Father David A. Daigle

As a Catholic U.S. Navy chaplain recruiter, Father David A. Daigle, CHC, LCDR, USN, has his work cut out for him. The Navy, like other branches of the U.S. armed forces, is confronting a desperate shortage of Catholic priests on active duty. Currently, only a few dozen active-duty Catholic Navy chaplains serve not only the entire Navy, but also the Marines and the Coast Guard as well as the U.S. Naval Academy. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Father Daigle talks about his efforts to relieve the shortage. Although responsible for recruiting chaplains of all faiths, Father Daigle, a priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT, takes particular interest in finding Catholics called to Navy chaplaincy, and he shares some ideas about how military service can benefit not only the priests who serve, the Navy Chaplain Corps in general, and the faithful in uniform, but also any home diocese or religious community that releases a priest for a period of military service.