, offers healing and guidance.

Built in 1900, the Catholic Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, is the oldest, continuously used chapel at West Point, and the only house of worship owned by the Catholic Church on U.S. Government property. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, West Point alum Martin H. Joyce III tells what he discovered about the chapel in research for a just-published book.

In July, the Reverend Monsignor Anthony R. Frontiero, S.T.D., took office as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). In this edition of Catholic Military Life, Msgr. Frontiero introduces himself and reflects on his remarkable journey as a man of God and the new day-to-day leader of AMS operations, clergy, and staff.

Father Anthony Williams, a retired U.S. Air Force chaplain and priest of the Diocese of Kansas City, knows first-hand the truth behind the old maxim, "It's not where you start--it's where you finish that counts." Although raised protestant Father Williams converted to Catholicism as a young airman and eventually discovered his vocation. He shares his faith journey in this edition of Catholic Military Life.

The application period is now open for U.S. servicemen and women and veterans--particularly those suffering from wounds of war--to apply for an all-expenses paid journey to Lourdes, France, in May 2024. The Warriors to Lourdes journey coincides with the annual International Military Pilgrimage there. In the Sept. 25 edition of Catholic Military Life, Col. Chuck Gallina, USMC (Ret.), of the Knights of Columbus shares details, along with some old war stories from his four tours in Vietnam during the 1960s and 70s.

In this edition of Catholic Military Life, a podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, retired Four-Star Admiral William J. Fallon shares his experience at the Pentagon on 9/11 and other stories from his 41 years in the U.S. Navy. And he invites all to the Pilgrimage for the Sea Services Mass on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 3:30 p.m. EDST at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, 339 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727.

With the annual Memorial Mass for Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, Servant of God, coming up on Sept. 5, Mr. Bob Pinkerton, a former U.S. Marine who served with Father Capodanno in Vietnam, recalls his experiences with the Vietnam War hero chaplain in this edition of Catholic Military Life.

Kristina M. Hughes, (2LT) USA, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, took a break from graduate studies in the U.K. the first week of August, 2023, to visit Portugal for World Youth Day. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, Lt. Hughes tells how her experience has inspired her in her pursuit of a military career.

Assistant U.S. Attorney and self-described "Army brat" Sarah Wannarka re-discovered her respect for Catholic U.S. Military chaplains when she did tours in Afghanistan to coach local prosecutors. She shares her story in this edition of Catholic Military Life, a podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

Raising girls in the Catholic faith can be a challenge for families in today's increasingly secular society where even traditional notions of scouting are in flux, but as U.S. Air Force wife and mother Sherry Ohotnicky explains in this edition of Catholic Military Life, support can be found in the character development organization, American Heritage Girls.

A new book, Navigating Leadership: Making a Pact with Excellence, is billed on Amazon as must-read material for anyone seeking to become an exceptional leader. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, a podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, the author, Catholic Rear Admiral Garry E. Hall, USN (Ret.), shares how the qualities of passion, accountability, commitment, and traits and traditions are essential to effective leadership.

Catholic youth involved in scouting can earn religious emblems alongside their merit badges as a way of developing their understanding and practice of Catholic faith. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, a podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Father Dan Goulet, CH (MAJ), USA, the archdiocese's scouting chaplain, explains.

On the weekend of Pentecost in 2024, four groups of 12 pilgrims will set out from four corners of the United States for Indianapolis, IN, with plans to arrive in time for the July 17-21 National Eucharistic Congress. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, a podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, organizer Will Peterson shares the meaning of the pilgrimage and how you can join.N

The Evangelization Office of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, is initiating a new program for sending missionary disciples to live at U.S. Military bases where they will work to make fishers of young adult servicemen and women. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the first two disciples to answer the call, Ms. Stephanie Nussio and Ms. Jurate Reventas, share plans for their upcoming assignment to Travis Air Force Base in California.

In 1966 when U.S. Marine Corporal Joseph Frank Simpson arrived in Vietnam at the age of 19, there to greet him at a grass-hut makeshift chapel was Father Vincent R. Capodanno, CH, LT, USN. Father Capodanno's words of counsel and encouragement helped Cpl. Simpson orient himself to his new surroundings, just months before the priest died a heroic death coming to the aid of embattled Marines. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, Mr. Simpson shares his memories of the priest hero who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his bravery and whose Cause for Canonization is under consideration by the Catholic Church.

Lieutenant Commander Michael Scoffone of the U.S. Navy Reserve has more than 20 years experience in the Reserve and on active-duty deployments. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, a podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, LCDR Scoffone explains how Catholic Military chaplains are indispensable to the Navy's mission to deter foreign aggression and maintain freedom of the seas.

In February of 2023, Archbishop Timothy Broglio announced creation of the Saint John XXIII Foundation to establish perpetual endowed support for pastoral care to those who serve. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, a podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, the Foundation's Executive Director, Mr. John Schlageter, Esq., explains how the Foundation will work and how you can participate.

He was a NASA flight director for Apollo 11, the mission that landed the first men on the moon, and for Apollo 13, which brought three endangered astronauts home safely from their aborted mission. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Capt. Eugene F. Kranz, USAF (Ret.), reflects on his historic role in the early days of space exploration and how his practice of Catholic faith shaped the trajectory of his remarkable career.