The Archdiocese for the Military Services was created by Pope John Paul II to provide the Catholic Church’s full range of pastoral ministries and spiritual services to those in the United States Armed Forces. Numerically, it is responsible for more than 1.8 million men, women, and children. 30% of service personnel are Catholic, but only 8% of chaplains. Their job is very challenging.
We are proud to honor the Archdiocese for the Military Services as the seminary has graduated a number of priests who have become military chaplains like the late Rev. Art Davenport who served in Korea and Vietnam and was awarded a Bronze star. He earned the nickname Father Lucky after narrowly missing being killed in Korea. After Vietnam, he served in the Bay Area as a diocesan priest with 23 years at Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.
Another famous graduate was Bishop William J. Moran, who spent 50 years as an Army chaplain and achieved the rank of brigadier general. He was wounded twice in World War II during the Allied invasions of North Africa and Sicily. He was also the Army deputy chief of chaplains under Cardinal Spellman of New York.
Let's honor the dedication of our military chaplains and the men and women they serve. We invite you to join more than 600 of the Bay Area’s most active Catholics at our Annual Gala on campus in Menlo Park on September 29th for an evening of conversation and celebration - all in support of St. Patrick’s Seminary & University and its goal of forming courageous men of reflection and action who live joyous lives as priests.
