Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, also called the Military Ordinariate of the United States, provides the Roman Catholic Church's pastoral and spiritual services to those serving in the United States armed forces or other federal services overseas. This military ordinariate is a special diocese canonically erected by Pope Pius XII in 1939 for members and others employed by the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. The Archdiocese for the Military Services was created by Pope John Paul II and incorporated under the laws of the State of Maryland that same year.

Its Ordinary is the Archbishop for the Military Services; currently the See is vacant. When the position is occupied, the Archbishop is assisted by several auxiliary bishops which oversee chaplain priests serving throughout the world. The seat of Archdiocese is Washington, DC, where the Archdiocese maintains its offices.

History

Before its elevation to an independent archdiocese in 1985, The Military Ordinariate came under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of New York. Prior to the creation of the Military Ordinariate and then the Archdiocese for the Military Sercices, the armed forces of the United States was served by an informal corps of volunteer priests. Their work dates back to the colonial era of American history, through the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War, World War I and World War II. What would later become the apostolic vicariate of the military, popes began choosing bishops to oversee military chaplains since the appointment of Bishop Patrick Hayes (later Cardinal) as papal military vicar for the United States on November 24, 1917.

Prelature

Ordinaries

• Patrick Cardinal Hayes, Apostolic Vicar (24 November, 1917-10 March, 1919)
• John Francis O'Hara, CSC, Apostolic Vicar (11 December, 1939-10 March, 1945)
• Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York (11 December, 1939-2 December, 1967)
• Terence Cardinal Cooke, Archbishop of New York(4 April, 1968-6 October, 1983)
• John Joseph Thomas Ryan, First Archbishop of the Archdiocese for Military Services (16 March, 1985-14 May, 1991)
• Joseph Thomas Dimino, Archbishop for the Military Services (14 May, 1991-12 August, 1997)
• Edwin Frederick O'Brien, Archbishop for the Military Services (12 August, 1997-12 July, 2007)
• sede vacante (12 July, 2007-present)

Auxiliary bishops

• William Tibertus McCarty, C.SS.R. (1943 - 1947)
• William Richard Arnold (1945 - 1965)
• James Henry Ambrose Griffiths (1949 - 1955)
• Philip Joseph Furlong (1955 - 1971)
• William Joseph Moran (1965 - 1981)
• James Jerome Killeen (1975 - 1978)
• John Joseph O'Connor (1979 - 1983)
• Lawrence Joyce Kenney (1983 - 1990)
• Angelo Thomas Acerra, O.S.B. (1983 - 1990)
• Joseph Thomas Dimino (1983 - 1991)
• Francis Xavier Roque (1983 - 2004)
• John Gavin Nolan (1987 - 1997)
• John Joseph Glynn (1991 - 2002)
• José de Jesús Madera Uribe, M.Sp.S. (1991 - 2004)
• John Joseph Kaising (2000 - 2007)
• Joseph Walter Estabrook (2004 - Present)
• Richard Brendan Higgins (2004 - Present)

Resources

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services

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