Tips for a Young Military Catholic Longing for Community

PHOTO FROM THE PILGRIMAGE FROM CAMP KINSER TO CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA. L TO R: 1LT SALVADOR PEREZ, USMC: 1LT TOMÁS AGUILAR, USMC; AND 1LT REMINGTON HOYER, USAF.

BY 1LT TOMÁS AGUILAR

The life of a Catholic in the military can feel isolated and somewhat lonely. Our peers at our unit or in the barracks may or may not be believers, but they are the friends we are issued. We pick up and move every few years and have to start all over again at a new chapel or parish to find some sort of community. I am a 25-year-old Catholic Marine officer who spent six months in Virginia, three months in North Carolina, and 2.5 years in Okinawa, Japan, before being stationed just north of Jacksonville, Florida. Most of the time, I felt like a visitor at the parishes I’d frequent – a stranger in a strange land. Partially because I knew I’d be moving on relatively soon

and partially because I just didn’t know how to create a community out of thin air. When I arrived on Okinawa, I knew I would be there for a few years, and I needed to figure out a way to fulfill the desire I had for intentional and virtuous community. The Holy Spirit moved in so many ways while I was in Oki, and below are five tips from my experiences there that I pray can help you find community among those around you!

Make Friends with Chaps. Your friendly neighborhood Catholic chaplain (Chaps) can be an absolute game-changer when it comes to finding community. He’s a person who is made for community just like you; so, ask if he has time to grab coffee or lunch one day and get to know him. (Priests are very busy guys, so don’t be offended if they don’t have time right away. Just a quick conversation after Mass can get the ball rolling). He tends to know many of the Catholics in the area and may know if there’s another person your age you may get along with or if there’s a young adult group that meets weekly. If you’re interested in starting your own young adult group, the Chaps is one of the most important folks to know.

Chat. For a long time, when I’d see someone my age at Mass I would think, “Wow, another young Catholic guy/gal at Mass by himself just like me!” Then I would walk out to my car and drive home wishing I was part of a vibrant young catholic adult community. I had the expectation that a community would just fall into my lap one day, and it can feel extremely awkward to walk up to someone after Mass and just strike up a conversation. Introducing yourself to someone can be just the opening that the Holy Spirit needs to create something wonderful. After a

few exchanges of “Hey man, good to see ya, have a good week,” you may have unwittingly found a friend to hang out with and maybe even gather together for a Bible study.

BARRACKS’ ALTAR SETUP FOR THE SERVICE OF THE LIGHT ON HOLY SATURDAY.

Food and Fellowship. The promise of food can be a great way to get folks

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together to read and discuss some scripture! I was blessed to have the space to invite people to my house in Okinawa every Thursday night for dinner and Lectio Divina. We’d eat dinner then read through the scripture discussing the upcoming Sunday Mass readings. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy. If all you have is a phone, a barracks room, and Dominos, you’ve got yourself a Bible study. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website or the Laudate App has awesome resources to find the Mass readings. The Holy Spirit can move so powerfully if you invite Him into seemingly routine events like a weeknight dinner. (Plus, you can invite any new friends you meet at Mass!)

Be Creative. There are endless situations you can find yourself in as a young Catholic in the military: onboard a ship for six months with no sacraments available, forward deployed to a foreign nation, or assigned to a base in the middle of the desert. No matter where you find yourself, there is a way to bring other Catholics around you together. Whether it’s a nightly decade of the rosary on the mess decks, a weekly Bible study in your hooch, or a monthly hike to one of the surrounding mountain peaks, the Lord will bless your efforts in time. Especially with the seemingly random and ever-changing COVID restrictions—creativity is a must. One of my best friends and I participated in an Easter Vigil in my barracks room last year, and it was one of the most memorable Liturgy of the Word services I’ve ever experienced.

Pray. Your relationship with Christ remains infinitely more important than your relationship with other people. If all of your efforts to seek out or create community in your area aren’t bearing fruit yet, I encourage you to spend more time developing your interior and personal prayer life. This may be an opportunity for you to gain intimacy with Jesus Christ, the Savior of the Universe, without the “distractions” that a community brings. On the flip side, if you have started or joined a community of believers, your prayer life also remains most important. Spend time with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist as much as you possibly can, and you will see so much fruit in your community.

