- Source: Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch
The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch provides military chaplains for the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom.
Mission
The Mission of the Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch is to serve the RAF Community through: Prayer, Presence and Proclamation. The motto of the branch Ministrare Non Ministrari translates as ..To serve, not to be served and is derived from Mark chapter 10: verse 45.
History
The Reverend Harry Viener was invested as the first Chaplain-in-Chief on 11 October 1918 with the Chaplaincy branch officially established in December 1918. Reverend Viener had been a Royal Naval Chaplain and was 'lent' to the Air Force by the Admiralty. A Chaplaincy school was established at Magdalene College, Cambridge University in November 1943 with the motto of 'Truth'. The Chaplaincy School was moved to Dowdeswell Court in Gloucestershire in February 1945. Thereafter it moved to Amport House in Hampshire in December 1961. In September 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced that Amport House would be put up for sale as part of a programme of defence estate rationalisation. A Better Defence Estate, published in November 2016, indicated that the Armed Forces Chaplaincy would close by 2020, which it subsequently did.
Training
RAF chaplains receive training on the Specialist Officers Initial Training Course (SOITC) at RAF College Cranwell in Lincolnshire. Both RAF chaplains and candidates receive training at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre, the latter was located at Amport House until 2020. The Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre was relocated to Beckett House, Shrivenham, near Swindon. In 2020 The Reverend (Group Captain) Geoffrey Withers was the first RAF Chaplain appointed Principal, Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre Shrivenham.
Endorsing authorities
To serve in the Chaplains Branch, chaplains and candidates must be endorsed by a religious body. RAF commissioned chaplains are accepted from the various Christian denominations. The British military forces are also served by "tri-service chaplains" from other world faiths, including Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh. In 2018, the first Sikh and Muslim military chaplains to join the British armed forces passed out from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell to join the RAF Chaplain's Branch. In November 2023 the Ministry of Defence announced the intent to recruit Non-Religious Pastoral Support Officers into Chaplaincy in order to reflect the changing demographics of the United Kingdom and HM Forces.[1]
Noncombatant status
See: Military chaplain § Non-combatant status
Chaplain-in-Chief
The RAF Chaplains Branch is led by a Chaplain-in-Chief. Harry Viener was the first Chaplain-in-Chief. When the Chaplain-in-Chief is an Anglican, he or she is also the Archdeacon for the Royal Air Force – otherwise, the most senior Anglican chaplain takes that title along with that of Principal Anglican Chaplain.
World faith chaplains
The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch has 5 world faith chaplains as of October 2021:
Flt Lt. Mandeep Kaur (Sikh)
Mr Krishan Attri (Hindu)
Sqn Ldr. Imam Ali Omar (Muslim)
Dr Sunil Kariyakarawana (Buddhist)
Rabbi Reuben Livingstone CF (Jewish)
Central Church of the Royal Air Force
St Clement Danes Church is the Central Church of the Royal Air Force located in the City of Westminster, London. For generations, members of the Royal Air Force family have enjoyed services of Holy Matrimony and Baptisms. Memorial and funeral serves have taken special place. These remain a strong feature today. The church holds the Books of Remembrance to all those who have died in service in the Royal Air Force. The Friends of St Clement Danes support the work and ministry of the Central Church of the Royal Air Force. The Friend's Patron-in-Chief is Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
= Resident Chaplain, St Clement Danes
=The following have served as Resident Chaplain of St Clement Danes:
Gallery
See also
Footnotes
= Bibliography
=Pitchfork, Graham (Air Cdre (Ret'd)). The Royal Air Force Day by Day. Stroud, UK: History Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7509-4309-3.
External links
RAF Chaplains official website
Careers: Jobs: Chaplain. RAF Careers official website
RAF MOD St Clement Danes Church. RAF MOD official website for St Clement Danes
St Clement Danes Church. RAF St Clement Danes official website
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch
- Chaplains Branch
- Royal Army Chaplains' Department
- Military chaplain
- Military archdeacon
- Giles Legood
- John Ellis (chaplain)
- Jonathan Chaffey
- Outline of the British Royal Air Force at the end of the Cold War
- Royal Air Force College Cranwell
