Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, provides the Roman Catholic Church's pastoral and spiritual services to those serving in the United States armed forces or other federal services overseas. This military ordinariate is a special diocese that dates back to 1917 and was canonically erected in 1939 by Pope Pius XII for the members and others employed by the five branches of the United States military (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy), for the employees of the U.S. Veterans Health Administration and its patients, and for Americans in government service overseas. The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, was created by Pope John Paul II in 1985 and incorporated under the laws of the State of Maryland that same year.

The diocesan bishop of the archdiocese is the Archbishop for the Military Services. The current archbishop is Timothy P. Broglio. He is assisted by several auxiliary bishops. Together they oversee Catholic priests serving as military chaplains throughout the world. None of the priests of the Archdiocese are incardinated in the Archdiocese. Each of its priests remains incardinated in his diocese or religious institute. The Archdiocese maintains its offices in Washington, D.C., but has no territorial boundaries or "seat". The Archdiocese has no cathedral or bishop's church. Rather, the Archdiocese has jurisdiction wherever American men and women in uniform serve. The jurisdiction of the Archdiocese extends to all United States government property in the United States and abroad, including U.S. military installations, embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions.

History
Prior to the creation of the Military Ordinariate and then the Archdiocese for the Military Services, the armed forces of the United States was served by an informal corps of volunteer priests. Beginning in 1917, the spiritual care of those in military service fell to the Military Ordinariate, the equivalent of a personal vicariate apostolic, that is, a particular church the membership of which is defined by some personal quality (as in this case being a member or a dependent of a member of the armed services) that is headed by a legate of the pope. Originally, the ordinariate was headed by then-Bishop Patrick J. Hayes, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York who served double duty as papal military vicar for the United States beginning on November 24, 1917.



Hayes was chosen because New York was the primary port of embarkation for U.S. troops leaving for Europe and therefore a convenient contact point for Catholic chaplains serving with them. When Cardinal John Farley, Archbishop of New York, died, Hayes was appointed as his successor and simply kept the additional title and duty of military vicar. In November 1939, the Holy See established the Military Vicariate of the United States of America. The post remained an additional duty of the archbishop of New York from Hayes' time until Cardinal Terence Cooke began plans to separate it as its own jurisdiction in the early 1980s, plans he was unable to carry out before his death in 1983. His successor, Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor, a former Navy chaplain, former chief of Navy chaplains (the military's title for its own senior chaplain officer) and former auxiliary bishop for the military, then assisted in creating the separate Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, in 1985 and participated in the selection of its first own archbishop. On July 21, 1986, the military vicariate was elevated to the Military Ordinariate of the Archdiocese for the Military Services of the United States. As of April 2013, about 25% of the U.S. armed forces are Catholic.

Military ordinaries and archbishops

 * † Bishop (later Archbishop of New York and then also Cardinal) Patrick Joseph Hayes, Vicar Apostolic of Military, USA (24 November 1917 – 4 September 1938)
 * † Archbishop (later Cardinal) Francis Joseph Spellman, Apostolic Vicar for the U.S. Armed Forces (11 December 1939 – 2 December 1967) and Archbishop of New York
 * † Bishop John Francis O'Hara, CSC, Military Delegate (11 December 1939 – 10 March 1945)*
 * † Archbishop (later Cardinal) Terence James Cooke, Vicar Apostolic for the U.S. Military (4 April 1968 – 6 October 1983) and Archbishop of New York
 * † Joseph T. Ryan, first Archbishop for the Military Services (16 March 1985 – 14 May 1991) – Died October 9, 2000
 * Joseph Thomas Dimino, Archbishop for the Military Services (14 May 1991 – 12 August 1997)
 * Edwin Frederick O'Brien, Archbishop for the Military Services (12 August 1997 – 12 July 2007) – Appointed archbishop of Baltimore
 * Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services (25 January 2008 – present)

† = deceased

* O'Hara was appointed "military delegate" at the same time that Spellman was appointed "military vicar," essentially making Bishop O'Hara something a bit more than the vicar general under then-Archbishop Spellman's jurisdiction.

Auxiliary bishops

 * William Tibertus McCarty, C.Ss.R. (1943–1947)
 * William Richard Arnold (1945–1965)
 * James Henry Ambrose Griffiths (1949–1955)
 * Philip Joseph Furlong (1955–1971)
 * William Joseph Moran (1965–1981)
 * James Jerome Killeen (1975–1978)
 * Joseph T. Ryan – Coadjutor bishop (1975–1985) for the Military Vicariate – see (above)
 * John Joseph O'Connor (1979–1983) (retired Chief of Navy Chaplains) – Appointed bishop of Scranton
 * Lawrence Joyce Kenney (1983–1990)
 * Angelo Thomas Acerra, O.S.B. (1983–1990)
 * Joseph Thomas Dimino (1983–1991) – see (above)
 * Francis Xavier Roque (1983–2004)
 * John Gavin Nolan (1987–1997)
 * John Joseph Glynn (1991–2002)
 * José de Jesús Madera Uribe, M.Sp.S. (1991–2004)
 * John Joseph Kaising (2000–2007)
 * Joseph W. Estabrook (2004–2012)
 * Richard Brendan Higgins (2004–present)
 * F. Richard Spencer (2010–present)
 * Neal James Buckon (2011–present)
 * Robert J. Coyle (2013-present)



Chancery
The diocesan chancery is located in Washington, D.C.

