I often think that I have the best job in the world. I get to talk to interesting people, see interesting things, go to interesting places all while making a (hopefully positive) difference in the lives of others. Of course there is more to being a chaplain than having a great time; as a chaplain I am privileged to be present at some of the best and worst times of people’s lives.

Chaplains are often there to help celebrate the birth of a ADF member’s baby at its baptism, sharing in the joy of love at marriage and on the flip side, present with people at times of great sorrow, death, divorce or other tragic events. Sometimes we deal with a number of these events in the one day.

As chaplains we go, for the most part, where soldiers go. Perhaps not quite in the same way as Chaplains did in WWI and WWII but not too far removed either. Army Chaplains are currently deployed with troops in the Middle East, East Timor and theSolomon Islandsand will continue to serve in areas of operation in the future.   Chaplaincy is about sharing Gods love with people, where they are and whatever is happening with them in peace and in war. It is about sharing with people on their journey, understanding their priorities, their beliefs and their needs, whilst staying true to and honouring our own.  In recent years this has, like in past, included the need to assist people in expressing their grief and anger due to the loss of a mate, a friend or a loved family member both on operations and at home.

As a Chaplain I am an Anglican priest, but I work with and support people of all faiths, no faith and anti-faith, I am privileged to do this as while hopefully my support for others is of benefit I also am enriched in these interactions and constantly challenged to assess my own world view against the beliefs and actions of others. Mostly my beliefs hold out, but sometimes I am reminded that I have more to learn and while this can be challenging it is about growing in faith and life.

But I have been asked to write not just about being a chaplain but being a female Army Chaplain, sometime referred to as a Madre. I would like to say that there is no difference in being a male chaplain (Padre) and being a female chaplain and in many ways that would be true. I do my job in much the same way my male colleagues do, I am faced by many of the same challenges and work in the same locations and can be deployed in the same way as men. I support command and individuals providing ethical and pastoral advice regardless of gender and I provide religious services relevant to my faith tradition as do male Chaplains.  

Yet despite the similarities there are differences, some subtle others more overt. There are challenges in working in two historically male dominated environments, Church and Defence, there are challenges in working with occasional male chaplains who disagree with my place in ministry and there are challenges in being the only woman for extended periods in an otherwise all male environment.

Of course challenges are not just worked based.  I have a life that I share with others.  I am the partner of a supportive and loving man and the mother of three children, currently aged 5, 7 and 9. As for all parents or partners this requires a degree of juggling to maintain the balance between work and life. Overall my experience of being a defence chaplain and a mother has been a positive one. The Chaplain’s Department (RAAChD) have been supportive as have units I have been posted to. Maternity leave has been available and at times variable working conditions have been negotiated.

Certainly there have been times when I need to be away, but these are more than balanced out by the benefits of working in Defence. I love what I do and I am conscious that this article is very much about me. This self focus is in some ways unavoidable, Chaplaincy is not task orientated but relationship orientated, thus we bring ourselves to our job not just our abilities and skills. I want to end this article sharing  a very simple story of one of my experiences of Chaplaincy. It is not a dramatic story but rather a story of the importance of interaction with others.

One day I was accompanying a section of soldiers along a road in what was effectively a test of endurance and military skills. They were not doing well, instead they were focused on their sore feet, their tiredness and the hardships they were facing. On a rest break before I moved onto another group we had a chat. It was nothing particularly profound, just a two way chat about how their mates were going, how they were feeling and what was going on. A simple chat that reconnected them with the bigger picture, and through it they found hope and managed well from then on. Their feet were still sore, they were still tired but they found some hope in themselves and remembered that they were connected to their mates and to others who had gone before.

To me this simple story says a lot about chaplaincy as I understand it. Chaplaincy is not about waving a magic wand and fixing things (although sometimes we do that too!) but it is about helping people re-establish connections, find hope and keep going. Sometimes all that takes is a willing ear and a few well-chosen words, other times it takes direct action and the provision of advice and support. You don’t have to be a chaplain to listen, but as chaplains we are in the wonderful position of being there for that purpose so we have time to observe and listen to what is going on.

Being an Army Chaplain is rarely dull, you can never be sure what you will hear when you answer that ringing phone or the knock on the door. You never can be sure exactly what the day will entail; so even if it looks like being quite day, it often ends differently. All chaplains recognise the reality of the planned day being thrown out the window as we drop everything to sit at the hospital with a family or in the emergency department overnight with a soldier or a soldiers partner otherwise on their own. While there are times I pretend that I would like a simple contained job with no surprises I am both humbled and invigorated by the privilege of serving God by serving and supporting those who serve our country in the ADF.

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The article was first written by Chaplain Sarah Gibson for Revellie – The Magazine of the NSW Branch of the Returned Services League (RSL)