A purple covered 5 inch (12.7 cm) by 8 inch (20.32 cm) instruction booklet for the Chaplain Services group printed in 1940. The booklet belonged to Padre, Captain Stewart East of the 1st Battalion, 48th Highlanders of Canada.
The Royal Canadian Chaplain Service (French: Service de l’aumônerie royal canadien) is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces that has approximately 192 Regular Force chaplains and 145 Reserve Force chaplains representing the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths. From 1969 to 2014 it was named the Chaplain Branch. It was renamed on October 16, 2014.
The mission of this branch is to “support and enhance the effectiveness of the CF as a whole – its leadership, the individual men and women who serve and their families – through the provision of comprehensive religious and spiritual support, advice, and care.”
The vision of the Chaplaincy is to “be an operationally relevant Chaplaincy that supports and cares for all CF personnel and their families, wherever they live and serve, empowering them spiritually and morally to meet the demands of military service.”
Some of the many roles of Chaplains are:
- Foster the religious, spiritual and moral well-being of members and their families
- Offer a ministry of presence in a multitude of environments (at home and abroad)
- Participate in the life of the worshipping community
- Officiate at special functions
- Advise the commanding officer regarding the spiritual and ethical well-being and morale of their unit
- Liaise with civilian religious faith groups
- Collaborate with other care providers
- Provide directed care after critical incidents