Transitional deacon ordained, hopes to become U.S. Navy chaplain

CV NEWS FEED // A seminarian in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who hopes to eventually become a U.S. Navy chaplain was ordained a transitional deacon Nov. 23.

According to an emailed news release for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), Dcn. Paul Collins will be ordained a priest next year. He previously studied psychology at California State University and is currently studying for his Master of Divinity at St. John’s Seminary.

“Upon presbyteral ordination next year he will invest three years in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, gaining priestly experience before acceding to active duty under his Co-sponsored Seminarian Agreement with that archdiocese and the AMS,” the news release stated.

According to the AMS, Collins realized his priestly vocation almost a decade ago while on mission in Peru.

“After returning to the States, it became very clear over time that nothing was going to be fulfilling to me outside of responding to my vocation,” he stated in the news release.

The AMS added that Collins “is among 35 Catholic U.S. Military chaplain candidates currently enrolled in the Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program, a vocations partnership between the AMS and cooperating U.S. dioceses and religious communities. This year alone, nine acceded to active duty as chaplains.”

CatholicVote previously reported that the AMS is in great need of military chaplains to serve Catholics in all military branches. About 25% of the military is Catholic, but the Catholic service member-to-chaplain ratio is roughly one to 1,750.