Padre's Corner: A padre cares for all

September 29, 2020 - Padre Kent Horsman

“If I’m spiritual, but not religious, who is my padre?”

Given that so many Canadians today describe themselves in just this way, there is the likelihood that many members of the Canadian Armed Forces share this very same outlook on life.

The short answer to the question is: your unit padre is your padre. The longer answer is: your unit padre will try to best point you to resources that will help you on your spiritual journey, even if you aren’t religious.

Chaplains serving in the Canadian Armed Forces currently represent three major faith groups in Canada: Christian, Jewish and Muslim. You can easily identify your chaplain’s faith tradition by the faith identifier on their uniform, located above their name tag. However, don’t ever let the religious identity of your padre discourage you from seeking your padre’s help.

A unit padre ministers to people of his or her own religious group, this is true. You probably see this in the field at church services, or at the chapel on base. However, a padre facilitates the worship needs for people of different religions or spiritual practice, and a padre cares for all. And that includes the “spiritual, but not religious” members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

This can happen in different ways. For instance, an aboriginal member might wish to participate in a traditional smudging ceremony in the field or in the workplace. He or she can approach the padre and inquire as how to best make this happen. If your particular spiritual practice requires a special place, or time, for daily prayers, the padre will explore ways in which to meet your need. It might involve finding a local group of people who share your outlook or beliefs and directing you to them.

Every person has spiritual beliefs at some level. Everyone person needs to experience spiritual well-being. Not everyone, however, feels comfortable talking about what that means. We don’t always have a ready spiritual language at hand. A padre can help you by listening to what you are looking for or what it is you believe you might need. Or perhaps you are comfortable speaking about spirituality, and you want to be able to discuss your beliefs openly, your unit padre can still be a helpful resource.

Padres are professionals who can comfortably engage you on spiritual questions or matters that face each of us. Padres have a capacity and an ability to talk about spirituality. And to that end, a padre can be helpful whenever you might have a spiritual concern or issue. Think of your unit padre as a first stop to helping you find resources that can help you engage your spiritual life.

As a Christian, I turn to my Christian beliefs as a vehicle through which I explore the spiritual landscape of this thing called life. However, as a padre, I respect how people are travelling in different vehicles, exploring that same landscape. Some vehicles are particularly religious. Others are not religious at all. One person may be travelling in a Buddhist vehicle, another in a vehicle of a different design entirely. Part of my calling as a padre is to care for these fellow travellers on the spiritual road all the same. I am here to care for all the members of my unit, not simply the religious nor the Christian members alone.

So do you describe yourself as “spiritual but not religious”? If you do, engage your unit padre all the same and see what she or he can do for you.