Religious Ed suspended on military bases

[Corki]

In my book, no adult having contact with children on a military property means exactly that, regardless of the occasion. They’re not dictating who can participate in liturgy, they’re dictating what adults can have contact with children on their property.

That’s not what the OP said. It’s the activities themselves that were suspended by the DoD. As of now, anyway, the DoD is saying that children cannot serve at Mass according to this account. That’s where the problem lies.

 

[Phemie]

That’s not what the OP said. It’s the activities themselves that were suspended by the DoD. As of now, anyway, the DoD is saying that children cannot serve at Mass according to this account. That’s where the problem lies.

I don’t see it as a problem. I guess being both a mom and a former military dependent, I feel that having safe kids is more important than having them serve at Mass for a limited time period. They’re not being stopped from being at Mass, they’re being stopped from being supervised by adults who haven’t been thoroughly checked. I don’t have a problem with that.

 

[Corki]

I don’t see it as a problem. I guess being both a mom and a former military dependent, I feel that having safe kids is more important than having them serve at Mass for a limited time period. They’re not being stopped from being at Mass, they’re being stopped from being supervised by adults who haven’t been thoroughly checked. I don’t have a problem with that.

I am also a mother (of altar boys) and former military dependent. I don’t have a problem with background checks. What I have a problem with is the DoD stipulating how the liturgy will be conducted. According to the OP, they have dictated that Mass cannot be said using youth servers. That’s not appropriate. If the same directive came from the Archdiocese of the Military, I would not have a problem with it as long as it didn’t become permanent.

 

[drafdog]

I don’t see a problem. The base commander seems to have overstepped his authority. Rent a location as close as possible to the base (a tent across the street from the guard shack) and set up your religious education facility there. Parents can car pool their children to classes if necessary. Not being on US government property, there is only the diocesan policy for working with children and disabled to consider.

Reb Levi

 

[janeway529]

I’m looking at this another way. Can’t the DOD require that anyone dealing with children anywhere on a military base undergo rigorous investigation to ensure the children’s safety? That would include adults who teach religious ed, regardless of religion, wouldn’t it?

Also looking at it another way, were all religious services stopped, pending the checks?

 

[Phemie]

Also looking at it another way, were all religious services stopped, pending the checks?

They didn’t stop religious services, they said children couldn’t be altar servers.

You don’t need altar servers to have Mass (we often don’t) and if the priest really wants someone to be an altar server it can be an adult (that’s what happens when we don’t have kids available). Unless the Protestants can still have Sunday School I can’t get upset over something designed to keep kids safe.

 

[Orogeny]

Doesn’t the DOD already have your medical and dental records?

Peace

Tim

 

[NeCo99]

Hopefully, I can shed some light on some of this…

No the DOD doesn’t have all that (medical records), especially if you are a civilian who attends a military church (we have tons of those at my current and last bases). For example, a former servicemember retires at the duty station area, attends services at the on base church but may be married to someone who had no connection to the military so they don’t have records like that.

Also, to clarify, I just moved from one base and am at another now. So I have gotten emails from my last and current post about this. It’s not just the Catholics, it’s EVERYONE that has been put on hold. This actually started a bit earlier this year at some places. As a volunteer, I was given new paperwork in January but was about to move, so I didn’t bother to fill them out.

What they are doing is trying to make sure that ANYONE who comes into contact with children is vetted. This means, childcare during services, AWANA (Protestant group), CCD, ushering, altar serving, children’s choir, even vacation bible school and after school programs. Because it has been a massive undertaking, everything is backed up and on hold.

From what I understand, the DOD does have the authority to do just what they are doing. When on a military base you are basically saying, you will follow certain rules. That’s why for example, the chapels on military bases often have different rules on how things are conducted (also why the Military has its own Archdiocese). The DOD could be sued if something goes wrong in a volunteer capacity, so they are very much in the right for covering themselves by doing everything they can to make sure they are doing correct background checks. I have personally seen some checks that were either not done at all or partially done because of the rush to have someone in place. Not safe at all.

