An official Navy release notes the travels of US Navy Chaplain (Cmdr) Daniel Mode, who is assigned to the carrier USS George Washington but visits other ships via the Navy’s “holy helo.”

Destroyers often do not have chaplains permanently stationed on board and rely on command lay leaders to perform worship services. Lay leaders are volunteers appointed by the commanding officer who are trained by chaplains to serve the needs of a particular religious faith group. Lay leaders may conduct religious services, but may not exercise specific activities usually reserved for ordained clergy.

As the article describes, the US Navy rightly recognizes the importance of faith both to Sailors and to the mission they accomplish — and the value that Chaplains bring to spiritual fitness and religious liberty.

Now if they could just work out how to deliver chaplains to the deployed submarines…

ADVERTISEMENT