Chaplain General
Encyclopedia
In the Anglican Church, chaplains general are the seniormost Anglican chaplain
s in otherwise non-Anglican organizations. Chaplains general are most commonly appointed in Commonwealth Realm
s, and are responsible for conducting religious services and ceremonies, and generally representing the Anglican faith in an organization.
During World War I, the chaplain-general John Taylor Smith
was equivalent to a major general
and under the control of the Permanent Under-Secretary of State. Llewellyn Henry Gwynne
was from July 1915 deputy chaplain-general of the army in France, with the relative rank of major-general.
During World War II
the head of chaplaincy in the British Army was an (Anglican) chaplain-general]], who was formally under the control of the Permanent Under-Secretary of State. An Assistant Chaplain-General was a Chaplain 1st class (full Colonel
) and a senior Chaplain was a Chaplain 2nd class (Lieutenant Colonel
).
In 1948 the first Bishop to the Forces
was appointed; the Bishop is a suffragan of the Archbishop of Canterbury
, the full title of the Bishop to the Forces is "The Archbishop of Canterbury's Episcopal Representative to the Armed Forces". The Bishop to the Forces is not a military chaplain
. The current holder of the office is the Right Reverend
Stephen Venner
. There is sometimes confusion between the (Anglican) "Bishop to the Forces" and the (Roman Catholic) "Bishop of the Forces"
: for this reason the latter is normally given his title in full, i.e. "The Roman Catholic Bishop of the Forces".
Each of the three armed services has a chief chaplain (ranking as an archdeacon), for the navy the Chaplain of the Fleet, for the army the Chaplain-General, and for the Royal Air Force the Chaplain-in-Chief.
The Museum of Army Chaplaincy holds archive material and information relating to the history of the Chaplains General to the British Army both past and present.
). Some nations, like South Africa, Israel, and Canada, have one Chaplain General or Chief of Chaplains for the military as a whole; others, like the United States, have one for each branch of the armed forces; while others have one for each major religion or faith group represented among its military personnel.
Bishops to the Forces
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
s in otherwise non-Anglican organizations. Chaplains general are most commonly appointed in Commonwealth Realm
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
s, and are responsible for conducting religious services and ceremonies, and generally representing the Anglican faith in an organization.
During World War I, the chaplain-general John Taylor Smith
John Taylor Smith
The Rt Rev John Taylor Smith KCB CVO DD was the Anglican Bishop of Sierra Leone at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries....
was equivalent to a major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
and under the control of the Permanent Under-Secretary of State. Llewellyn Henry Gwynne
Llewellyn Henry Gwynne
Llewellyn Henry Gwynne CMG CBE was the first Anglican Bishop of Egypt and Sudan.- Early life :Gwynne was born in Swansea, Wales, in 1863. While at the Swansea Grammar School, the headmaster encouraged him to follow the example of his beloved brother Charlie by working hard and pursuing his...
was from July 1915 deputy chaplain-general of the army in France, with the relative rank of major-general.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the head of chaplaincy in the British Army was an (Anglican) chaplain-general]], who was formally under the control of the Permanent Under-Secretary of State. An Assistant Chaplain-General was a Chaplain 1st class (full Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
) and a senior Chaplain was a Chaplain 2nd class (Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
).
In 1948 the first Bishop to the Forces
Bishop to the Forces
The Anglican church in the British Armed Forces falls under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, however for all practical purposes the function is performed by the Bishop to the Forces. His full title is "The Archbishop of Canterbury's Episcopal Representative to the Armed Forces"...
was appointed; the Bishop is a suffragan of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, the full title of the Bishop to the Forces is "The Archbishop of Canterbury's Episcopal Representative to the Armed Forces". The Bishop to the Forces is not a military chaplain
Military chaplain
A military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
. The current holder of the office is the Right Reverend
Right Reverend
The Right Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures.*In the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain it applies to bishops except that The Most Reverend is used for archbishops .*In some churches with a...
Stephen Venner
Stephen Venner
Stephen Venner DL is the present Bishop to the Forces and Bishop for the Falkland Islands in the Church of England.-Education and career:Venner studied English at the University of Birmingham and is a qualified teacher...
. There is sometimes confusion between the (Anglican) "Bishop to the Forces" and the (Roman Catholic) "Bishop of the Forces"
Bishopric of the Forces
The Bishopric of the Forces is the Latin-rite Catholic military ordinariate which provides chaplains to the British Armed Forces across the United Kingdom and overseas. The chaplains are drawn from the dioceses of England, Wales and Scotland, and from some religious orders...
: for this reason the latter is normally given his title in full, i.e. "The Roman Catholic Bishop of the Forces".
Each of the three armed services has a chief chaplain (ranking as an archdeacon), for the navy the Chaplain of the Fleet, for the army the Chaplain-General, and for the Royal Air Force the Chaplain-in-Chief.
The Museum of Army Chaplaincy holds archive material and information relating to the history of the Chaplains General to the British Army both past and present.
Outside Anglicanism
Chaplain General is also used as a term outside the Anglican Church, referring to the senior chaplain in a nation's military (sometimes called the Chief of Chaplains, as in the United States militaryChiefs of Chaplains of the United States
In the United States armed forces, the Chiefs of Chaplains of the United States are the senior service chaplains who lead and represent the Chaplain Corps of the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force...
