Photo By Joseph Schmitt | (Left) The Rev. Dr. James B. Magness, Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal...... read more read more
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YOKOSUKA, Japan – The Rev. Dr. James B. Magness, Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal Ministries, visited the Episcopal congregation on Fleet Activities (FLEACT), Yokosuka during a tour to churches in Japan, March 27 – 31.
“As the Bishop for the Armed Services of the Episcopal Church, I serve for three government branches, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons,” said Magness. “I am responsible for any priest that is in any one of those services. So, I like to set a goal to see each of them at least once in a two-year period. I also want to meet their congregation, their community and get a sense of where and who the priests are serving.”
This keeps the bishop on the road for many days out of the year. He explained that in his two-week trip, he visited a few locations in Japan where Episcopal chaplains are usually the only Episcopal leader in that area.
“When they are serving in the military, chaplains can be isolated from the regular ecclesiastical structure that they are apart of. These visits allow me to understand the difficulties and the needs of those chaplains,” said Magness. “I also visit with their congregation, the command chaplain and any commander or leader of the military installation.”
After meeting with base and Chapel of Hope leadership, Magness met with Lt. Cmdr. Corey Thornton, Episcopal chaplain at the Chapel of Hope. Magness also took time to perform church services leading up to and including Easter Mass.
“Chaplains, like the legal and medical community, work in both their professional and their military roles, and having the bishop visit ties those two together and that makes it a special time and a unique experience,” said Thornton. “Plus, there are certain things that you can only do if a bishop is present. The big one for us at this time of year is confirmation. It’s like a coming of age ceremony where individuals step up and take personal responsibility for their faith.”
Magness celebrated Easter Sunday with the Episcopal congregation and confirmed people to the faith. Trevor Boe, a confirmation candidate, explained that it was a surprise to have the bishop at his confirmation, and it made his Easter memorable.
“He gave a nice service, direct and very to the point,” said Patricia Thompson, attending the service with her husband and son. “It was great to have him out here. I haven’t met a lot of bishops before. It was nice for him to visit on Easter and add something special to our service.”
After finishing his visit to Japan, Magness is scheduled to travel back to the U.S. for a few weeks before heading to other locations servicing the military and government communities.
| Date Taken: | 03.31.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.12.2013 01:30 |
| Story ID: | 105068 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 114 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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