Photo By Chief Petty Officer Julie Matyascik | USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and Carrier Strike Group 12 Chaplain Cmdr. Genevieve...... read more read more
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On November 28, 1775, the Continental Congress directed that divine services be held aboard naval ships, thus establishing the Navy Chaplain Corps. Benjamin Balch, nicknamed “The Fighting Parson,” served as the first Navy chaplain. Tasked with providing religious services aboard the frigates Boston and Alliance, Chaplain Balch started the Navy Chaplain Corps’ long and rich history of naval service.
For 248 years, Navy chaplains have cared for Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Merchant Marines around the globe. Through every conflict in America’s history, at sea and ashore, Navy chaplains have served with the men and women who proudly defend freedom and democracy around the world. Often serving in combat zones and theaters of war, Navy Chaplains have served in every engagement and been a constant presence of spiritual toughness.
“Since the beginning of the U.S., and even before we were united, people came here to express their religion. We based our country on religious freedom and so for me being able to continue that legacy of honoring freedom of religion, so that a person’s religious or non-religious beliefs can be practiced through religious ministry teams that help all Sailors find a connection with meaning and purpose and have a foundation of honorable, moral, and high character means everything to me. I am honored to continue the legacy that started the same year as the Navy,” said Cmdr. Genevieve Clark, command chaplain of the world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) and Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12.
As subject matter experts in the field of religion and pastoral care, chaplains come from various faith traditions and denominations. Currently over 900 chaplains serve in the naval service, with five being stationed aboard Gerald R. Ford. Often described as “a calling within a calling,” Navy chaplains are called to use their spiritual gifts to provide religious ministry in deployed settings. Thereby, ensuring the free exercise of religion for those who choose to practice their faith and for others who choose not to.
“Knowing that we are there to serve alongside every single Sailor is what’s really important to me,” said Clark. “To know that while we wear rank, our legacy is to represent the sacred, offering safe space for everyone to explore their own spiritual journey; their greatest joys, their greatest fears, and in those sacred moments to represent a 248-year legacy that proves there is a soul in every person and that needs to be honored for their service and sacrifice.”
As non-combatants, the Navy recognized the need for a dedicated rate to support Navy chaplains during World War II. Initially called Specialist (W), those Sailors performed clerical duties, assisted within worship services, and were expected to serve anywhere under any conditions. The first designated Specialist (W), W. Everett Hendricks, was authorized to enlist on April 23, 1942, with the rating of Specialist (W) 1st Class. On January 15, 1979, the 101-year quest for a permanent chaplain’s assistant was finally realized with the creation of the Religious Program Specialist rating (RP).
“When I joined the Navy in 2004 as an undesignated airman, I was looking for which job fit me and the rate I wanted closed so I kept looking and I found out about RPs and what they do,” said Chief Religious Programs Specialist Yanet Chavez, command religious ministries department’s leading chief petty officer. “I thought, ‘that’s something that interests me, taking care of Sailors, making sure their needs are taken care of, and assisting with providing services.’ Another aspect of the job that I am proud of is the confidentiality that chaplains and RPs provide, and so having an opportunity to get closer to Sailors, they can vent to us, talk to us, they can tell us stuff they might not feel comfortable sharing with anyone else. That was a big thing for me. I get to protect chaplains in combat zones and I get to be there to help Sailors.”
Since the Navy Chaplain Corps’ inception, four Navy chaplains have given their lives in the call of duty, with five others receiving the nation’s highest honors for bravery. Today, chaplains and RPs serve together as religious ministry teams (RMT), with a shared goal of offering religious support, at home and abroad, to military personnel and their dependents. Committed to “Care for All,” RMTs are dedicated to providing 100 percent confidential counseling, while performing the Chaplain Corps’ four core competencies (provide, care, facilitate, and advise).
“I’ve been a part of 12 different RMTs, had a variety of different teams and places, I’ve worked in clinics, with marines in foreign countries, and different ship platforms,” said Clark. “What I’ve learned, is to rely on the RPs and hear their perspectives, to really develop that open and honest communication where they can say ‘you may see it this way but here’s maybe what’s needed’ making it a true service team that most helps the crew.”
Aboard Gerald R. Ford the religious ministry team, comprises five chaplains and five RPs providing services for 12 different faith groups and more than 4,200 Sailors and is dedicated to “First-in-Class” spiritual care and “care beyond the horizon,” while sustaining the spiritual readiness of the entire Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group.
| Date Taken: | 11.28.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.02.2023 09:03 |
| Story ID: | 458952 |
| Location: | MEDITERRANEAN SEA |
| Web Views: | 335 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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