). Some nations, like South Africa, Israel, and Canada, have one Chaplain General or Chief of Chaplains for the military as a whole; others, like the United States, have one for each branch of the armed forces; while others have one for each major religion or faith group represented among its military personnel.
Chaplains General and Bishops to the Forces
Chaplains-Geneal- Cox Edghill (1885–1901)
- John Taylor SmithJohn Taylor SmithThe Rt Rev John Taylor Smith KCB CVO DD was the Anglican Bishop of Sierra Leone at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries....
(1901–1925) - Alfred JarvisAlfred JarvisThe Very. Rev Alfred Charles Eustace Jarvis,CB, CMG, MC, DD was an eminent Anglican priest in the 20th century.He was born in Bournemouth in 1876 and began work as an apprentice in a furniture shop. He studied at Handsworth Theological College and was a Methodist Minister from 1901 to 1908 when...
(1925–1931) - Ernest ThoroldErnest ThoroldThe Very. Rev Ernest Hayford Thorold, CB, CBE, OBE, DD, MA was an eminent Anglican priest in the 20th century.He was born into an ecclesiastical family in 1979 and was educated at Highgate School and The Queen's College, Oxford....
(1931–1939) - Charles SymonsCharles SymonsThe Very. Rev Charles Douglas Symons , CB, MC, DD, MA was an eminent Anglican priest in the 20th century.He was born on 13 October 1885 and was educated at Kelly College, Tavistock and Trinity College, Cambridge.He was ordained in 1908 and served with the Royal Army Chaplains Department from...
(1939–1944) - Llewelyn Hughes (1944–1951)
- Victor Pike (1951–1960)
- Ivan NeillIvan Neill (priest)The Very. Rev Ivan Delacherois Neill,CB, OBE, MA was an eminent Anglican priest in the 20th century.He was born into an ecclesiastical family on 10 July 1912 and educated at St Dunstan's College and Jesus College, Cambridge. He was ordained in 1937 and began his career with curacies at St Mary,...
(1960–1966) - John Ross Youens (ca. 1972)
- Peter Mallett
- William Francis Johnston (?–1988)
- James HarknessJames Harkness (minister)James Harkness KCVO, CB, OBE,FRSA is a Church of Scotland ministerHarkness was born in Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway on 20 October 1935 and educated at the University of Edinburgh. He was Assistant Minister at North Morningside...
(1988–1995) (Presbyterian, first non-Anglican Chaplain-General) - Victor DobbinVictor DobbinThe Very. Rev Dr Victor Dobbin , CB, MBE, QHC, DD, MA was an eminent Anglican priest in the 20th century.He was born on 12 March 1943 and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and Queen's University Belfast...
(1995–2000) - John Blackburn
- David Wilkes
- Stephen Robbins
Bishops to the Forces
- Cuthbert BardsleyCuthbert BardsleyCuthbert Killick Norman Bardsley CBE was the Anglican Bishop of Coventry from 1956 to 1976.- Early life :He was born on 28 March 1907, the younger son of a Church of England Canon. He was educated at Eton and New College, Oxford. He died in 1991....
(1948–1956) - Stanley Betts (1956–1966)
- John Hughes (1966–1977)
- Stuart SnellStuart SnellStuart Snell was a British Anglican bishop. He was born in Devon on the 25 October 1920 and educated at Exeter School and St Peter's College, Oxford. Snell entered the Anglican ministry from the parish of Emmanuel, Northwood, London where he was a member of the laity...
(1977–1984) - Ronald Gordon (1985–1990)
- David John SmithDavid Smith (bishop)David James Smith is a retired Anglican bishop of the Church of England.Born on 14 July 1935 and educated at King’s College London, he was ordained in 1959. His first post was as a curate at All Saints' Gosforth, after which he became the Vicar of Monkseaton. He was subsequently the Rural Dean of...
(1990–1992) - John Kirkham (1992–2001)
- David Conner (2001–2009)
- Stephen VennerStephen VennerStephen Venner DL is the present Bishop to the Forces and Bishop for the Falkland Islands in the Church of England.-Education and career:Venner studied English at the University of Birmingham and is a qualified teacher...
(2009–present)
See also
- Royal Army Chaplains' DepartmentRoyal Army Chaplains' DepartmentThe Royal Army Chaplains' Department is an all-officer corps that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army.As of 2007, there are about 280 serving regular chaplains in the British Army; these can belong to either one of several Christian churches, or to the Jewish faith, although...
(RAChD) (U.K.) - Chaplain Branch (Canadian Forces)Chaplain Branch (Canadian Forces)-Canadian Forces Chaplain School and Centre:The Canadian Forces Chaplain School and Centre in Borden, Ontario, is responsible for the training of all chaplains . CFChSC provides training in operational and static ministry.The training is provided with an operational focus and an interfaith approach...
- Chiefs of Chaplains of the United StatesChiefs of Chaplains of the United StatesIn the United States armed forces, the Chiefs of Chaplains of the United States are the senior service chaplains who lead and represent the Chaplain Corps of the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force...
- Military chaplain#Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference
- Military chaplain#Military chaplains by country