Story and photography by Fr. Patrick Costello | For On Mission
Note: The article below will appear in an upcoming issue of “SALUTE,” the magazine of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
Catholic life in the Archdiocese for the Military Services is unique in that we worship the living God in myriad places and environments; we pray the sacred liturgy in the field, on ships at sea, and inside base chapels. Catholics living and working on or near an installation with a chapel and an AMS priest are blessed to have a stable community of faith, the chapel feeling much like a civilian parish back home. Chapel communities provide a firm foundation for service members and their families to grow in the life of grace through personal and communal prayer, the sacraments, catechesis, works of mercy, and Catholic community life. The stability and resources of military chapels permit rich expressions of our faith for Catholic service members, expressions that can also serve as a public witness to our Catholic faith within the wider military family.
Sunday, June 22 across the Military Archdiocese was the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The Catholic chapel community at Marine Corps Base Quantico celebrated this great feast with the beauty of the traditional Corpus Christi procession. Braving hot summer temperatures with characteristic military grit, over 100 worshipers concluded Corpus Christi Mass by falling in behind Our Eucharistic Lord. For many in attendance, this was their first time being in a Eucharistic procession. The chapel’s Knights of Columbus held the canopy, and recent First Communicants paved the way in front, wearing their First Communion attire and tossing flower petals on the sidewalk in honor of Jesus. People of all ages followed in the procession train singing hymns like “Jesus My Lord My God My All” and “Godhead Here in Hiding”. Several drivers passed by on the road giving encouraging waves and making the Sign of the Cross, while others wondered at the striking religious sight before them. The procession concluded back in the chapel with Benediction, and all cooled off in our air-conditioned fellowship room, chatting and enjoying ice cream treats.
During the summer training season, two Masses are celebrated at the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School on Sunday evenings to provide the Eucharist and Confession for the young men and women undergoing the intense training program to become officers in the Marine Corps. So, two other Corpus Christi processions happened that evening with about 300 officer candidates participating (albeit without ice cream at the end). Those processions were a welcome moment of silence and prayer for the candidates, with many experiencing such a procession for the first time in their lives. Following Our Blessed Lord and walking alongside the famed Marine Corps obstacle course, we could feel the special consolation that Christ is always with us, even in the arduous life of military service.
Fr. Patrick Costello, whose home diocese is Green Bay, is currently serving in the Archdiocese for the Military Services as the priest chaplain at Marine Corps Base Quantico.