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| Holy Helo Brings Faith to Strike Group |
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| Written by Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew Bookwalter |
| Tuesday, 02 February 2010 19:17 |
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USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER - Command Religious Ministries Department wants to ensure all ships in the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group receive religious and counseling services while deployed away from home nicknamed "Holy Helo," the Eisenhower sends chaplains and religious program specialists from ship to ship to provide needed services.
IKE chaplain, Cmdr. Jon Brzek, visited USS Hue City, Jan. 30, to celebrate Catholic Mass for its Sailors. "I couldn't tell you how long the Navy has been doing them, but I remember the older chaplains telling me their tales when I was a young pup," said Brzek. "I was in Chaplain School in 1987, and we practiced being lowered onto a ship from a helicopter by a harness. Now, almost every ship has a landing pad, but back then chaplains were lowered onto ships that way."  Brzek explained that the Navy currently has a shortage of Catholic priests. "When I first went active duty, 17 years ago, there were about 300 of us," Brzek said. "Now we are closer to about 90, and we have to take care of the Marines, too."Due to operational needs, most small ships normally have only one chaplain. Sailors who don't share the same faith as the ship's chaplain will generally appoint a Lay Leader to help sanction prayer and religious study groups. "We send chaplains of different faiths to different ships so we can uphold the constitutional rights of freedom of religion throughout our Navy," said Lt. Cmdr. Santiago Rodriguez, another chaplain aboard IKE. Giving Sailors the ability to practice their faith helps keep their morale up, said Lt. Peter Dietz, Hue City's chaplain and a Presbyterian minister. "I was glad he could join us," said Ensign Dyana Guthrie, Hue City's first lieutenant. "I missed being able to go to Mass every Sunday like I can back home. It was a great relief to have him visit the ship." The "Holy Helo" provides Sailors the opportunity to practice their faith as often as is operationally possible. "This is my first deployment," Guthrie said. "Sitting around a table for Mass was different than being in a church, but I felt just a little closer to home, so I'll take what I can get." IKE and the Hue City are currently conducting operations in the Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Maritime Security Operations. MSO sets the conditions for the security and stability in the maritime environment as well as complements the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO denies international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material. |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 April 2010 02:48 |