A multiyear collaboration among academic experts and Episcopal leaders and chaplains culminated this spring in a project that explores just war theology and curates resources for both military chaplains and the public.
Funded by a Constable Grant and called for in a 2015 General Convention resolution, the Military Chaplains Just War Education Project seeks to “advance the study of Just War principles” and to extend “this religious teaching to the formation of the Church’s military chaplains for meeting the pastoral needs of current members of the Armed Services and veterans, including those coping with moral injury and other forms of combat-related trauma.”
The Standing Commission on World Mission partnered with the church’s Armed Forces and Federal Ministries Office on the project, which includes videos featuring military chaplains and academic, government, and military experts; articles on just war, pacifism, and moral injury; and an updated chaplains handbook—all housed on a new webpage.
“These materials will be used by chaplains to help inform their ministry as they advise command leadership and as they care for military members struggling with questions of faith, ethical dilemmas, and moral injury,” said the Rev. Leslie Nuñez Steffensen, canon to the bishop suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. “The website materials are also for the public to engage, either for academic research or personal theological reflection on the tension between faith, military conflict, and the call for absolute peace.”
About 125 active-duty Episcopal military chaplains
Armed Forces and Federal Ministries oversees and supports the church’s approximately 125 active-duty military chaplains. A quarter of them responded to a project survey to assess their understanding of and interest in the just war tradition and its applications to their ministry.
In addition, 50 military chaplains participated in discussion and learning about the project during a two-hour session at an annual training symposium in March 2022.
Resolutions from General Convention
Work on the Just War Project also generated two resolutions that were submitted to the 80th General Convention:
- A029 commends the ministry of The Episcopal Church’s military chaplains and proposes churchwide observance of a Military Chaplains Day.
- A030 calls for establishing a task force “to deepen understanding of the Church’s pacifist and just war traditions…for application to contemporary war, peace, and human rights issues.”
The resolutions have been referred to the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music and the 81st General Convention, respectively.
Bishop Suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries
The Rev. Ann Ritonia, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ellicott City, Maryland, was elected the next bishop suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries on March 12, 2023, by the House of Bishops. Pending receipt of consents, she will be consecrated on September 30, 2023.
Learn more about Armed Forces and Federal Ministries and the Just War Education Project.
Armed Forces and Federal Ministries
Federal chaplains serve those in the military, Veterans Administration hospitals, and federal prisons, providing spiritual and day-to-day support to
- Servicemen and women overseas and stateside
- Veterans requiring medical services
- The incarcerated
They bring spiritual healing and comfort to those with no other faith resources.
If you are interested in federal military or prison chaplaincy, contact the office of the Bishop Suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. The Deputy Endorser will explain the programs, the application process, and will stay involved with you each step of the way.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County. We welcome you be with us as we walk the way of Jesus.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6210 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
