NEWPORT -- Two Catholic priests who ministered to U.S. military personnel both on the battlefield in Iraq and at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. will share their experiences during a public presentation on Thursday, Nov. 10 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Mercy Chapel, Ochre Point Ave. on the campus of Salve Regina University.
“Faith in the Trenches,” will be presented by the Rev. Marc Bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Rev. Robert Marciano of the Diocese of Providence, both of whom have ministered to our nation’s servicemen and women. The evening will conclude with an opportunity for audience members to ask questions, followed by refreshments in the Mercy Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Bishop served “boots on the ground,” ministering on the front lines of the war in Al-Fallujah, Iraq as an active duty serviceman with First Battalion, Twenty-fifth Marines from January to December 2006.
In February 2007, he received the Vincent Capadano Reserve Officer Association’s Chaplain of the Year Award. Bishop also was honored by the Massachusetts District, Bishop Healy Province, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus with the Father Joseph T. O’Callahan 2007 Memorial Award “for outstanding and significant contributions to the principles of patriotism, brotherly love and love of country.”
Marciano, who currently serves as chaplain for the Rhode Island Police Chief’s Association, was deployed as a member of the mortuary recovery team to assist in recovery efforts at the Pentagon immediately following the 9-11 attacks and awarded the Rhode Island Star from the Rhode Island governor for those duties.
In 2006 he began an active duty tour with the United States Air Force and served as Chief of Chaplains for the Air National Guard in Washington DC. During that time he was the senior Pastor of 336 Chaplains and Chaplain Assistants and made frequent trips to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Chaplains serving there.
In 2010 he returned to Rhode Island to become the State Command Chaplain for the Rhode Island National Guard (Army and Air) and serves as Chaplain at Bryant University in Smithfield and Pastor of Our Lady of Good Help Parish in Burrillville.
“Faith in the Trenches” is sponsored by the university’s Mercy Center for Spiritual Life and the Department of Administration of Justice, along with support from the Pell Center for International Relations and the Religious and Theological Studies Department.
