Chaplain’s Corner:  One Team, One Force

Padre Lt(N) Gregory McMullin, 
Reserve Chaplain, CFB Esquimalt 

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As a Chaplain in the Reserve Force, when given the opportunity to serve during the summer months at CFB Esquimalt, I have not been able to refuse. After all, who wouldn’t jump at the chance to bask in an area world-renowned for its breathtaking scenery. Undeniably, there is reason why the slogan, “Beautiful British Columbia,” is touted. That was, initially, the lure for me to spend a few weeks in July at Esquimalt. 

 

Shortly after I arrived, however, I soon realized that I had received much more than I had bargained for. Besides landing in a place of such outstanding natural beauty, I was deeply impressed by how quickly and thoroughly I had been assimilated into the chaplaincy team – in no way made to feel like a second-class ‘Reserve Chaplain’. 

 

Three years later, that experience for me has not changed.  Consistently, each year, under the leadership of the Acting Formation Chaplain, Major Daniel Walton and with the ongoing peer support of the team members, I have been fully immersed in the duties of Base/Fleet Regular Force Chaplaincy. This opportunity has not only enabled me to hone my skills as a Chaplain, but it has also served as a clear indication of my being embraced as a valued member of the team. 

 

I am grateful for having been given the trust to serve as an equal full colleague in a myriad of ways: exercising a ministry of presence on docked ships and base offices; standing alongside of a Commanding Officer (CO) bearing tragic news to the members of their units; offering words of counsel to a member distraught by the strains of his/her job on family life; leading in prayer at a Change of Command Ceremony; or, more especially, being entrusted with Chaplains’ 24-7 Duty Phone. 

 

As a Reservist, there can be no greater trust given and no steeper learning curve experienced – providing urgent chaplaincy support for our members and their families, whether it be dealing with the devasting fallout of death, trying to sort out emergency accommodations, Next-of-Kin notifications, counseling, or whatever else the call might require. 

 

In closing, I want to say what an amazing privilege it has been, and continues to be, to serve as a Reserve Chaplain in the CAF. I am deeply thankful for the support of my unit CO, Commander Tom Watts, including members of my Ship’s Company, HMCS Brunswicker, and, for the ongoing open-door of welcome extended by Padre Major Daniel Walton and the Esquimalt Chaplaincy team. The experience, for me, has confirmed that as CAF Chaplains, whether Regular Force or Reserve, we are indeed, one team, one Force.