WHILE APPROXIMATELY 25% of U.S. service members identify as Catholic, fewer than 8% of the U.S. Military Chaplain Corps are ordained Catholic priests. As a result of this shortage, Marines assigned to the School of Infantry–West (SOI-West) at Camp Pendleton have been without a Catholic chaplain for some time.
To help fill the gap, the team at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in San Clemente—including Priest-in-Residence Fr. Ed Becker, Pastor Fr. Antonio López-Flores and other staff members and parishioners—has stepped up to provide sacramental and pastoral support to these Marines.
“The parish has always had a fair number of Marines coming to Sunday Mass and participating in other parts of the parish, such as joining the Knights of Columbus, going to Stations of the Cross during Lent, and even coming to us for the Sacraments of Initiation, that is Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion,” said Fr. Ed.
“However, about a year ago, Fr. Antonio and I sat down and discussed opening a dialogue with the Marines and how we could serve them better. Furthermore, it was parishioners asking, ‘Isn’t there something that we can do other than having them come to Mass?’”
Fr. Ed continued, “We talked about Bible studies or Alpha sessions that we can have here at the parish, or we even go on base to do it. But the real need, especially at North Camp Pendleton (where SOI-West is located) is offering Mass for Marines who are going through training at SOI-West.”
With that, the Our Lady of Fatima Ministry to the Marines was born.
However, many of the Marines at SOI-West have limited time available because of their liberty (free time) and training schedules.
FR. ANTONIO LÓPEZ-FLORES, PASTOR OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SAN CLEMENTE, CELEBRATES MASS AT CAMP PENDLETON. PHOTO COURTESY OF FR. ED BECKER
Some of the services offered include regular Sunday Mass at 9 a.m., and dates and times for Marines that want to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Fr. Ed explained that many of the Marines are here for varied periods of time, depending on their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), it could range from 29 days to 14 weeks.
“Because of this scheduling, many Marines had been wanting to receive the Sacraments of Initiation but were often told that they had to wait because RCIA (now OCIA) only met on Wednesday or Thursday nights or whatever. But Our Lady of Fatima doesn’t work that way.”
In one instance, Fr. Ed explained that there was a Marine who was set to deploy in the fall. He conferred with Zach Conley, the parish catechist for the Sacraments of Initiation. Now that process is moving forward with this Marine and another Marine who are soon to be baptized. Between them, they were able to work out a schedule that takes the unusual schedule of the Marines into account when attempting to serve the sacramental needs of these and other Marines.
Conley himself is a former Marine, having served 2021 to 2025 as a Marine mortarman, an infantryman responsible for providing accurate and responsive indirect fire support to other Marines on the battlefield.
“Especially with the shortage of Catholic chaplains in the military, it is essential that parishes within proximity to military bases step up and meet the needs of these service members,” said Fr. Ed.
“This is now part of our parish rhythm. I’m very happy about and very proud of this.”
Frances Cahanding is currently the sacristan at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and assists with the ministry at SOI-West. She comes from a large military family. Her father served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 30 years, her husband is a retired Marine gunnery sergeant, her brother was a command sergeant major and her two sons have served in the Army and Army Reserve. Finally, her grandson is a recently commissioned second lieutenant in the Army after graduating from West Point.
“I help train these young Marines to be altar servers and lectors,” Cahanding said. “Most of them are 18 to 21 years old. They are very faith-filled and are serious about their faith. They have said they feel blessed and grateful that we have come to bring Mass and the sacraments to them.”
SOI-West trains approximately 10,000 Marines every year. Camp Pendleton itself is approximately 20 miles from north to south and the massive base encompasses about 125,000 acres (or about 195 square miles).
“We hope to continue our current ministry to the Marines with the possibility of expanding our role in the future,” shared Fr. Ed.
Marine Corps Total Fitness (MCTF) is a holistic approach and focuses on four pillars that contribute to overall readiness: Physical (strength/mobility), Mental (resilience/stress management), Spiritual (core values/purpose) and Social (unit cohesion/healthy relationships).
Bishop Kevin Vann recognizes the importance of the role this ministry plays in fostering and sustaining mental and spiritual readiness. The ministry to the Marines is a team effort with Bishop Vann and the Bishop’s Office.
“I commend Fr. Ed and Fr. Antonio for the work being done with military families,” shared Bishop Vann. “I have, on occasion, celebrated Mass with them and have gotten to know the Marines and their families too.”