Niji - My experience is with the Marine Corps, but I have no doubt that the Army is virtually the same. The Catholic chaplains in the Marine Corps (borrowed from the Navy) are exactly the same as the Catholic priests you see in your hometown. They go through the same process to become priests, and then they enter the Navy under a special program to become officers without having to go through Platoon Leadership School or the rifle range or anything else that wouldn’t be necessary for a chaplain. They basically learn how to salute, wear a uniform, understand the organizational structure, and understand the special needs of servicemen. They are priests wearing funny clothing while facing gunfire, and that is the only difference. Also, they are officers, so you can address them by their rank, or “sir,” or “chaplain.”
I get it that you are nervous. Of course you are. Everyone is when they have been away for a long time. What you want to do is is approach any chaplain of any faith or the chaplain’s assistant. Tell this person that you wish to speak with a Catholic chaplain. They will either identify themselves as a Catholic priest (you can then address them as “father” or “padre” or whatever you are used to), or they will happily direct you to a chaplain who is Catholic. What you might find, if your unit is small, is that it doesn’t have a Catholic priest available all the time. However, with about a quarter of Americans being Catholic, you should be able to at least locate one making rounds among spread out units. Even a protestant preacher will try hard to get you to one. They look out for each other’s flocks that way, from my experience.
Anyway, find the priest and ask to speak to him alone. You should have already spent some time in prayer first asking the Holy Spirit to help you confess completely and without reservation. Think about your sins and how they have offended God. Tell the priest that you want to confess.Tell him that you have not been to confession since you were a kid and that you need help to confess properly. Tell him you can’t remember the first thing about how to approach confession if you wish. Seriously. This situation is nothing new to a priest. You are going to be surprised at how easy it is as he helps you along. He’s going to give you some practical advice about how to avoid your particular sins. Try to remember it. Also, remember your penance. My wife actually reads her sins from a list and scribbles her penance so she won’t forget! (She is unintentionally hilarious that way, so I married her) Remember, the priests have done this a thousand times, so there is nothing you could possibly tell him, short of cannibalism, that he has not heard a dozen times this week. Don’t believe me? Ask him.
Drink deeply from the fountain of mercy that confession offers. You are going to feel great after receiving absolution. Sin builds up on our backs like straw so that we don’t notice it accumulating, but it drops off suddenly like a load of bricks. Confess. Go to Mass whenever you can. After a period of time, like all of us, you will fall again in some form or another. Read “The Screwtape Letters” for a peak at Satan’s playbook. Go back to confession. Get up again and keep praying for strength. They say that faith is a muscle that must be exercised to grow strong. I’m still trying to figure out what exercises work best, but I’m a slow learner. Maybe you will have better luck. I know one thing; frequent confession (once a month or more) will do much to keep you on the straight and narrow if you keep that appointment in the forefront of your mind. “Do I really want to have to confess this AGAIN?” And yet, confess if you need to. The priest will understand, and you will be renewed.
Incidently, confession is a great time to bring along a rosary or a saint’s medal or a little bottle of water to be blessed. Any one of those will help you in times of temptation or doubt, and they will comfort you in times of stress. As I once heard a priest point out with great enthusiasm, a rosary is a WEAPON to be used against evil, and he is right. It’s a huge bayonet on a chain small enough to put in your pocket, but you have to pray it to show the pointed end to the devil.
Finally, you feel endangered because of your situation, and rightly so. But keep in mind that after you return to the world, you are in no less danger. We all face the judgement, and for many of us, it will come like a thief in the night. It is something worth praying to be spared.
Sorry about the long post. Good luck, and stay safe.
