Alright, there’s a lot in the science news today and I finally have some free time to write….

First off the chopping block is an article from CNN describing a new post in the military/archdiocese, National Vocations Director at the Archdiocese of the Military in Washington. Basically the Rev. John McLaughlin, who has never served by the way, will travel the globe meeting with chaplains from various companies to hear if there might be some soldiers interested in becoming priests, nuns, or chaplains after their service has been completed.

This month, McLaughlin left his parish north of Boston and became the first-ever national vocations director at the Archdiocese of the Military in Washington. McLaughlin will travel the country, speaking to troops about following a commitment to their country with commitment to their faith.

The clergy shortage in the Catholic church is well documented, and officials see the military as potentially rich ground to find future priests and nuns.

Besides having faced questions of life and death, military men and women tend to have traits necessary for religious life, including self-discipline and a willingness to sacrifice, said Monsignor James Dixon of the Archdiocese of the Military.

Church officials estimate 11 percent of seminary students during the last three years served in the military or had a parent who served. The archdiocese has long reached out to service members, but never had the money to hire someone dedicated to that job, Dixon said.

“We finally got to the point where we think it’s become an absolute necessity,” he said.

Now, I do actually believe that there should be chaplains in the military. People of faith during times of intense stress who confront death as a part of daily life should be able to continue with theirs believes. Mostly, I think that people in horrific situations should be able to talk with and be comforted by people of a similar mind set. However, I do not think that the church should use that emotional strife to join a life of religious servitude, and a person with the means to create a tremendous amount of influence should not be “an absolute necessity”. The statistic of 11% of seminary students having once served in the military or had a parent who served I think is silly. I’m almost certain that you can find roughly the same percentage if you poll any working or scholastic environment.

The Revered does have one quote that I hope he holds true to…

McLaughlin said he wants to be sure troops are serious about religious life, and not just fulfilling the rash, fearful deals some might make with God if they return safely from battle.

“The hope is that they’ll think about it, talk to me about it, and then at the end of their (military) commitment, that’s when they’ll make the decisions,” he said.