How can chaplains support you?

The Air Task Force Lithuania Chaplain addresses members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Lithuanian Air Force, and Portuguese Air Force Detachment during the dedication ceremony in Šiauliai, Lithuania. Photo: Air Task Force – OP Reassurance

Padre (Capt) Anthony Divinagracia, 
CFB Esquimalt 

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CFB Esquimalt Chaplains can support you in these 10 ways:

First, Ministry of Presence. We do this when we visit you, members at your workstations or join your unit’s activities and events. This is our way of being present and available to you. This presence and engagement can be an effective way for us to better support the Chain of Command and the members in need.

Second, Pastoral Care. We provide pastoral care by attending to the emotional, moral, spiritual and religious needs of the members and your families regardless of your faith tradition or religious affiliation or whether you have one.

Third, Confidential Pastoral Counselling – We provide counselling services to members, ensuring that you can trust us in whatever you discuss with us without fear of reprimand or reprisal. We can also make recommendations to the Commanding Officer (CO) to support the member and put in place conditions to help the member get through a difficult time. Yes, we will advocate for you, but at the end of the day, the CO has the final decision, and we will respect and support CO’s decision.

Fourth, Crisis Intervention – This is one of the reasons why we have a Chaplain on duty, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When a member is in crisis, we can take the call, identify the course of action and guide the member towards appropriate resources.

Fifth, Advise the CO. We act as advisors to the CO pertaining to the religious, spiritual and ethical well-being of the members and regarding the morale of their unit.

Sixth, Casualty Notification. We work with the Command team in Next of Kin (NOK) notification as part of the healing process and may provide notification to a member’s NOK when directed by the Command team.

Seventh, Marriage Preparations. The unique military lifestyle which includes long separations, deployments and postings has positive as well as negative impacts on couples and families. So, we are aware that matters such as this be covered during the marriage preparation sessions for members planning to get married.

Eight, Religious and Spiritual Services. Be it Sunday worship services, baptisms, weddings, funerals or burials at sea, Chaplains are responsible for providing or facilitating these religious and spiritual services. At other times, we are called upon to participate in different events such as military commemorations or Remembrance Day ceremonies or to lead the Spiritual Reflection during Change of Command, Change of Appointment or during formal mess dinners.

Ninth, Conduct Sentinel Peer Support Program Training. We train volunteer CAF members and DND employees to support their peers within their unit particularly in times of distress.

Lastly, Spiritual Resilience Presentation to the Unit. This is to assist members to understand and develop spiritual resiliency skills to address spiritual challenges that can impact their emotional, social, familial, physical, and spiritual well-being because spiritual resiliency can significantly benefit all aspects of member’s military career as well as their personal and family life.

Remember, in the military we are one family. We care for you and your families. So, if you would like to speak with one of the Base/Fleet Chaplains, feel free to contact your Unit Padre during office hours to book an appointment. Outside of working hours, please call 250-363-4032 and the emergency Duty Chaplain will be contacted to reach out to you. We want to be more accessible because we are called to serve.