Recently I interviewed Chaplain (Captain) Timothy Meier over the phone as he serves in Iraq. He is a Roman Catholic priest, a Jesuit, who is originally from the Detroit area.

Father Meier has spent a lot of time in school. In addition to his theological training, he holds a doctorate in Molecular Neuro Biology and works with the Undergraduate Biology Honors program at Stanford University. He helps out with local Catholic parishes and for the past couple of years has served with the California Army National Guard. That is what brought him to Iraq.
It’s clear to me that Fr. Meier is a dedicated man who takes his calling seriously, all the while appreciating others around him. He spoke so highly of his chaplain assistant, SFC McGee, as they together form a pastoral team to visit often neglected troops “outside the wire.”

I am safe in saying that fulfilling his ministry motivates this priest/scholar who never imagined himself in the military until about two and a half years ago.

When I asked him what the best thing about his time in Iraq has been, he stated that it was the trips “outside the wire” to minister to troops. Often there aren’t enough chaplains to do this.

When I asked what his saddest thing was he responded that it was being the first chaplain into the building where the horrible murders of some soldiers took place in mid-May. He felt it was difficult and disturbing, but that he played a role in the response.

So, what motivates this Baby Boomer priest chaplain to minister in Iraq? I think it’s the fulfillment of his ministry. His duty, yes. But also his calling.

By the way, after a very short rest period, Fr. Meier continues his military ministry by deploying again … to Kosovo!

Remember to pray for our chaplains and assistants!

To read Chaplain Meier’s blog, click here.

Chaplain Meier and Chaplain Assistant SFC McGehee photo courtesy of Chaplain Meier

Tags: Catholic, Chaplain Meier, priest, Stories

This entry was posted on Monday, June 15th, 2009 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Active Duty, Chaplains, From the Front. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.