April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
YEAR FOR CONSECRATED LIFE
AHOY FROM JAPAN! Priest from Herkimer County describes life as Navy chaplain
Ordained for the Albany Diocese in 2010, Father Hammond is halfway through a three-year tour as a U.S. Navy chaplain -- and is the only Catholic priest serving the entire Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan.
A lieutenant in the Chaplain Corps, the 31-year-old West Winfield native ministers to Marines, sailors, families of military personnel and civilians working on the base.
"It makes for a very diverse community," Father Hammond told The Evangelist in an interview via email. "One of the commissary workers directs the choir; a Marine F-18 pilot helps to train the altar servers; and a Navy Medical Corpsman -- who is discerning the priesthood -- organizes our liturgical ministries."
The heavy chaplaincy responsibility also makes for a hectic schedule.
Reporting for duty
"Typically, I report to the chapel at 7:30 a.m. and spend time going through emails. There is a tremendous amount of time spent looking at a computer screen, between emails, reports, online training - and did I mention emails?"
He also cooks his own meals in the officers' barracks next door to the chapel and celebrates weekday Masses at 11:45 a.m. so people can attend during their lunch break. He may also have staff meetings, training sessions, briefings to the command staff and other meetings to attend.
"There is also a lot of time devoted to counseling," Father Hammond added. "This past year, I did about 250 sessions -- typically an hour apiece. Often, it is not directly related to faith, but someone who needs to talk through some difficult problems.
"Of course, as a chaplain, I always ask them if they practice a faith, and try to help them see it as a source of strength and guidance in dealing with different situations. I also lead them in prayer if they are comfortable." Chaplaincy on a military base is unusual in that Father Hammond's parishioners are always nearby. He's been impressed, he said, by "the access I have to people's lives -- not to pry or impose, but to check up on them.
"I can't imagine a parish where the pastor could walk into any parishioner's workplace to see how they are doing. I do that not only for the Catholics here, but for everyone - and they are always happy to see their chaplain out and about. Sometimes, the challenge is getting out of the office to do that regularly."
Split between bishops
As a chaplain, Father Hammond is on loan to the military. Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger is his home-diocese bishop and can recall him to the Albany Diocese at any time if there's a need; Father Hammond also reports to Archbishop Timothy Broglio and the four auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese for the Military Services.
The base has chaplains of other faiths and a command chaplain who supervises all of them. Duties are assigned to the chaplains according to rank.
"It can be the most collaborative environment, or it can be the most challenging," Father Hammond noted. "When it comes to worship, however, each chaplain is in charge of providing for their respective faith group."
Without other staff to pitch in, Father Hammond also deals with the physical maintenance of the chapel where he celebrates Mass. "We have about 2,000 people using the chapel every week, and if the door handle breaks or the heat goes out, it's my job to make sure it gets fixed," he said. "In some respects, it's like being a city pastor, with countryside staffing: that is, next to none."
Having spoken to The Evangelist just before he was ordained about the need for priests to pace themselves, the chaplain now says wryly that, in the military, "the pace is keep swimming or start sinking!
Sinking vs. support
"Actually, we're in a tough position right now because of some gaps in manpower at the chapel. There are many collateral duties that are very time-consuming and can make for some very long hours. It is tough to take care of those while still doing the 'priest work' of sacramental preparation and record-keeping, our education programs and volunteer training, along with preparing for the Masses each weekend," he said.
"I'm still working on the balancing act," he added, but "I make sure to take a day off each week and escape. It's been fun finding new hobbies and exploring Japan."
Back home, Father Hammond belonged to a "Five and Under" support group for priests ordained for just a few years (read a previous story at www.evangelist.org). He's still able to participate in that group sometimes via Facetime and Skype, and he calls a brother priest in the Albany Diocese every week for support, as well.
"Out here, there is a local Catholic Church, and I have gotten to know the pastor quite well," he noted. "He hears my confessions and offers spiritual encouragement. He is a very wise man and an excellent cook. I would say he's been my greatest blessing out here -- one I won't have when I'm aboard a ship! I also try to reach out to the other Catholic chaplains, the closest being [aboard a ship] about five hours away. We've visited each other's turf a couple of times and enjoy whatever time we can get together."
Career confirmation
Father Hammond is adamant that military service was the right choice for him.
"The military is desperate for priests," he stated. "Currently, we have only 225 active-duty priests serving in the entire U.S. military; 50 of those are serving in the Navy.
"While stateside bases are often staffed by civilian contract priests, troops deployed or overseas depend upon active-duty chaplains to serve them where they are. If you are on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Pacific, or in the mountains of Afghanistan, you don't have the freedom to travel to the nearest parish for Mass. A shortage of Catholic chaplains means that our troops do not have that access."
In fact, before Father Hammond arrived in Iwakuni, the base had been served by visiting Japanese priests who travelled there to offer just one Mass each Sunday -- for which they were given a stipend.
Well aware of the decreasing number of priests available to serve parishes at home, Father Hammond remembered asking Bishop Emeritus Howard J. Hubbard for permission to serve as a chaplain, "knowing how desperate we were and would be for priests in our parishes.
"He remarked that many serving in the military were from our Diocese, and if we didn't help to provide for their spiritual needs by providing priests, we couldn't expect someone else to do it for us."
Home again, home again
Extended leave time doesn't come often, but Father Hammond did come back to the Diocese last summer to attend the ordination of Revs. James Davis and Brian Slezak.
While visiting, the chaplain said, "I met with Bishop Scharfenberger and asked his blessing on this ministry. I also met and baptized my new nephew, spent time with my family and friends at home in West Winfield, and did some camping with brother priests in the Catskills.
"It all went by very quickly, but it was exactly what the doctor ordered. When I came back to Japan, I realized that this had become another home, and so many people who had made a place for me in their lives were eager to have me back. I guess that's part of what spiritual fatherhood is about; I couldn't do this without them!"
Father Hammond will be coming home either when his Navy stint is over or whenever the Bishop asks him to return. He joked that he'll be returning with "some good sea stories!
"Military chaplaincy is a bit like special forces, but parish priests are infantry at heart: We set up shop and do the beautiful work of ministering to people in their hometowns and with their families," he said.
Even after a very different life in the military, Father Hammond is unconcerned about settling down to parish ministry someday: "Some chaplains have a hard time settling in a parish after moving around from place to place," he said, "but I know many retired chaplains in our Diocese who have done a great job with it, and I look forward to it when the time comes."[[In-content Ad]]
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