MILITARY TRADITION
Interfaith on every base.
The Presidio Chapel embodies the unique interfaith tradition of the United States military, in which post chapels served as centers of worship and ministry for service men and women and their families of many religions. It honors those who have fallen in combat and those who survived as veterans of war. And it honors their family members on military bases and installations in the United States and around the world.
In peacetime and in war, military personnel and their families, led by innovative Chaplains shared space, built friendships, and learned from each other within the walls of these chapels. Some also ministered in makeshift extensions required at the front lines of battle. In peacetime, military families of Protestant, Catholic and Jewish faith have fond memories of sharing the same building, different services scheduled one after the other, altar spaces reorganized for their turn to worship. The restoration of the Presidio Chapel celebrates these experiences, bringing them into synergy with the ICP’s mission for peace through interfaith dialogue and ministry to those who served.
In peacetime and in war, military personnel and their families, led by innovative Chaplains shared space, built friendships, and learned from each other within the walls of these chapels. Some also ministered in makeshift extensions required at the front lines of battle. In peacetime, military families of Protestant, Catholic and Jewish faith have fond memories of sharing the same building, different services scheduled one after the other, altar spaces reorganized for their turn to worship. The restoration of the Presidio Chapel celebrates these experiences, bringing them into synergy with the ICP’s mission for peace through interfaith dialogue and ministry to those who served.
Sacred space by the Golden Gate
Sitting beside the eastern gate of the San Francisco National Cemetery, the Main Post Chapel – home of the Interfaith Center at the Presidio – has since 1931 served as spiritual custodian of the 30,000 men and women – soldiers and sailors – now buried there. The Chapel also serves as a memorial and place of contemplation for the living – military and civilian, soldier and family, wounded and recovering – to reflect, refresh, and reconcile with the contradictions of war and peace. This is the role of military chapels everywhere. And today – 25 years after the Presidio’s decommissioning as an active military post – the Interfaith Center continues this tradition by offering the Post Chapel as a place of comfort and service to Veterans and their families. Interfaith observance of Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and other days of national remembrance take place in this sacred space.
Richard Harris - 1st Lt., US Army, Vietnam (ret.)
Richard Harris - 1st Lt., US Army, Vietnam (ret.)
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I grew up on Navy bases abroad and I remember the chapels always there on the Main posts. On Rodman Navy Base in the Panama Canal Zone, the chapel was a humble building that served a critical, beautiful function: an amazing workhorse that facilitated different religious services one after the other, welcoming everyone on the base and everyone who came to visit from a ship in port. This project is personal – it celebrates how the military ensured that those who served, from the US and from other countries, could worship.
Marie Ciepiela |