As for the dental records, I am only guessing that it could be to check for possible addiction issues. I have worked in the courts and often people who are shopping for meds, will get certain meds from their dentist, another from their primary doctor, etc. None of these providers would necessarily pull the records from one another, so it would be up to the patient to say they are already on a narcotic or something similar.

Again this is all just from what I have been receiving from the various bases I have been connected to in the past years.

 

[JanetF]

Given the medical history of the Washington Naval Yard suspect, I can see that.

But dental? I don’t get that. If anyone sees an explanation, I hope they’ll post it.

Mdical history because mental health is included in that broad term, and dental for identification purposes if something horrific were to happen where they needed dental records to identify someone.

 

[MarjannaS]

This whole situation has me horrified!
First of all, our Constitution FORBIDS government, whether supervisor, bureaucrat, even Congress or the President himself, of passing any rule, law, order, which interferes with the exercise of religion, and prohibits same from imposing religion on any person. Why do so many of you seem to believe that some wispy ‘safety’ thought should supercede that item of our Bill of Rights.
Why also, do you think that our Military is exempted from that freedom? These are the Americans who have been CHARGED to defend that selfsame freedom for all of us, and yet, we seem pretty ready to throw them under the bus and take away that liberty from them? Hey, let’s get this straight!
IF the religious authority which controls the military chaplaincy issues orders protecting its children, ministers, and members, that’s fully within its province. IF the MILITARY authority tries to order anything for the faith groups (catholic or protestant or Jewish or any other) in the military, it’s out of line!
Our diocese has strict guidelines and checks for any persons who work in any way, with children, to protect them from those who would victimize them. I have no problem with that, and will defend their guidelines fully, no matter how much they pinch in the practice. But, I will certainly NOT ALLOW the State, whether municipal, state, federal or military, from interfering in the freedom of my faith (nor any other).
With all the ‘liberal’ talk of “lines in the sand”, I would think this one to be more of a line in the stone! It is not negotiable. Unless, of course, we’re ready to chuck the whole constitution and liberty we enjoy as Americans in the first place.
God did not create us to be slaves to one another, nor to any governments. He wants our voluntary servitude ONLY to Himself. The government is not God.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

This whole situation has me horrified!
First of all, our Constitution FORBIDS government, whether supervisor, bureaucrat, even Congress or the President himself, of passing any rule, law, order, which interferes with the exercise of religion, and prohibits same from imposing religion on any person. Why do so many of you seem to believe that some wispy ‘safety’ thought should supercede that item of our Bill of Rights.
Why also, do you think that our Military is exempted from that freedom? These are the Americans who have been CHARGED to defend that selfsame freedom for all of us, and yet, we seem pretty ready to throw them under the bus and take away that liberty from them? Hey, let’s get this straight!
IF the religious authority which controls the military chaplaincy issues orders protecting its children, ministers, and members, that’s fully within its province. IF the MILITARY authority tries to order anything for the faith groups (catholic or protestant or Jewish or any other) in the military, it’s out of line!
Our diocese has strict guidelines and checks for any persons who work in any way, with children, to protect them from those who would victimize them. I have no problem with that, and will defend their guidelines fully, no matter how much they pinch in the practice. But, I will certainly NOT ALLOW the State, whether municipal, state, federal or military, from interfering in the freedom of my faith (nor any other).
With all the ‘liberal’ talk of “lines in the sand”, I would think this one to be more of a line in the stone! It is not negotiable. Unless, of course, we’re ready to chuck the whole constitution and liberty we enjoy as Americans in the first place.
God did not create us to be slaves to one another, nor to any governments. He wants our voluntary servitude ONLY to Himself. The government is not God.

Good grief. NeCo99 explained what is going on. The DoD isn’t stopping people from practicing their faith. It seems like on certain bases, children’s activities have been POSTPONED until background checks are done. They aren’t stopping Mass.

 

[Julianna]

Good grief. NeCo99 explained what is going on. The DoD isn’t stopping people from practicing their faith. It seems like on certain bases, children’s activities have been POSTPONED until background checks are done. They aren’t stopping Mass.

