The Royal Canadian Chaplain Service (french: links=no, Service de l'aumônerie royal canadien) is a

personnel branch Personnel branches, in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), are groupings of related military occupations. Personnel branches were officially established at unification in 1968 to amalgamate the old Canadian Army corps and similar occupational group ...

of the Canadian Armed Forces that has approximately 192 Regular Force chaplains and 145 Reserve Force chaplains representing the Christian, Muslim and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

faiths. From 1969 to 2014 it was named the Chaplain Branch. It was renamed on October 16, 2014.

Mission and vision

The mission of this branch is to "support and enhance the effectiveness of the CF as a whole – its leadership, the individual men and women who serve and their families – through the provision of comprehensive religious and spiritual support, advice, and care." The vision of the Chaplaincy is to "be an operationally relevant Chaplaincy that supports and cares for all CF personnel and their families, wherever they live and serve, empowering them spiritually and morally to meet the demands of military service."

Role

*Foster the religious, spiritual and moral well-being of members and their families *Offer a ministry of presence in a multitude of environments (at home and abroad) *Participate in the life of the worshipping community *Officiate at special functions *Advise the commanding officer regarding the spiritual and ethical well-being and morale of their unit *Liaise with civilian religious faith groups *Collaborate with other care providers *Provide directed care after critical incidents

Leading prayer

In accordance with their role, chaplains offer prayer services at home and abroad. Some services are inherently religious, such as Sunday worship,

baptisms Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

or religious funerals and

burial at sea Burial at sea is the disposal of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship or boat. It is regularly performed by navies, and is done by private citizens in many countries. Burial-at-sea services are conducted at many different location ...

ceremonies. Other times, chaplains may offer a prayer for secular occasions such as base divisions, changes of command, mess dinners or ship commissioning ceremonies. Before offering prayers during parades and ceremonies, it is customary that the order to remove headdress be given to those on parade. In November 2004,

Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada The Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada (CMAC) (french: Cour d'appel de la cour martiale du Canada) hears appeals from Courts-martial of Canada (" courts martial"). In Canada, courts martial are presided over by independent military judges fro ...

ruled that this order was "not lawful" since it unjustifiably required all attendees to show participation in a prayer that they may not believe. Following this ruling, non-Christians are now permitted to retain their headdress, just like

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and Sikhs do in accordance with their faith.

Training

Canadian Forces Chaplain School and Centre

The Canadian Forces Chaplain School and Centre (CFChSC) in Borden, Ontario, is responsible for the training of all chaplains (Regular and Reserve,

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, Muslim and

). CFChSC provides training in operational and static ministry. The training is provided with an operational focus and an interfaith approach. Courses are available in both official languages English and French. Courses include Chaplain Basic Officer Training, Ethics, Pastoral Counselling, Chaplains in Deployed Operations, Intermediate, Advanced, Chapel Life Coordinator (Protestant and Roman Catholic), and Ministry in a Pluralistic Environment. CFChSC prepares

military chaplains A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term '' ch ...

for service in times of peace and times of conflict. The Resource Centre contains a library relating to ministry, religion and related areas. The Chaplains provide ministry to Canadian Forces personnel and their families.

Annual Royal Canadian Chaplain Service Exercise

Since the amalgamation of the former Protestant and Roman Catholic Chaplaincies in the mid-1990s into a single multi-faith Canadian Forces Chaplaincy, a joint exercise. Consisting of seminars, business meetings and worship services, the annual exercise provides opportunities for the professional and spiritual development of chaplains and for fellowship as a Branch. The Annual Protestant Chaplain Branch Retreat and Seminar was held annually at the

Royal Military College of Canada '') , established = 1876 , type = Military academy , chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Harry Kowal , head_label ...

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...

in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Noncombatant status

Badges

On 24 September 2006, the Department of National Defence issued a press release indicating that, " order to better represent the diversity of Canadian society, and reflect the multi-faith nature of today’s chaplaincy", the current branch cap badge would be replaced with three new badges. The new badges would retain the crowned wreath of red maple leaves and central blue circle; the Maltese Cross behind the circle would be removed. On the circle would be "a different symbol for each faith tradition: for Christian chaplains, the Maltese cross, which has long been associated with Christian chaplaincy. Jewish chaplains will wear the symbol of the tablets of the Law and the Magen David (the star of David) and Muslim chaplains will wear the crescent." A scroll with the motto would be placed below the circle. These badges were approved by the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for t ...

on 15 March 2006.

Chaplain general

The current Chaplain General is Brigadier-General J.L.G Bélisle.

Order of precedence

Gallery

Image:Jewish Canadian soldiers during WWII.jpg, Captain Samuel Cass, a rabbi, conducting the first prayer service celebrated on German territory by Jewish personnel of the First Canadian Army near Cleve, Germany, 18 March 1945 Image:Consecration of Royal Military College of Canada Colours.jpg, During a military-religious flag Consecration ceremony,

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Forc ...

chaplains bless the

Colours, which lean on top of a stack of College drums on a platform File:US Navy 071024-N-4015L-010 Canadian Forces Army Chaplain, Capt. Rory MacDonald, a member of Naval Station Norfolk's Operational Ministry Department officer exchange program, holds Catholic Mass.jpg, Capt. Rory MacDonald, Canadian Forces chaplain, holds Catholic Mass.jpg File:US Navy 080719-N-7355L-026 Canadian Army Capt. Rory Macdonald, chaplain aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), plays the bagpipe to welcome aboard the amphibious assault vehicles and Marines of the 26.jpg, Capt. Rory Macdonald, Canadian Forces chaplain, plays the bagpipe to welcome aboard the amphibious assault vehicles and Marines.jpg File:US Navy 080926-N-9134V-043 Canadian Army Capt. Rory MacDonald comforts a simulated victim.jpg, Capt. Rory MacDonald, Canadian Forces chaplain, comforts a simulated victim. File:US_Navy_100217-N-2953W-103_Sailors_assigned_to_the_V-2_division_of_the_air_department_aboard_the_aircraft_carrier_USS_Carl_Vinson_(CVN_70)_cheer_as_Canadian_Army_chaplain_Rory_Macdonald_runs_aboard_the_nuclear-powered_aircraft.jpg, Capt. Rory Macdonald, Canadian Forces chaplain, runs aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Footnotes

External links

Canadian Forces RecruitingCanadian Forces and Department of National Defence
{{Religion topics, state=collapsed Canadian Armed Forces personnel branches Canadian Armed Forces Religion in Canada Military history of Canada 1969 establishments in Canada