World News
Air Force hopes scholarship draws more service chaplains
Published: April 22, 2009
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- To help fill vacancies and meet the underrepresented faith needs of airmen, the Air Force is offering a scholarship for individuals who want to become service chaplains. The religious professional scholarship program will be available to any commissioned officer or anyone currently enrolled in a commissioning program, such as the Air Force Academy or Air Force ROTC. The scholarship will cover the cost of seminary tuition for candidates who meet the requirements. There are currently about 20 Catholic cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado discerning whether they have a vocation for the priesthood, according to Father Robert Bruno, who holds the rank of colonel in the Air Force and is joint staff chaplain at the Pentagon. The scholarship would allow candidates to enter the military and pursue the priesthood simultaneously. "The kind of people who serve as chaplains probably share some of same qualities as people who serve their countries," said Craig Duehring, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs. "They're both willing to make sacrifices. They're educated, motivated self-starters," he continued.
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