Photo By Javier Orona | CAPT Dan Mode, Chaplain of the Coast Guard (far right), leads the five-member team of...... read more read more
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For one week in October, five Coast Guard Auxiliary Chaplains from different parts of the country came together in Newport, Rhode Island to expand their knowledge and skills as chaplains.
Thanks to support from the Coast Guard Foundation the volunteer chaplains spent five days at the Naval Chaplaincy School (NCS) where they were immersed in part of the two-month training that active duty and reserve Navy chaplains receive. The auxiliary chaplains took part in the first week of a seven-week training.
Week 1 of the course starts with Constitutional Foundations and continues with the Chaplain Corps history, structure in the Navy and Marine Corps, Privileged Communications, Confidentiality and Substance Abuse.
The pilot program for the auxiliary chaplains, initiated by CAPT Daniel Mode, Chaplain of the Coast Guard, is designed to support the ranks of Coast Guard chaplains. The auxiliary chaplains are a “force multiplier” in a field where the need for support for Coasties remains significant.
To characterize the five auxiliary chaplains who were selected for the program, you might say: “Two deacons and three counselor/pastors walked into a classroom…”
Oliver Trimiew, the team leader, hails from Tennessee. A retired college professor, he is fairly new to the Coast Guard Auxiliary. In addition to his responsibilities as an Auxiliary Chaplain and flotilla commander, Oliver also is a pastoral counselor and a hospital chaplain. He long ago shed his early training to be a TV repairman. “Fortunately, I went another academic route instead and became a minister and a chaplain, and professor.”
Two of the five chaps have military service on their résumés. Clayton Uthoff of Washington State was commissioned last December as a Chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserve. He still finds time to volunteer with Coasties. Like Oliver Trimiew, he is also new to the Auxiliary, saying that his primary reason for joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary “was without a doubt to join the ACS program.” Clayton comes out of the Southern Baptist tradition.
Benjamin Feril was born a few years after his parents immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines. After childhood stops in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Mexico, Florida, and Michigan, he graduated from Central Michigan University and was commissioned an officer in the Navy. Following retirement, Benjamin was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church. Aside from serving as an auxiliary chaplain, he is also a volunteer hospital chaplain and is active in the local Scouting program in Delaware.
James Dugard is a Roman Catholic Deacon as well, in Florida. After starting out with a degree in Sports Administration (including a student athletic trainer internship with the New England Patriots) James found his ministry led him to teaching physical education to grade-schoolers. That experience, he says, “equipped me with another set of skills for ministry.”
Justin Cohen lives in Pennsylvania and holds a raft of chaplain and counseling certificates. Both he and James Dugard have spent time as police chaplains (James is still active with the Miami Beach, Fla. Police). Justin brings his training as a non-denominational pastor to the Auxiliary Chaplain Service (ACS). He acknowledges the necessity for ACS chaplains, pointing out there is a substantial need for chaplain staffing “due to the increased stress during these times in which we live.”
What was it like to join active duty and reserve chaplains training at the NCS?
To begin with, Oliver Trimiew appreciated the chance to gain information and insights along with serving chaplains. “I am very grateful,” he said, “to be part of this historic group and grateful to the CG Foundation for funding this endeavor.”
The interactions, James Dugard said, were exceptional. “Everyone treated us as family and truly we were part of the class.” He added that the great range of traditions represented – Jews, Muslims and a “gaggle of Christian denominations” was exhilarating. They all gathered in peace and unity.
Benjamin Feril, with years of active duty in the Navy, got a special joy interacting with many who were anticipating their first active-duty assignments. Several of then turned to Benjamin to ask about his shipboard assignments.
What might be next?
If there is a second offering for ACS chaps to take part in the NCS, what advice do these five have?
Justin Cohen had lots to say. The program is not for the faint of heart, he asserted, and “be prepared for early mornings and long days.” Like any good student, he furthered, attendees should: “Pay close attention to PowerPoints.”
Clayton Uthoff urged any others given the opportunity to train at the NCS to “soak it in” and see the world from both officer and enlisted perspectives.
There is a hymn, often sung around All Saints’ Day on the first of November, that begins “I sing a song of the saints of God…” It praises the many from a variety of backgrounds who come together to help God. They are the “patient and brave and true.”
These five ACS chaplains, along with the active duty and reserve chaplains, and the Coast Guard Foundation, can truly be counted as the saints of God.
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2023 13:28 |
| Story ID: | 456038 |
| Location: | RI, US |
| Web Views: | 391 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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