Louis V. Iasiello, OFM,

USN The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

(born 6 September 1950) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest retired

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

officer who served as the 23rd

Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy The Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy (CHC) is the highest-ranking military chaplain in the United States Navy and head of the United States Navy Chaplain Corps. As part of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and Department of ...

from 2003 to 2006. He is a well known Just War theorist, For 18 months after his retirement from the Navy, he was the president of Washington Theological Union. He accepted a position as a Professor of Humanities at

Pontifical College Josephinum The Pontifical College Josephinum is a private Roman Catholic seminary and university in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded by Joseph Jessing in 1888 and was granted the status of a Pontifical College in 1892 by Pope Leo XIII, making it the only pont ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, in 2010.

Background and education

Iasiello grew up in Staten Island, New York. He is an alumnus of

St. Bonaventure University St. Bonaventure University is a private Franciscan university in St. Bonaventure, New York. It has 2,381 undergraduate and graduate students. The Franciscan Brothers established the university in 1858. In athletics, the St. Bonaventure Bonn ...

(1972), with a bachelor's degree in History. He has earned graduate degrees from

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...

(Education) (1973), the Washington Theological Union (Divinity) (1977), the Naval War College (National Security and Strategic Studies) (1991),

Salve Regina College Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The university enrolls m ...

(International Relations) (1992), and a PhD from

Salve Regina University Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The university enrolls mo ...

(2003). His doctoral thesis was titled ''Jus in bello: Key issues for a contemporary assessment of just behavior in war''.

Career

Iasiello was received into the Order of Friars Minor in August 1973 and is a member of th
Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province
After his

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

, he worked in Anapolis, Brazil. He was ordained to the priesthood on 13 May 1978, and was assigned to a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

parish serving the Hispanic community in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. He then became the head of the Modern Languages department at Bishop Timon High School in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

Military and Post-military Career

Iasiello was commissioned as a Navy Chaplain Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in the Naval Reserves in 1981 and was recalled to active duty July 1983. His active duty assignments include: Naval Air Station, Memphis (83–85);

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...

, Kodiak, Alaska (85–86); USS ''Ranger'' (CV-61) deployed in Operation Earnest Will, and in other deployments to Korea and the Persian Gulf (86–87); Second Marine Division; (8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Regiment, Marine Forces Panama) including two deployments to Norway, Operation Just Cause, Panama, and with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Special Operations Capable (MEU SOC) (87–90). Other assignments include: Naval War College Command and Staff, distinguished military graduate (90–91); United States Naval Academy, staff and faculty (91–94); Joint Task Force 160 (Cuba and Haiti); Armed Forces Staff College (94); Assistant Fleet Chaplain, U.S. Atlantic Fleet and Deputy Chaplain, U.S. Atlantic Command (94–97); Director for Operational Ministry, Atlantic Fleet (97–98); and Director, Naval Chaplains School (98-00). After selection to flag rank, Iasiello became the first Chaplain Corps flag officer to be appointed Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps (00-03). He has served on a Defense Task Force and has lectured at a number of the military's war and staff colleges. The Senate confirmed his appointment as the 23rd Chief of Navy Chaplains, July 2003. He retired October 2006 and assumed the duties of President of the Washington Theological Union. Admiral Iasiello then served as co-chair of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services from 2008 through 2010. He has served on numerous boards and advisory councils, including the Board of Advisors of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy. He is currently on the board of the Franciscan Monastery of the HolyLand, Washington, DC. Since 2010, he has been a Professor of Humanities and Director of Human Formation at the

, Columbus, Ohio. Personal decorations include the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(Gold Star in lieu of second award), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (three awards); Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards),

Coast Guard Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

; Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal; the Combat Action Ribbon and numerous other unit and service citations and awards. In 1999, as a Navy Chaplain, Iasiello assisted at the burials at sea of

John F. Kennedy, Jr. John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. (November 25, 1960 – July 16, 1999), often referred to as John-John or JFK Jr., was an American lawyer, journalist, and magazine publisher. He was a son of the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kenn ...

, his wife,

Carolyn Bessette Carolyn Jeanne Bessette-Kennedy (January 7, 1966July 16, 1999) was a publicist for Calvin Klein. After her marriage to John F. Kennedy Jr., Bessette-Kennedy's relationship with her husband and her fashion sense became the subjects of media scru ...

, and her sister,

Lauren Bessette Lauren may be a given name or surname.The name's meaning may be "laurel tree", "sweet of honor", or "wisdom". It is derived from the French name Laurence, a feminine version of Laurent, which is in turn derived from the Roman surname Laurentius. ...

Publications

Iasiello has been published in numerous periodicals and books, most recently in the

Naval War College Review The ''Naval War College Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the United States Navy's Naval War College. It covers public policy matters of interest to the maritime services and was established in 1948. History Dur ...

(Summer/Fall 04): Jus Post Bellum: Moral Obligations of the Victors of War.; "Betrayal of Trust: David and Bathsheba Revisited." New Theology Review Volume 21, Number 2, May 2008.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iasiello, Louis 1950 births Living people St. Bonaventure University alumni Niagara University alumni American Friars Minor Washington Theological Union alumni American Roman Catholic priests Military personnel from New York City Chaplains of the United States Marine Corps Naval War College alumni Salve Regina University alumni United States Navy admirals Chiefs of Chaplains of the United States Navy Recipients of the Legion of Merit Pontifical College Josephinum faculty