Armed Forces and Federal Ministries
3101 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016
The Episcopal Church’s Armed Forces and Federal Ministries provides pastoral care and spiritual support to members of the military and federal agencies. We ensure that Episcopal chaplains are available across the United States Armed Forces, Veterans Administration (VA) medical centers, and federal correctional institutions. We also serve as a crucial bridge between the church and various government entities, facilitating the ministry of Episcopal chaplains in these settings. By endorsing and overseeing chaplains, Armed Forces and Federal Ministries plays a vital role in supporting individuals in service and federal employment, offering them spiritual guidance, counseling, and religious services according to our Episcopal tradition.
Our work is deeply rooted in the church’s commitment to outreach and service. It not only supports the spiritual well-being of individuals in high-stress environments but also ensures that the principles of the Christian faith are accessible to them, regardless of their deployment or station. Through training programs, retreats, and pastoral resources, we work with chaplains to meet the complex needs of those they serve, thereby embodying the church’s mission to nurture and support communities, even in the most challenging circumstances.
Interested in learning more about chaplaincies? Visit our blog, read about the Military Chaplains Just War Education Project, discover the processes for serving, and meet our staff.
Veterans Day Holy Eucharist and Commissioning of Chaplains
Episcopalians are invited to join a first-time churchwide Veterans Day Holy Eucharist service at 7 p.m. ET Nov. 11—via livestream or in person at the Church Center chapel in New York City—to honor those who have served in the military and specially recognize the Episcopal chaplains who support them.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe will preside, and the Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia, bishop suffragan for the church’s Armed Forces and Federal Ministries, will preach. The service will include a special “commissioning for further service” of chaplains who serve military veterans in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
AFFM News
- Building Bridges in Massachusetts and Western MassachusettsThe Episcopal Dioceses of Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts have partnered with the Building Bridges program, which works to address veteran social isolation, depression, post-traumatic stress, and suicide risk that so often accompany military service. Building Bridges recently shared the following stories from its ministry with the Armed Forces and Federal Ministries office: From Capt. Thomas M.… Read more: Building Bridges in Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts
- Episcopalians invited to first Veterans Day Holy Eucharist and Commissioning of ChaplainsEpiscopalians are invited to join a first-time churchwide Veterans Day Holy Eucharist service at 7 p.m. ET Nov. 11—via livestream or in person at the Church Center chapel in New York City—to honor those who have served in the military and specially recognize the Episcopal chaplains who support them.
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