On an August evening in Afghanistan, the Rev. Mirek Jordanek, a Czech army chaplain, celebrated Mass in his limited English. A Protestant chaplain preached the homily at the weekend Mass. “One day, we will see him face to face,” said the Rev. Brent Sanders, the Protestant chaplain. “Let us be ready.” It is a fitting message for the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division. At least 14 soldiers have been killed in action since January, four of them in the last two weeks of July. Where once only 10 of the faithful attended Catholic Mass, their numbers have grown to at least 30 regular attendees. Although one out of five U.S. soldiers is Catholic, there are just 100 Catholic chaplains for the entire U.S. Army. “We are very short,” said the Rev. Bradley West, a Baptist assigned to the 10th Mountain Division. “Especially when we deploy, many soldiers will not see a priest the whole time, especially the guys out at command outposts,” he said.
Chaplains Share Duties in Afghanistan
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
The severe breathing crisis that Francis experienced on Feb. 22 has been overcome. The pope is not sedated. He is seated in an armchair and eating normally.
Pope Francis has had a severe breathing crisis today that required giving him high-flow oxygen and blood transfusions.
Is the pope out of danger? No. Is he in danger of death right now? Also no.
The White House began an effort to restore relations with Russia as President Trump repeats Russia’s narrative and talking points about the origins of the war on Ukraine.