Bringing hope to war
Chaplains could be described as the glue that holds the Army together. More than just a religious presence, they are a crutch, a guide and a force for hope for soldiers throughout the Army.

Chap Michael Taylor explains.

The new information pamphlet distributed to units gives information on the roles of Army chaplains as well as contact details.

Soldiers pause for a moment’s silence as Chaplain 4th class Reverend D.F. Byrne conducts the burial service for an italian PoW who died in 2/8th Australian Field Ambulance, at a newly begun cemetery at El Alamein.

Photo provided by AWM, 024533

Sandbagged bunkers are used as pews by troops from 7RAR during a mass at a field base in south-east Phuoc Tuy Province in January 1971. Performing the mass is then-7RAR chaplain Father Keith Teefey.

Photo by Bill Cunneen, provided by AWM, CUN/71/022/VN

Every day, Army chaplains are out there, doing their bit.

Present within the units and actually part of a unit, a good chaplain knows the soldiers like a QM knows the Q-Store.

A friendly face, a happy presence, the Padre today remains very much a force for hope in the demanding and ever-changing lives of soldiers in the modern Army.

Chaplains have been part of the Army since its beginning – they lived (and died) with soldiers in the trenches.

They were present in Gallipoli and France, they were present at Tobruk and shared in the suffering along the Kokoda Track.

They’ve joked with soldiers in the darkest hours of human conflict, just as they’ve celebrated with them in the times of ease and joy.

Today, chaplains are arrayed throughout the Army, working at all levels, and in a variety of situations.

They are present at the training establishments.

They are with the SASR. Chaplains are parachute qualified. They are present and active on operations.

It’s this capacity for them to be “a force for hope” everywhere soldiers are, that makes chaplains a rare and valuable asset to soldiers and commanders alike.

It’s the chaplain’s capacity to do things very informally that remains a vital strength. Chaplains actively network with a variety of helping agencies that enhance the CO’s welfare responsibilities.

Often a professional agency is needed and the chaplain makes referrals and calls upon such agencies, and then monitors the soldier’s progress.

There is also a mystical dimension to the Padre that has always been an intriguing and essential facet of the Army chaplain.

At one level, it is a source of fun and mild kidding – the chaplain is perceived as able to change the weather and is often happily blamed for a sudden downpour (or thanked when the rain suddenly stops).

“Padre, can’t you do something?”

is often asked when the forces of nature are getting in the way of a commander’s intent.

Yet, at its most profound level, chaplains are respected for the bond they hold up to the sacred dimensions of life and death.

They underpin the realities of sacrifice and suffering with the great hope that comes from a belief trust in God.

They hold up a greater reality that gives rich hope and poignant meaning to the whole profession of arms and its consequences.

The quiet atmosphere of the Dawn Service on Anzac morning is familiar to everyone and it’s sacred atmosphere in which the chaplain is very much at home.

Chaplains remain on-call throughout the Army in all major military centres.

They can be contacted through the local switchboards or through the duty system and remain at the service of soldiers and their families.

They strive to remain, above all, a force for hope.

Every day, chaplains carry the emotional burden of Army personnel and their families. Here are some of their stories.

The RSM