Shortage of Roman Catholic Priests in the United States Navy Chaplain Corps: Addressing the Problem

摘要

In 2007 the United States Navy Chaplain Corps developed a strategic plan to address the ongoing and spiritual needs of people serving in the sea services. The Navy Chaplain Corps is responsible for providing chaplains for not only the Navy but also for the Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Recognizing the great diversity of religious affiliations that exist among members of the sea services, the Chaplain Corps is committed to providing for these needs. This commitment is especially challenging for denominations that have high representation within the sea services but low representation within the Chaplain Corps. This is certainly the case with the Roman Catholic faith. As the number of priests in the United States decreases, so too does the number of priests on active duty in the Navy Chaplain Corps. Currently, there are 97 priests on active duty in the Navy. And the ratio of priests to Catholics in the sea services is 1: 1052. Addressing the long term solution to this concern is open to debate and beyond the capabilities of the Navy and the Chaplain Corps. But there are short term solutions that can be enacted in order to ensure that the Catholic men and women of the sea services are able to freely practice their faith. This includes greater emphasis on the retention of current active duty priests by recognizing their increased work load and therefore providing them greater support. This can be further addressed through increased efforts in recruiting priests for active duty service by instituting other models of recruiting. Finally, some of the present needs can be met through better utilization of priests in the Navy reserve component.