Father Patrick Dolan, a priest for the Archdiocese of Louisville and a retired member of the U.S. Army National Guard, is helping Catholics navigate military life in his retirement.
He’s a member of the executive committee of the Apostolat Militaire International, a lay apostolate that gathered last month for its 59th annual general assembly in Mombasa, Kenya. Participants came from 18 countries and four continents.
The apostolate is an international group of Catholic military members, who — through the lens of the Gospel and the church’s teachings — create a supportive environment for its members to understand and work through the spiritual, moral and social problems typical of military life, according to its website.
“They help each other to stay Catholic,” said Father Dolan, who served as a chaplain and rose to the rank of brigadier general of the Army National Guard before his retirement.
AMI is recognized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, and its members advise the pope on various matters, he said.
During the general assembly, participants discussed caring for military families under the theme “Military Service with a Human Face.”
The U.S. delegation gave a presentation on the prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder in members returning from combat.
The assembly also heard from Father Dolan, who spent nearly three decades caring for members of the Army National Guard. He discussed ways to help military personnel reintegrate into their communities.
When the men and women return from deployment and wars, he said, “they come back changed.” Anger, grief and guilt, “become dangerous if not handled.”
“We found three tools that work,” he said, listing them:
- “They need to know they did something worthwhile.” It helps if this affirmation comes from someone in authority, Father Dolan noted.
- They are grieving but they also feel a sense of guilt. They need help processing guilty feelings.
- “They need someone to talk to. Talking one-on-one works. It releases pent-up anger.”
The organization has been helping its members for close to 60 years.
It was founded following World War II in Santiago de Compostela, the capital city of Spain’s Galicia region. The Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route ends in Compostela and the cathedral is believed to be the burial place of St. James the Great, one of the 12 disciples.
“Lay people (who were members of the military) were meeting each other at Catholic shrines” around the world, said Father Dolan. “They decided to put a group together that has delegates from everywhere to help them stay Catholic. … It’s a wonderful bonding between the different branches of the military.”
While the annual general assembly addresses serious matters, it also provides an opportunity for the host nation to display unique aspects of their country. In Kenya, participants were treated to the country’s wildlife at a game preserve, which had been a Portuguese military fort from the 1500s.For more information about this lay apostolate, visit www.apostolatmilitaire.com/.
