Philippine Military Ordinariate Opens 40th Anniversary with Call to Christ-Centered Service

The Military Ordinariate of the Philippines (MOP) opened its yearlong 40th anniversary celebration on July 31 with a renewed call for military chaplains to provide spiritual care, moral guidance, and compassionate accompaniment to the country's armed forces and other uniformed services.

Presiding over the Eucharistic celebration on the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola at St. Ignatius of Loyola Cathedral inside Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Metro Manila, Archbishop Charles Brown, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, reminded chaplains that their ministry is rooted in selfless service after the example of Christ.

"We should always ask ourselves: Whom are we serving?" Archbishop Brown said in his homily. "We should not be serving ourselves. We should be serving others and seeing Christ in others."

Reflecting on the life of St. Martin of Tours, the Roman soldier who later became a bishop after sharing his cloak with a poor man, Archbishop Brown said military chaplains are called to recognize Christ in the people they serve.

"That is what it means to serve as a chaplain: to have eyes that distinguish, that discern, the presence of Jesus in others," Archbishop Brown said. "When we serve others as chaplains, we are serving Christ."

Archbishop Brown also thanked the Military Ordinariate for four decades of pastoral ministry among soldiers, police officers, and other uniformed personnel across the Philippines.

Before the Mass, Archbishop Brown and Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio, military ordinary of the Philippines, unveiled the official 40th anniversary marker, formally launching the ordinariate's jubilee year.

In an interview with Radyo Veritas, Military Ordinariate spokesperson Msgr. John Brillantes said the Church's mission extends far beyond celebrating the sacraments.

"Our mission is truly extensive. More specifically, it is to provide for the spiritual and moral welfare of our soldiers and our uniformed men and women," Msgr. Brillantes said.

He said the ordinariate has about 180 active priests, including 122 who completed their formation at its own seminary established after the ordinariate was created in 1986.

According to Msgr. Brillantes, military chaplains also serve as advisers to commanders, teachers in military academies, crisis negotiators, and bridges between military units and civilian communities.

"We emphasize the need to listen to our people and to walk with them. You listen to the soldiers, you listen to their families," Msgr. Brillantes said.

He also asked the faithful to pray for military personnel and other uniformed officers serving in remote assignments, including Pag-asa Island in the disputed West Philippine Sea and Batanes, the Philippines' northernmost island province.

"We enjoy the freedom and security of our nation because of the sacrifices of these brave men and women," Msgr. Brillantes said.

As part of the anniversary celebration, the Vatican has granted a plenary indulgence to the faithful who visit designated Jubilee churches of the Military Ordinariate and fulfill the usual spiritual conditions.

The Military Ordinariate traces its origins to the Military Vicariate established in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. It was elevated to the status of a military ordinariate, equivalent to a diocese, in 1986 through Spirituali Militum Curae, the apostolic constitution of St. John Paul II.