What Does a Navy Chaplain Do?
More Than Prayers, We Walk Through Fire With Them by Chaplain Peralta
When people hear "Navy Chaplain," they often imagine someone standing behind a pulpit, leading prayers on Sunday morning. While that’s part of the role, the full picture is much deeper and...
In the Shadow of Threats
Ministry When Missiles Are in the Sky by Chaplain Peralta
Deployment in the Middle East is never routine. At any moment, the calm can turn into chaos. As chaplains, we are not armed. But we stand in the same danger as those we serve. One evening during a deployment...
Loneliness in the Ranks
Ministering to the Invisible Battles
by Chaplain Peralta
Deployment isolates. Even in a crowd, a sailor can feel completely alone. Birthdays are missed. Marriages are strained. Children grow, and moments are lost forever. As chaplains, we minister to...
Faith Under Pressure
How Worship Looks When You Are 7,000 Miles From Home
by Chaplain Peralta
Worship during deployment is not polished. It is raw and real. Sometimes it happens in a converted storage room, a tent, or a dusty corner of a hangar. Yet, it becomes...
The Chaplain’s Struggle
Who Ministers to the Minister?
by Chaplain Peralta
Chaplains serve the broken while carrying their own wounds. We are human. We miss our families too. We feel fear, anger, fatigue, and loneliness. But we do not let...
Faithfulness in the Shadows
A Chaplain’s Journey Through Crisis and Courage
by Chaplain Peralta
Not every act of service is seen. Not every prayer is public. Not every leader is on a stage. Yet, some of the most powerful expressions of purpose and calling happen...
What to Say in a Counseling Session with a Grieving Sailor
Offering Presence, Not Just Answers
by Chaplain Peralta
When a sailor walks into your office or stops you in a passageway with red eyes and a heavy heart, the weight of their grief is sacred ground. As chaplains, we are often...
When Silence Speaks: Words Best Left Unsaid in Grief Counseling
Serving with Discernment in Times of Mourning
by Chaplain Peralta
Grief is not a time for advice. It is a time for presence. Unfortunately, even with good intentions, we sometimes say things that wound rather than heal...
What Does a Hospital Chaplain Do?
by Chaplain Peralta
When most people think of a hospital chaplain, they picture someone quietly praying at a bedside or leading a short devotional. But our role is far richer and more complex...
Walking with Families Through Crisis
by Chaplain Peralta
Families often arrive at the hospital overwhelmed, frightened, and uncertain. They may face decisions about life support, surgeries, or terminal care...
Spiritual Care for Hospital Staff
by Chaplain Peralta
Hospitals are places of healing, but also exhaustion, heartbreak, and burnout. Nurses, doctors, and support staff bear tremendous emotional weight...
Comfort in the Waiting Rooms
by Chaplain Peralta
Waiting rooms are spaces of tension and hope. Loved ones wait for news, often in silence or tears. Chaplains visit these spaces to offer...
What to Do When a Patient Dies and the Family is Present
by Chaplain Peralta
Death in the hospital is one of the most sacred and difficult moments we witness as chaplains. When family members are...