Sr. Michael Bochnowski
[email protected]
703-806-3418
(AMS Priests' Manual 3.1.2)

Serving as a director of religious education affords me and the fifty-five DREs that serve the Army the opportunity to be all that we can be. The best part of my job is serving God and others. I love being able to minister to children and families in good times and in hard ones. It is a gift to be able to match the values of your personal life and the work you do.
 
Religious education is one of the primary functional areas of support that the U.S. Army Chaplaincy offers to the military community worldwide. The U.S. Army Chaplaincy assists the commander in ensuring that the soldiers’ “right to free exercise” of religious/spiritual faith as granted by Congress (U.S. Code Title 10) and the U.S. Constitution. Regardless of the soldier or family member’s faith tradition or spiritual journey, the chaplaincy stands ready to support them in pursuing their personal faith goals.
 
In order to provide the highest quality of spiritual formation and religious education in the Army the chaplaincy employs professional civilian religious educators and develops programs and process to facilitate the faith formation of soldiers and family members.
 
Today, the context for this mission of the Army has been affected by the global war on terrorism. “The Army will not break because of its soldiers, but the wear and tear on families is almost unbearable,” said Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of Installation Management Command, in an address to IMCOM leaders.
 
That’s why the ability to multi-task in an environment of growth and activity with efficiency and effectiveness is essential to success in this position. As the garrison DRE, I am the team leader and support the religious practices and religious education/spiritual formation needs of all soldiers and family members of all faith groups: Protestants of all denominations, liturgical and non-liturgical Christians, evangelical and non-evangelical Christians, Orthodox, Catholic, Jews, and Wiccans.
 
In my responsibilities as the Catholic DRE, my primary concern is to present learning opportunities that are based on the Catechism of theCatholic Church and the GeneralDirectory for Catechesis. But I also realize that the program’s resiliency must be built on a sense of community. I believe that our God is good and a just God who would not leave us a mission without providing the assistance needed to accomplish that mission. I am always on the lookout for people with ability to work in the catechetical mission.
 
We offer classes for children from the age of three through adulthood. Military people who support this program help each other. They prove that experiences in life provide us with special gifts of sensitivity to others who have experienced something similar.
 
Catechist training and excellent curriculum materials are provided. I have always believed that a basis for a good program was to keep the catechists happy. In other words, we support their giftedness and commitment to the catechetical ministry. Opportunities for additional conferences, using the Informationfor Growth and the Assessment for Catholic ReligiousEducation instruments from the National Catholic Education Association, a well stocked resource center, and opportunities for virtual learning contribute to the sense of purpose for the catechist. Maximum communication amongst the groups of catechists by means of weekly newsletters and e-mails is important as it prevents confusion and misinformation.
 
It is essential to realize that to accomplish the Army’s mission, each member of the total Army family—whether they be active duty, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, DA civilians, veterans, retirees, or family members, whether in a combat zone or garrison environment—must embrace this concept: We have an opportunity to serve in support of something larger than ourselves.
 
This means that instead of experiencing the Chapel as a “place where” it become a “people who.” Opportunities to provide for times to gather people together to teach in a different way have been discovered. For instance, on Christmas Eve when many families leave to spend time with extended families, there are many families who remain on post. The youth group decided to have “Breakfast with Angels.” This provided an opportunity for children younger than eight to enjoy a morning experience recognizing the meaning of Christmas as told by a teenager and at the same time enjoying breakfast and receiving tangible Christmas thoughts! Planned activities such as a fall festival, Advent wreath making, Easter egg preparation, and vacation Bible school offer opportunities for intergenerational groups.
 
An intergenerational approach is a non-hierarchical and non-linear way to look at religious education. All ages are valued for what they can contribute. All are learners and all are teachers. Religious education changes hearts and minds in an interdependent web of relationships. This approach fits well for families in which a spouse is deployed and members of families are far from grandparents. Naturally there is an intermingling of the generations, and events at onelevel have a powerful effect on relationships at each level. Life and faith are passed on from generation to generation.
 
The sacramental life of the Catholic Chapel is the deepest expression of who we are. All sacraments are community celebrations of our encounters with the risen Lord in the most important moments of our lives. Preparation programs or processes for sacraments are designed to help people focus on the meaning of the sacrament and their readiness for celebration. The foundation of our sacramental preparation program is the conviction that parents carry out the primary role in the faith formation of their children simply by being parents, the most important Christian adults in their children’s lives. We look at this time as unique teachable moments. The elements of our model are built on the fact that sacraments are so important to us that we prepare for them seriously. In considering the diversity of schedules of military personnel a variety of experiences are offered. Classes, celebrations of significant stages, and being together are all intended to nourish and refresh individuals within this worshipping community.
 
Long separations, frequent relocations, and the stress of deployment can subject Army families to extreme hardship. We hope that the contributions and the prayer that the Army DRE offers and the insights that he or she contributes can help the faithful people attend to the Word of God in their daily lives. _
 
Sister Michael Bochnowski, SSC, PhD, director of religious education for the Catholic Chaplain’s office at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, also serves as the team leader for spiritual formation needs of all faith groups at the fort.