Going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

Father Guy M. Kagere, Ch, Capt, USAF, Delivers Supplies to Orphans in Niger

BY TAYLOR HENRY

FATHER GUY KAGERE, CH, CAPT, USAF, DISTRIBUTES DONATED SCHOOL SUPPLIES TO CHILDREN AT AN ORPHANAGE IN AGADEZ CITY, NIGER ON 5 MAY 2021.

U.S. Military chaplains often go above and beyond the call of duty. Take, for example, Father Guy M. Kagere, Ch, Capt, USAF, assigned to Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, TX, now on deployment to Nigerien Air Base 201 in Agadez in the Republic of Niger. When Father Kagere (pronounced “KAY’-guh-ruh) is not providing pastoral care to Airmen with the 409th Expeditionary Group of the 435th Expeditionary Wing, he delivers school supplies to local orphans and leads an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) Discussion Club for Nigerien college students and members of the Forces Armées Nigériennes (FAN)— the Nigerien Armed Forces.

The U.S Military’s stated mission in Niger is to train, advise, and assist the West African nation’s military and gather intelligence in the fight against Islamic terrorists operating in the region, particularly to the north in Mali and to the south in Nigeria. Niger is among dozens of countries where small forces of U.S. servicemen—Navy SEALS, Delta Force soldiers, Green Berets, and others—have deployed over the past two decades in support of the War on Terror with sometimes deadly consequences. In October 2017, for instance, four U.S. Army Special Operations soldiers were fatally ambushed by jihadists in the Nigerien desert, where sectarian extremism is fueled by poverty.

“Niger ranks among the poorest countries on our planet,” Father Kagere says. “Our humanitarian outreach goes a long way.” The outreach is meant to demonstrate the commitment of American servicemen and women to maintaining a bond with local partners and the region at large. Under his command’s priorities, Father Kagere explains, “we get to build a strong, privileged partnership with the host nation. Gaining trust and positive relations with the host nation that the U.S. Military support is key.” Niger has other connections with the AMS. Archbishop Broglio was the Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature to Niger from 1983 to 1987 and visited Niamey again in 2019.

Father Kagere, 45, is a stranger neither to Africa nor armed conflict. He grew up in the war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. He completed seminary formation before becoming a U.S. citizen and joining the U.S. Air Force as a chaplain. He was ordained a priest in the Solwezi Diocese of Zambia, about 2,500 miles southeast of Niger. On 10 July, the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa published a website article about Chaplain Kagere’s humanitarian work. The article was accompanied by photos showing the priest in plain clothes interacting with children at an orphanage in Agadez City. He distributes donated bags, pens, pencils, and journals, many provided by U.S. Military personnel, to support the children’s education.

“I am the sole chaplain deployed to Niger,” Father Kagere says. Referring to the Air Force article, he recalls running “a donation drive on base, among fellow deployed military members.” The children weren’t the only ones to receive blessings through Father Kagere’s works of charity. Father Kagere

continued on page 26

Fall 2021 | 25

says he is blessed by the inspiration he draws from helping children in need. They bring him “joy and happiness despite having so little. The children are satisfied with what they have.”

His acts of goodwill don’t stop at Agadez City. On 3 August, Father Kagere organized a humanitarian trip to Saint Vincent de Paul Orphanage run by the Archdiocese of Niamey. He distributed donations collected from fellow deployed military members at Nigerien Air Base 101. The donations included 140 pounds of clothes, shoes, toys and a gift of $300 for purchase of rice, cooking oil, flour, and sugar.

Ordained on 7 July 2003, Father Kagere joined the U.S. Air Force in December of 2016. Prior to his assignment at Goodfellow AFB, he served at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ. He has been deployed to Niger since 15 April 2021. Father Kagere serves with faculties and endorsement from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. V

FATHER GUY KAGERE TEACHES ENGLISH TO NIGERIENS IN NIGER WHILE DEPLOYED WITH THE 409TH EXPEDITIONARY GROUP OF THE 435TH EXPEDITIONARY WING OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE.

Discernment Retreats Resume After COVID-19 Hiatus

BY TAYLOR HENRY

In late June, for the first time in more than a year, a group of young men gathered for a Discernment Retreat to determine if the Holy Spirit might be calling them to be Catholic priests and U.S. Military chaplains. The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS) typically holds two such retreats annually—one on either side of the country—but had to cancel the fall 2020 retreat due to the COVID-19 shutdown.

The AMS Vocations Office sponsored the 24-27 June retreat at Theological College in Washington, D.C., the national seminary of the Catholic University of America. A dozen men participated, including some currently on active-duty. They included three serving in the Army, two in the Marine Corps, one in the Navy, two in the Air Force, and five civilians.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio took part in the four days of prayer, reflection, and talks along with former Vocations Director FatherAidan Logan, and active-duty chaplain recruiters including Father Adam

continued on page 28

ARCHBISHOP BROGLIO WITH BROTHER PRIESTS AND PROSPECTIVE U.S. MILITARY CHAPLAINS AT A DISCERNMENT RETREAT IN WASHINGTON, D.C., ON 25 JUNE 2021.

Muda, CH (CPT), USA; Father Daniel Fullerton, CHC, LCDR, USN; and Father Robbie Deka, Ch, Capt, USAF. In addition, Father Michael Isenberg, Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Arlington, VA, gave a special presentation. Transitional co-sponsored Deacon Peter St. George also lent his support.

The resumption of regularly scheduled Discernment Retreats marks a welcome step forward for the AMS, working diligently to help the military overcome a desperate shortage of Catholic priests on active-duty. The shortage results from a nationwide scarcity of priests and attrition: aging chaplains retiring faster than they can be replaced.

Oddly enough, church studies show the AMS itself happens to be the largest single source of U.S. priestly vocations. According to an annual Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood by the Center of Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), 5% of new U.S. priests ordained in 2021 once served in the Armed Forces, and 11% come from military families.

So, the Vocations Office is busily engaging active-duty service members experiencing a call to priesthood, inviting more to attend one of the semi28

RETREAT PARTICIPANTS AND U.S. MILITARY CHAPLAINS TAKE PART IN MASS DURING A DISCERNMENT RETREAT IN WASHINGTON, D.C., ON 25 JUNE 2021.

annual discernment retreats. Gradually, this outreach is yielding a bountiful harvest. An ever-increasing number of young men answering “yes” to God’s call through the Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program (CSP). CSP is a partnership established between the AMS, cooperating U.S. dioceses and religious communities in the 1980s to encourage military service commitments from priesthood candidates.

CSP enrollment has grown from seven in 2008 to an all-time high of 47 before the pandemic, resulting in more than 20 new ordinations this year alone. In addition, a second discernment retreat was held 21 - 24 October at Mount St. Mary’s of the West Seminary in Cincinnati, OH. Young men interested in the priesthood and thoughts of being a priest-chaplain, see Vocations ad on page 45 or contact the AMSVocations Officeatvocations@ milarch.org or (202) 719-3600.

Meanwhile, the AMS is struggling to meet rising costs for seminarian tuition and living expenses, projected at nearly five million dollars alone over the next five years. The AMS receives no funding from the United States military or the U.S. government and gratefully welcomes donations at: www.milarch.org/donate. V