SAF Chaplaincy

The SAF Chaplaincy provides spiritual care for members of the Slovenian Armed Forces, personnel of the RS Ministry of Defence and their family members, regardless of their religious affiliation.

Structure

The SAF Chaplaincy personnel include Chief Chaplain, Catholic Deputy Chief Chaplain, Protestant Deputy Chief Chaplain, military chaplains, pastoral assistants and an administrative assistant.

Tasks

• 
  SAF Chaplaincy personnel are present at every moment of a soldier’s life. They participate in trainings, field exercises as well as in international exercises and crisis response operations. They follow the motto: Loyal to God and My Country. Hence, they make every effort to loyally serve the soldiers and general community based on personal experience gained from a spiritual way of life and faith in God. Members of the SAF Chaplaincy provide regular spiritual care by paying visits to soldiers, organising pilgrimages and family gatherings, administering sacraments, preparing religious worships of the country, lectures and other occasional campaigns.
  They pay regular visits to SAF members in multinational operations and missions. In February 2007, when a first full-size battalion was deployed to an international mission, a military chaplain was deployed to the mission for the entire period.
  For SAF and MoD members and their families, who are not catholic or protestant, meetings with representatives of their religion are organised by SAF Chaplaincy personnel.
• In addition to their activities in Slovenia, SAF Chaplaincy has developed many contacts with similar units of armed forces from abroad. It participates in conferences, such as International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference (IMCCC) and Apostolat Militaire International (AMI- International Catholic Association). Conferences offer participants opportunities for exchange of experiences and joint planning. The SAF Chaplaincy has developed good friendly relations with spiritual care providers from Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Canada, Lithuania, Germany, Spain, Great Britain, United States of America, Croatia and Netherlands.
• Additional information about the work of the Chaplaincy and the history of spiritual care in Slovenia and around the world is available in the Journal, published on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the SAF Chaplaincy.