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I’ve always had a special place in my heart for law enforcement. I guess I wanted to be a policeman when I was little. Perhaps it was an unfulfilled dream that led me, in 2001, to accept a position as a volunteer chaplain for the Lee County, Florida Sheriff’s Office. It was a wonderful addition to my parish ministry. I rode with deputies, prayed with SWAT teams, ministered at traffic fatalities and other unexpected deaths. I gave last rites to fallen officers and all the pastoral things pastors do.
After leaving Florida, it was several years before I arrived in Midland, Texas. Last year I was asked to become a volunteer chaplain for the FBI. It never occurred to me that the FBI would have chaplains, but they do, and have had for over 30 years. We (there are about 150 of us) are a part of the Employee Assistance Program of the agency. We are available to agents and support staff, and their families, to be a confidential set of ears to hear personal concerns, discuss spiritual questions, and offer any support we can, especially in times of crisis or trauma. We also provide ceremonial support such as invocations and benedictions at Bureau events.
I have found chaplaincy to be a very meaningful addition to my role as a parish priest. It’s different than what I do at church. It shows me a broader range of opportunities, and I know I have grown as a priest and as a person.
Most law enforcement agencies and fire departments have chaplains. If you like truly being with people in times of crisis and trauma, you may want to reach out and see if a local agency needs you. If you do, I know you will make a difference in somebody’s life as well as make your community a better place.
Bob Hennagin is rector of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity in Midland, Texas
