The Reverend Mr. Edward Hoffmann

USS Theodore RooseveltChaplains Launch Plan for Safe Worship After Coronavirus Outbreak

BY TAYLOR HENRY

FATHER MARK C. BRISTOL, CHC, LTJG, USN, ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71) AT GUAM ON 6 MAY 2020, INSIDE THE SHIP’S CHAPEL WITH A STATUETTE OF SANTA MARIAN KAMALEN, PATRON OF GUAM.

The U.S. Navy chaplains assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) spent much of the spring sidelined in the western Pacific with their shipmates at Guam due to the coronavirus outbreak on board. Beginning in April, they worked closely with commanding officer Captain Carlos Sardiello to develop and implement new guidelines and procedures for conducting safe religious services as the ship’s crew prepared to get back underway on its deployment from San Diego.

Among chaplains assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Father Mark C. Bristol, CHC, LTJG, USN, serves with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). Father Bristol said the new procedures include separating chairs by six feet at all religious

continued on page 38

services including Holy Mass, distributing Holy Communion in an orderly fashion maintaining sixfoot distances between the faithful in the receiving line, and meticulous sanitizing between gatherings.

Hundreds of Sailors began reboarding in late April after nearly 85 percent of the crew was evacuated, and many spent more than a month in isolation or quarantine while the carrier underwent a thorough cleaning. More than eleven-hundred crew members had tested positive, and one died of COVID-19.

In response to an inquiry from the AMS Office of Public Affairs and 38

Media Relations, Father Bristol sent the following message on Thursday, 30 April:

“I am one of four chaplains aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the only Catholic Priest. Since our arrival on 27 March in Guam, I have been actively engaged in providing spiritual care to the thousands of Sailors assigned to the ship.

“Over the past few weeks, due to the fact that the majority of the crew were not aboard the ship due to COVID-19, I had to find creative new ways to provide spiritual care to the crew. For the first time, I used Facebook to live-stream the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Hundreds

of Sailors participated in the livestreaming, uniting themselves in prayer to God, joined, as well as, their families back home.

“In addition to live-streaming Masses, my chaplain colleagues and I produced videos of inspirational talks for those in quarantine. Every evening a chaplain posts the Evening Prayer on the ship’s Facebook page. Evening prayer is a longstanding Navy Tradition for ships at sea. In these trying times it has been prayer that continues to inspire the Sailors of the Theodore Roosevelt to continue the fight.

“I am in good health, and have tested negative for the virus. My fellow chaplains and I are currently working with the commanding officer to develop guidelines and procedures to conduct religious services safely, minimizing the potential spread of the virus.”

Father Bristol is a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, NY. He was commissioned in May of last year and went on active-duty as a chaplain assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt on 1 July 2019. Before entering seminary and being ordained a priest in 2016, Father Bristol had served in the Navy for nine years, enlisting out of high school as an Information Systems Technician. V