Catholic military chaplains attend convocation on gender issues, deliverance ministry

Over 60 Catholic military chaplains on August 18–22 gathered in San Diego to attend a convocation on pastoral issues concerning gender, deliverance ministry, and exorcisms, the Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS) stated in an Aug. 26 news release.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services is holding the same convocation in four different locations over the course of the next several months. Besides San Diego, he will meet with chaplains in Washington, DC, Sept. 1-5, San Antonio, Texas, Sept. 15-19, and Rome, Italy, October 13-17. 

“Together we learn to grow in the ministry of caring for the men and women in uniform and their families,” Archbishop Broglio said of the convocations. “These privileged moments of the convocations allow me time to spend with the priests who serve the faithful of the AMS, to hear their concerns, and to draw near to the Lord together in prayer. In a special way this year, we are uniting ourselves to the prayers of Pope Leo for world peace.”

The convocations consist of liturgical celebrations, prayer, reflection, dialogue, and presentations from experts. This year’s theme is “Military Chaplaincy and Contemporary Pastoral Issues in Gender and Deliverance Ministry.” 

Exorcist Monsignor Stephen J. Rossetti, D.Min., Ph.D., a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse, NY, is speaking at the convocations, as well as two professors from the Nesti Center for Faith and Culture at the University of St. Thomas, the program’s director, Kevin E. Stuart, and research fellow Amy E. Hamilton.