The Anzac spirit – courage, mateship, humour and endurance – continues to shape those who serve in the defence force, including Catholic chaplains tasked with caring for the spiritual wellbeing of soldiers, sailors and aviators. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
This year marks the 111th anniversary of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landing at Gallipoli, a defining moment in the nation’s history and a first major test for its armed forces.
In the decades since, Anzac Day has become one of the most solemn dates in the Australian calendar, marked by dawn services and Masses attended by both civilians and defence personnel.
The Catholic Weekly spoke to navy chaplain Fr Martin Monaghan and former army chaplain Fr Damien Ellis about their ministry in the field and on base.
Fr Monaghan, a navy chaplain since 2019, provides access to Mass, the sacraments and pastoral care for sailors often far from parish life.
“The chaplain on a ship is very critical for spiritual care,” he said, noting ships are generally not deployed without one.
“We’re there as the buffer between the defence force and the people.”
A shortage of Catholic chaplains remains a challenge across the Australian Defence Force and allied navies.
“The American Navy is also facing the same lack of Catholic clergy,” Fr Monaghan said. “They’ll call up asking, ‘what flavour of padre have you got on board?’”
He has ministered not only to Australian personnel but also to American, French and Filipino sailors, celebrating the sacraments and offering pastoral care at sea and abroad, including at Pearl Harbor.
Fr Ellis, who served in the Middle East in 2013–14, was at one point the only Catholic chaplain on a multinational base in Afghanistan.
“If anything of faith came up, I provided support ministry,” he said.
His duties included leading memorials for fallen soldiers, conducting funerals and accompanying personnel in their faith journeys.
Fr Ellis said faith often becomes more immediate during deployment.
“On operations … the faith provides them solace,” he said.
Despite declining numbers of Catholic chaplains, Fr Monaghan said the role remains essential.
“A lot of commanding officers respect the tradition we bring,” he said.
“There are a lot of Catholics in defence because of the call to service and service of country.”
FULL STORY
Chaplains sustain faith on the frontline as ANZAC legacy endures (By Tara Kennedy, The Catholic Weekly)