I pray these tips bear fruit in your lives as young Catholics in the military. An overarching theme of all these tips is that if you give God full control of all aspects of your life, you will receive what you need; “Do not worry about your life…seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” (Matthew 6: 25 and 33). V

If you think God may be calling you to the Military Chaplaincy, whether you serve on Active-Duty, National Guard, Reserve, or are a Civilian, we invite you to join us. You will have the opportunity for discernment, Q&A, inspiring talks by Military Chaplains, and time to pray.

WHO: Single men aged 18-29 WHAT: AMS Military Chaplaincy Discernment Retreat WHERE & WHEN: Spring Discernment Retreat Menlo Park, CA 31 March - 3 April 2022

WHY:

HOW: To discern the possibility of the heroic calling of Military Chaplaincy as a Catholic Priest

Contact the AMS Vocation Office at Vocations@milarch.org or scan the QR Code here to visit our website for more information.

An Apostolate of Accompaniment

BY MARK MOITOZA, TH.D.

Over the past few years, the Church has been advocating for a renewed apostolate of accompaniment. During the recent Convocation for Priests, the Office of Evangelization presented keynotes encouraging spiritual accompaniment. A good starting point for the faithful is found in the 2019 book, The Art of Accompaniment: Theological, Spiritual, and Practical Elements of Building a More Relational Church, written by Colleen Campbell and Thomas Carani and published by The Catholic Apostolate Center in Washington, D.C., a ministry of the Pallottine Fathers.

The following questions offer a good starting point for all military Catholic faith communities:

What is leading people in your community toward holiness? What is leading people in your community toward growth in holiness? What is leading people in your community toward communion?

An apostolate of accompaniment begins to help answer these vital inquiries through intergenerational mentoring.

Witnesses are essential to the process of spiritual accompaniment because "modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses" (Evangelii Nuntianidi, no. 41). Young adults in the military recognize commanders and first sergeants that go to Church, take time for exercise, spend time with family, and treat others well. Such witnesses are needed because accompaniment through mentoring helps the accompanied and the accompanier grow in holiness.

Young adults seek mentors whom they can trust. The relationship of accompaniment reflects Jesus' invitation of friendship to each of God's people. Spiritual accompaniment is akin to walking side-by-side towards Christ. There is a mutual discovery, not just a mentor imparting facts. Accompaniment is realized through time spent in dialogue, time spent in silence, and time dedicated to prayer.

Accompaniment moves from a ministry focusing on programs and processes to focus on people and relationships to make missionary disciples. An 46

apostolate of accompaniment strengthens a bond with the Church. This bond allows the person accompanied to identify more intimately with the community of faith and inspires them to share personally in the mission of the Church.

The apostolate of accompaniment is not a role for the few ordained or specially commissioned lay ministers; it is the responsibility and the call of all the baptized. The book mentioned above and its accompanying discussion guide offer helpful reflections for Catholic faith communities and pastoral councils to enable a shift toward forming the faithful to be good mentors. So who is the Lord calling you to accompany over the next few months?

The book cited above may be read online for free or ordered directly from the Catholic Apostolate Center:

www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/art-of-accompaniment

When seeking a mentor to accompany others spiritually, the Church is seeking someone who is an active participant in their formation and in the cultivation of additional qualities that properly dispose them to walk patiently with another towards the Person of Christ (The Art of Accompaniment, 28).

Those qualities include:

“A faithful Christian, who engages with the Church and the world, someone who constantly seeks holiness is a confidant without judgment, actively listens to the needs of young people and responds in kind, deeply loving and self-aware, acknowledges their limits, and know the joys and sorrows of the spiritual journey.” (The Art of Accompaniment, 29-35)

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“Serving Those Who Serve” “The tragic deaths that accompanied the final days of US military pr esence in their those who raise by the danger faced a stark reminder of Afghanistan are right hands to defend the Constitution. We will never cease praying and caring for left behind.” for those condolences offering our heartfelt and them – Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio