CHAPLAINS' RETREAT AND CONFERENCE wide, just enough to give shelter to the altar and none of
The large number of Roman Catholic Chaplains in camp them could hold many men but the Chaplain would stand provided excellent services for their large group of men. in the entrance and speak to the large group of men outsi Mass was said each morning, many of the priests would as they came to attend Mass or for the Protestant service have to arise before daylight in order to say the Mass and Chaplains Baumann, Brown, McDonnell, McManus, and then prepare to go out on work details. The Rosary was Scecina directed the construction of altars on the Camp said each evening in each group, at night men would be side of No. 1 prison camp. Some of these were laboriously instructed and a time was set before Mass for the hearing decorated with carvings cut with the aid of a mess it of confessions. A retreat of all Catholic Chaplains was knife.H held late in August of 1943 which lasted for one week. HOSPITALS Permission had to be secured from the American Camp Nothing has been said in this article about the important Commanding Officer in order to release the Catholic and great work done in our Camp hospital by the Cha Chaplains from their work details. lains on duty there. It is a story which merits a sinl
The following week Protestant Chaplains held a three- article in this magazine as the hospital was practically a day conference on the religious work of the camp and one Camp in itself for fifteen months. Chaplains Talbot, Tay. day was given over to laymen participation. Much of lor, and Tiffany built chapels here and after the hospital value to the Chaplain was brought out in this day of very became a unit on the Camp side Chaplain Taylor had to frank discussion. construct so many chapels that he became a qualified engineer. This was necessary because the Japanese were
JEWS CARED FOR always reducing the hospital area and moving the fence The average number of- Jewish personnel present in This usually took away Chaplain Taylor's chapel and e camp was 121 which is a figure taken from a religious had to start afresh. In the case of every chapel an attempt census when the camp population was at its height. Men was made to beautify the surrounding ground through the of this faith were cared for in the early days of the Camp planting of tropical flowers. by Chaplain Oliver who held services for them. Later Chaplain Edward J. Nagel and then Chaplain Leslie F. CHAPLAINS PERISH WITH MEN Zimmerman directed their worship. Chaplains of all faiths In June 1944 the Japanese called for three Chaplains to had active laymen participation and for men of the Jewish accompany a detail of 1,000 men to Japan. It was the first faith Major Max Clark, USMC, was a strong leader. time they had permitted Chaplains to accompany outgoin details of any sort. Chaplain Oliver had pleaded with them
LAYMEN AID CHAPLAINS whenever a group of men left camp, either working in the
Roman Catholic Chaplains had the active support of Philippines or for Japan. The answer was always i such splendid officers as Lt. Col. Maurice Daly, Air Corps, the negative. This matter was overcome by the Cha. who in his student days at West Point had been an out- lains preparing consecrated laymen with an order o standing football player and later returned as assistant worship for Sunday services, the burial service, praye football coach; Major James Bradley, USMC, Lt. Col. for the sick, and baptismal service in case of dire ne. Conity, and Warrant Officer James O'Neil were among so cessity. Chaplain Samuel Donald had managed to bring many splendid officers who actively assisted the Chaplains forty copies of the Service Book for Ship and Field whe of this faith. he arrived at Cabanatuan from O'Donnell. One copy of
The Protestant Chaplains had the active participation of this was given to each outgoing group. Chaplains Stanl Lt. Col. Ulysses G. Peoples, Major Marshall Hurt, Major J. Reilly, John L. Curran and Samuel E. Donald answered Harry Packard, and Captain Donald Childress. Lt. Col. the first call for Chaplains to go to Japan. Following thi Arthur Shreve of the Headquarters Staff rendered invalu- there were many calls for Chaplains to accompany outable aid in securing material and giving liaison work so going details but unfortunately not a sufficient number o that the religious program could be more effectively car- men or Chaplains were taken from the Philippines early ried on. Chaplains of all faiths paid high tribute to Lt. enough to avoid disaster. Twenty Chaplains perished Col. Harold K. Johnson, Inf. who rendered outstanding with the men they served, right to the end, in the sinkin service in securing materials through the camp commissary of the prison ships taking them to Japan. such as paper, wine, hosts, and countless items difficult to The Chaplains shared the lot of the men fully and secure. asked no special favors. Rumor once had it that the Cha
Well do I realize the danger in mentioning the names of lains would be repatriated on the Gripsholm which was the just a few laymen when there were so many who contrib- ship assigned to carrying those selected for repatriation uted so much in time and effort toward the perfection of back to America. Chaplain Oliver in his wisdom called the Chaplains work. It is with regret that we realize most meeting of the Chaplains and stated that if such a cal of these laymen have been lost in the sinking of the ships would come Chaplains would be sent home in the follow carrying them to Japan as prisoners of war but their ing order: The sick, those with young children, Reservel memory will ever be precious in the minds of us who have Regular Army. No Chaplains wanted to go home and all returned, regardless of our faith, stated that they would remain with the men to the end.
Laymen were particularly active in the construction of No such call came and so we did not have an opportune' our altars and chapels. These chapels were for the most to test the statement of any Chaplain but I am reasonable part a grass covered building 20 feet long and ten feet certain that all would have stood by the men. 26 The Army and Navy Chcplai'