Thank you for your voice of reason. I work on a military installation and is exactly as NeCo99 described.

 

[maryjk]

Mdical history because mental health is included in that broad term, and dental for identification purposes if something horrific were to happen where they needed dental records to identify someone.

What?

Now they suddenly need dental releases from everyone working with children because they might need to identify your BODY with dental records?!?!?

Is there some indication that working with children raises your likelihood of being dead and unidentifiable?

 

[Hopey]

I guess what is still not making sense, to me, is the background check for altar servers, ushers and I would suppose anyone serving at Mass? EMHC? Although someone pointed out that a priest could say Mass without a server, depending on the size of the congregation, it is going to be a lot more work for him.

Excessive is what pops into my mind.

I am all for background checks but for those who will be directly involved, over, children.
Ushers, altar servers and EMHC do not fit that category.

 

[IrishAm]

Good grief. NeCo99 explained what is going on. The DoD isn’t stopping people from practicing their faith. It seems like on certain bases, children’s activities have been POSTPONED until background checks are done. They aren’t stopping Mass.

Thank you Kendra and NeCo, and breathe deeply people; but do realize that “postponed” may be for quite a while if the person who is processing the paperwork has been “sequestered” out of a job until Congress (all of them, I’m not making a partisan statement or taking political sides) gets its collective act together.

 

[Corki]

Good grief. NeCo99 explained what is going on. The DoD isn’t stopping people from practicing their faith. It seems like on certain bases, children’s activities have been POSTPONED until background checks are done. They aren’t stopping Mass.

It’s a little more than that. The DoD is dictating how Mass is to be said - without youth servers (for the time being). There is nothing that a background check would do to make altar serving “safer”. It’s throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

It’s a little more than that. The DoD is dictating how Mass is to be said - without youth servers (for the time being). There is nothing that a background check would do to make altar serving “safer”. It’s throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

It isn’t a requirement to have youth servers, is it? It isn’t like they are telling people that they can’t partake in Holy Communion.

If adults are in charge of children, on a military base, they are supposed to have a background check done. I understand that the priest who is a chaplain in the military probably doesn’t need a background check, but are there any other adults who are dealing with altar servers? If so, they have to be checked.

 

[Aramis]

I think you should contact the Military Archdiocese. This does not seem like something the DOD can require.

That and a good civil rights lawyer might get this reviewed.

I didn’t find anything on it on army.mil/chaplaincorps/
Such a directive should be mentioned… I’ve searched for a variety of items, and not just the chaplain corps subsite.

It smells to me like an atheist up the chain of command deciding that it’s time for freedom FROM religion.

 

[Corki]

It isn’t a requirement to have youth servers, is it? It isn’t like they are telling people that they can’t partake in Holy Communion.

If adults are in charge of children, on a military base, they are supposed to have a background check done. I understand that the priest who is a chaplain in the military probably doesn’t need a background check, but are there any other adults who are dealing with altar servers? If so, they have to be checked.

I never said it was a requirement. But is IS dictating** how **the Mass is said.

During Mass, the only one “in charge” of the servers would be the priest - at least that the way it has been in every parish I have lived in over 12 states, 3 other countries and numerous Army bases for 5 decades.

I don’t dispute doing background checks for anyone leading classes or youth groups, including training new servers. That’s what all the “stateside” dioceses have required for several years now.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

I never said it was a requirement. But is IS dictating** how **the Mass is said.

During Mass, the only one “in charge” of the servers would be the priest - at least that the way it has been in every parish I have lived in over 12 states, 3 other countries and numerous Army bases for 5 decades.

I don’t dispute doing background checks for anyone leading classes or youth groups, including training new servers. That’s what all the “stateside” dioceses have required for several years now.

I didn’t ask if it was a requirement to be a smart aleck. I don’t think that anything would happen to a child in front of everyone at Mass, but you never know. It seems like no one can even find a link to any of this and it may just be hearsay that already trained altar servers aren’t allowed to serve at Mass