Military chaplain gives spiritual care to veterans

Friday, Jul. 15, 2016

By Chaplain Bruce R. Clapham

Chaplain Supervisor

Department of Veterans Affairs

George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

Most Catholic priests who enjoy their priesthood find life in the role of being a pastor and serving the People of God in a parish. The pastor gives witness to the saving action of Christ, and it is an expectation that the pastor will be involved in the evangelization of the wider community. He has a commitment to a community in a specific geographical area.

 The military chaplain takes that parish experience and puts on the hat of being a pastor in order to bring that little bit of home to the soldier, sailor, marine or airman who finds himself far away from home. He also ensures that the military person’s right to religious expression is respected, without regard to his religious tradition. His community is wherever his unit or ship finds itself in the world.

As a chaplain for the Department of Veterans Affairs at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City, my role is neither as a pastor nor a military chaplain. Unlike most priests, my role as a priest evangelizer has been muted; however, my role as a defender of the veteran’s right to religious expression has been enhanced by the Church and the VA. My authority as a priest chaplain in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for Military Services and the VA has been restricted, for the most part, to boundaries of the Medical Center. In cases where I work outside those boundaries on non-VA related issues, I am accountable to the Bishop of Salt Lake City. 

Though I don’t miss being a pastor after serving 10 years as a parish priest in the Diocese of Cheyenne, I do miss celebrating the Sunday Liturgy in the parish. Most of the parishes in Salt Lake City have done a wonderful job of putting together the other ministries supporting the Liturgy. It is a real thrill when my schedule allows me to celebrate at a Sunday Mass in a parish. 

The VA has a rule against proselytizing, and as the VA chaplain I have a special responsibility to see that the rule is respected, but the VA also has the perspective that the veteran rules. What the veteran wants is what we try to provide. Veterans are generally not shy about asking for prayer, the sacraments, or even to be evangelized. There is a reason why hospital chaplains are called “the priests with the oily thumbs.” I am very busy providing for the spiritual needs of our veterans, but in many cases their requests are beyond my capacity to provide within the limitations of my faith tradition. In those circumstances, I can turn to the other chaplains on my staff, and in individual cases I can turn to a wide variety of churches and faith traditions throughout the Salt Lake City area who are always willing to help. 

There is a saying in the VA that “The Price of Freedom is Visible Here.” Many of my brother priests say that they could not do what I do. They say that there is too much sadness here. However, I feel that I am a very blessed man. Forty years ago, I served three years in the U.S. Army and I lucked out and did not have to experience the horrors of war. My experience has given me some insight into the fact that there are many women and men in Utah and our country who have done some amazing things in some very difficult circumstances. They are true heroes. I have the great opportunity to serve those who have served us.

Fr. Bruce Clapham was ordained a priest in 1995 for the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyo. He was assigned to the Archdiocese of Military Services in 2006 and came to Utah in 2013.