Interfaith Services in the Military

January 23, 2003

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

[philly.com/mld/inquirer/living/religion/4992942.htm]

On January 23, 2003 The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that "in the sanctuary of the Fort Dix Chapel, soldiers attend a traditional Protestant service at 9 on Sunday mornings... Fifteen minutes after it finishes, another group comes in for a Catholic Mass, and 15 minutes after the Mass ends, an African American-oriented gospel service gets under way... Down the hallway, Muslims have afternoon meetings Mondays through Fridays in a room with prayer rugs facing east, and a few feet away Jews hold services in another room on the first and third Friday each month... While Christians, Jews and Muslims seem locked in struggles in other parts of the world, they share the fort's chapel in harmony, finding peace there while their units prepare for war, the chaplains say."