Chaplain Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
A chaplain is a priest or clergyman serving a group of people who are not organized as a mission or church. For example a chaplain is often attached to a military unit, a private chapel, a ship, a prison, a hospital, a parliment and so on. Many historical royal courts and noble houses also had their own private chaplains.Favorite theories are that the term derives from the relic cloak (capa or capella) of St. Martin of Tours or from the Latin term Capellanus.
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2 Military Chaplains 3 Non-Military Chaplains |
Origins
History records various equivalents of chaplains from ancient Assyria onwards.
Originally a Christian chaplain had a function of serving as an aide to a bishop and various chaplains still help the pope in his ecclesiastical duties. In other circumstances their duties were limited to saying a mass in certain functions.
Military Chaplains
The first English military-oriented chaplains appeared during the reign of King Edward I, although their duties included jobs that today would come under the jurisdiction of military engineers and medical officers. A priest attached to a feudal noble household would follow his liege lord into battle. In 1796 England's Parliament passed a Royal Warrant that established the British Army's Chaplains' Department.
The current form of military chaplain dates from the era of the First World War. A chaplain conducts religious services in the field and tries to maintain morale.
Christians are not the only faith to have chaplain-equivalent positions. Other religions, such as Judaism or Islam, may also provide chaplains for military service. In the United States Air Force, the Air Force Religious Pin recognizes chaplins from four of the major religious faiths.
Nomination of Military Chaplains
Chaplains are nominated in different ways in different countries. A military chaplain can be an army-trained soldier with additional theological training or a priest nominated to the army by religious authorities. In Britain, the Ministry of Defence employs the chaplains but their authority comes from the church. In France, the existence of military chaplains has come under debate because of the separation of Church and State; however, their position has been maintained as of 2004.[1]
Noncombatant Status
Chaplains are nominally noncombatants under the Geneva Convention. Still, many of them have died in the field due to a stray bullet, during bombing or artillery barrage. The Chaplain's Medal for Heroism is a special military decoration of the United States of America which honors military chaplains who have been killed in the line of duty.
Non-Military Chaplains
Although the military chaplain occurs most commonly, chaplains can be attached also to educational institutions like universities and colleges, scout troops, ships, places like hospitals and prisons and on occasion private companies and corporations. The term can also refer to male priests attached to Roman Catholic convents.
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