Noncombatant status

 * See: Military chaplain

The Geneva Conventions state (Protocol I, 8 June 1977, Art 43.2) that chaplains are noncombatants: they do not have the right to participate directly in hostilities. Captured chaplains are not considered Prisoners of War (Third Convention, 12 August 1949, Chapter IV Art 33) and must be returned to their home nation unless retained to minister to prisoners of war.

Patron saints

 * See also: Military saint and footnotes


 * Patron saint of military chaplains
 * See: St. John of Capistrano and St. Martin of Tours


 * Patron saint of alpine troops
 * See: St. Maurice


 * Patron saint of armed forces
 * See: St. Michael


 * Patron saint of armies
 * See: St. Maurice


 * Patron saint of armorers
 * See: St. Maurice


 * Patron saint of artillery
 * See: St. Barbara. The Order of Saint Barbara is awarded by the US Army Field Artillery Association.


 * Patron saint of aviators
 * See: St. Joseph of Cupertino and St. Matthew


 * Patron saint of cavalry
 * See: St. Martin of Tours and Saint George. The Order of Saint George is awarded by the US Army Armor Association.


 * Patron saint of civil servants
 * See: St. Matthew


 * Patron saint of infantrymen
 * See: St. Maurice. The Order of Saint Maurice is awarded by the National Infantry Association (US).


 * Patron saint of military intelligence
 * See: St. Nicholas


 * Patron saint of paratroopers
 * See: St. Joseph of Cupertino and St. Michael


 * Patron saint of quartermasters
 * ''See: St. Martin of Tours and Military Order of Saint Martin


 * Patron saint of transporters
 * See: St. Christopher


 * Patron saint of soldiers
 * See: St. Joan of Arc, St. Martin of Tours, St. Maurice, and St. Sebastian


 * Patron saint of swordsmiths
 * See: St. Maurice


 * Patron saint of U.S. Special Forces
 * See: St. Philip Neri

Prayers

 * See also: USN Chaplain Corps prayers, USMA Cadet Prayer, and Air Force Hymn


 * Prayer for the Archdiocese
 * Prayers for the Military
 * Prayer for Troops


 * Prayers in a Time of War
 * 1) For Troops
 * 2) Prayer of a Spouse for a Soldier
 * 3) Prayer of a Son or Daughter for a Parent
 * 4) Prayer of a Parent for a Soldier
 * 5) Prayer for Those who Await a Soldier's Return
 * 6) For Government Leaders
 * 7) For the Safety of Soldiers
 * 8) For our Enemies
 * 9) For Courage in the time of Battle
 * 10) In a Time of Waiting
 * 11) For Deceased Veterans


 * A Soldier's Prayers
 * 1) For Families and friends Left At Home
 * 2) On the Eve of Battle
 * 3) For Hope in the Midst of Destruction
 * 4) Prayer For Officers In Command
 * 5) For Fellow Combatants
 * 6) For the innocent victims of war
 * 7) Prayer for refugees and victims of war

Notable chaplains by conflict

 * For historic photographs of Army chaplains in World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War, see Chaplain Corps Museum.
 * See footnote



Mexican-American War

 * John McElroy, S.J. – One of two of the Army's first Catholic chaplains. Founder of Boston College.
 * Anthony Rey, S.J. – One of two of the Army's first Catholic chaplains. Vice president of Georgetown College (1845).

Civil War

 * For Civil War chaplains, see footnote.


 * Emmeran M. Bliemel, OSB – He was the first Catholic chaplain killed in action during the Civil War.
 * William Corby – He is famous for giving a general absolution to the Irish Brigade at the Battle of Gettysburg.
 * John Ireland – He served as a chaplain of the 5th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
 * Bernard John McQuaid – He volunteered as a chaplain and accompanied the New Jersey Brigade to the seat of war, during which service he was captured by the Confederates.

World War I

 * John B. DeValles
 * Francis P. Duffy – Chaplain for the 69th Infantry Regiment (a military unit from New York City and part of the New York Army National Guard) – known as "The Fighting 69th" – which had been federalized and redesignated the 165th U.S. Infantry Regiment.
 * John Joseph Mitty – Chaplain; in 1919, he was assigned as Catholic chaplain at the U.S. Military Academy; during his tenure at West Point, General Douglas MacArthur served as superintendent.
 * Colman O'Flaherty

World War II





 * See footnote


 * Thomas J. Barrett
 * Frederic P. Gehring, C.M.
 * Joseph A. Gilmore
 * William Guilfoyle
 * Philip M. Hannan
 * William A. Irwin
 * Alfred W. Johnson
 * Francis J. McManus
 * Joseph T. O'Callahan (Medal of Honor USS Franklin)
 * John A. Ryan
 * Joseph T. Ryan
 * John P. Washington (one of the Four Chaplains)

Korean War

 * See footnote


 * Emil J. Kapaun (Medal of Honor)
 * Dennis Murphy
 * John J. O'Connor (later appointed auxiliary bishop of the Military Vicariate)

Vietnam War

 * See footnote


 * Vincent R. Capodanno, M.M.
 * Charles Liteky
 * Charles J. Watters

Iraq War

 * H. Timothy Vakoc

Fiction and literature portraying Catholic military chaplains

 * The Fighting 69th
 * The Longest Day (book)
 * The Longest Day (film)
 * MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors
 * MASH (film)
 * M*A*S*H (TV series)