Meaning of 'support'

In a recent Catholic News Service interview, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of the Archdiocese for Military Services U.S.A. indicated that the focus of the church rightly remains on the peaceful and responsible transition of power in Iraq. He and other active-duty Catholic chaplains suggest a number of ways in which Catholics and parishes can support the troops, regardless of their stance on the war on terror:

- Pray that military leaders and government officials may make prudent decisions that will hasten the end of the war and bring about peace.

- Honor military personnel by displaying their pictures in churches and inviting parishioners to pray for them.

- Reach out to returning soldiers and those in veterans' hospitals to help ease their psychological and physical transition from combat duty to civilian life.

- Offer assistance to the families of active-duty personnel, who often undergo extreme stress and financial difficulties, both while the soldier is away and when he or she returns home.

- Pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood - and specifically for vocations to the military chaplaincy.

That last suggestion points to a very serious shortage of Catholic priest-chaplains in all branches of the U.S. military. Many Catholic troops go weeks without as much as seeing a priest; when they do, the priest is often limited by time to celebrating Mass before moving to another site.

"Because of the complex moral situations that may arise in time of war and because of the psychological pressures faced by soldiers, there is great need for military chaplains to assist the troops, through prayer and the sacraments, and also through conscience formation and spiritual direction," wrote Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix a year ago.

The dearth of Catholic chaplains is a serious problem in today's military. While dioceses have been very generous in allowing their priests to serve in the military archdiocese, the shortages of available priests throughout the United States has limited the number of priest-chaplains.

To pray for a generalized growth in priestly vocations should benefit both the military chaplaincy and the ministry within the various dioceses themselves. As Bishop Olmsted added: "Until we overcome the national priest shortage, then, extra efforts need to be made by the lay faithful to provide spiritual support and faith formation to our Catholics serving in the military."

The chaplains themselves require prayers, too, as they are frequently in harm's way and are even targeted by the aggressors, who know well how the presence of a spiritual leader can boost the morale of the troops.

What Bishop Olmsted wrote a year ago remains true today: "It is a time for continued support of our military personnel, remembering that questioning the merits of some aspects of the war on terrorism does not imply questioning the moral integrity of our soldiers. ... Let us continue to pray and to work for peace."

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