The Paulists and the Military

By Father Paul G. Robichud, C.S.P.

Beginning in 1917 and continuing to the present, more than 40 Paulist priests have served with distinction as chaplains in the armed forces of the United States, and for the length of their active duty status, as priests of the Archdiocese for the Military Services. The archdiocese traces its origins to Pope Benedict XV who appointed Auxiliary Bishop Patrick J. Hayes of New York as Military Ordinary on November 24, 1917. The circumstances of this most unique appointment were brought about by America's entrance into the First World War, a situation that forced the church to examine the way in which it organized itself.

American Progressives, including President Woodrow Wilson, were committed to regulatory commissions, federal agencies, and fact-finding committees for the reform American society. Preparation for war brought about federally sponsored bureaucracy on a scale unimagined in the history of American government. If the church were to protect the interests of Catholics in uniform, they would also have to establish some form of organization to liaison with this new system of government regulation. The creation of the National Catholic War Council (NCWC) under the leadership of its first Executive Director, John J. Burke, CSP (1875-1936), was the result. The NCWC represented a completely new stage in the national organization of the church and in time it would lay the foundation for its successor, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The appointment of Bishop Hayes as Military Ordinary was a component of this new organization. Hayes's appointment replaced the Catholic Army and Navy Chaplain Bureau established by Cardinal Gibbons in 1905 to nominate priests for commissions in the armed forces, and to establish policies and programs for military chaplains. While John J. Burke was partly responsible for the creation of the Ordinariate, what has been forgotten was the role of Paulists Alexander P. Doyle (1857-1912) and Lewis J. O'Hern (1876-1930) in creating and administering the Chaplain's Bureau during it's twelve years of existence. Paulist involvement prepared the groundwork for today's Archdiocese for Military Services and its ministry to the men and women of the armed forces.

The Catholic Army and Navy Chaplain Bureau was the end of older system of doing business in the national church. Presidents and Cardinals were accessible to interested parties and promptly followed through on recommendations presented to them. Personal reputation and recommendation by word of mouth were still quite acceptable means for making appointments and did not require extensive forms and pages of corroborating documents. Correspondence was often done by hand and national meetings could require several days of train travel. Yet, despite the lack of computers, fax machines, and jet planes, people enthusiastically came to conferences and work got done. I hope this newsletter presents some flavor for time that is long since passed.