Chaplain (LtCmdr) Fred Holcombe Jr is one of four Chaplains aboard the USS Enterprise, the US Navy’s oldest and most storied nuclear aircraft carrier.  An article at the Baptist Press notes the unique nature of ministry at sea:

“The old saying on a ship is that every day is Monday except Sunday,” Holcombe said. “On Sundays, we obviously have church. In fact, we have many, many different services go on each Sunday.”

The majority of Holcombe’s time is spent in his primary ministry — with his troops.

Holcombe assists Enterprise crew members with any kind of issue they might have — from a sailor who’s run afoul of his chain of command, to helping someone salvage or maintain a marriage, to even talking some sailors out of committing suicide.

He also spends time just visiting the aircraft carrier’s living and work areas — every nook and cranny — of the Big E, no small feat when you consider it spans the length of five football fields…

For six months, it’s a ministry that spans 24 hours a day, seven days a week ministry. There’s no wife, kids or house to go home to each night…

Just like every member of the military, it is challenging for Chaplains to deploy on a cruise.  Sharing those challenges gives Chaplains credibility with the Sailors and Marines they serve.

The presence of the Chaplains is yet another means by which the US military protects the free exercise of its troops — even in the middle of the ocean.