Ukrainian Chaplains Strengthen Religious Support Skills through 7ATC Chaplaincy Course

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) chaplains participated in the 16th iteration of the U.S. Army-led Ukrainian Chaplaincy Course, a 12-day program designed to strengthen religious support capabilities and prepare chaplains to share their knowledge with others throughout the AFU.

Since the course began in April 2023, 319 Ukrainian chaplains have graduated from the program held in Grafenwoehr.

While led by 7th Army Training Command chaplains, personnel deployed to support Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine have facilitated the courses as well as chaplains from other U.S. units in Europe, and Allied and Partner nations.

The course combines instruction from U.S. Army chaplains with practical exercises, teach-backs and discussions focused on providing religious support in challenging environments.

For Lt. Serhii Umantsiv, an AFU chaplain with the 137th Marine Battalion, 35th Brigade, the opportunity to learn from U.S. Army chaplains provided insight he can apply to his ministry in Ukraine.

“I came here to get more learning because your system of chaplaincy and my system of chaplaincy are a little bit different,” said Umantsiv. “I want to learn more and get something for my situation where I am in Ukraine.”

The course is designed as a subject-matter exchange rather than a one-way transfer of information. U.S. Army chaplains teach military chaplaincy skills and staff processes while also learning from the Ukrainian chaplains about providing religious support during an ongoing war.

Lt. Col. Joshua Chittim, 7th Army Training Command chaplain, said the exchange allows both sides to learn from each other’s experiences.

The first portion of the course focuses on staff officer skills and chaplain corps competencies, including religious support planning, battlefield circulation and developing courses of action. Students then apply those skills through practical exercises and opportunities to "teach-back" to other chaplains.

The train-the-trainer model is an important part of the program because graduates will return to their units and pass what they learned.

“We want them to take what they’ve learned and take it back,” said Chittim.

For Umantsiv, that opportunity to bring new knowledge back to Ukraine is particularly important because the conditions facing Ukrainian chaplains can change quickly.

“Everyday, new challenges come,” said Umantsiv.

The course addresses many of the responsibilities chaplains from any nation may encounter while supporting Soldiers, including caring for wounded and grieving personnel, addressing invisible wounds, suicide prevention, reintegration and planning religious support across a formation.

Students also participate in brigade-level teach-backs based on Ukrainian doctrine. The exercises require them to develop and present lessons, giving them an opportunity to practice both the material and the skills needed to teach other chaplains.

Umantsiv said the U.S. instructors presented the material in a way that made it accessible to the Ukrainian students, with interpreters helping ensure the information was understood.

“The U.S. chaplain instructors presented the material in a very simple way that Ukrainian chaplains could follow and understand,” said Umantsiv. “There was no pressure.”

He also highlighted the value of the teach-back environment, where students could practice presenting information while receiving instruction and feedback.

The exchange also gives U.S. Army chaplains an opportunity to better understand the realities of providing religious support during combat.

Chittim said Ukrainian chaplains have shared lessons about adapting traditional approaches to religious support when operating under wartime conditions. Those experiences can inform how U.S. Army chaplains think about providing ministry in environments where movement, gatherings and other activities may carry additional risks.

Umantsiv provided one example from his own experience in Ukraine. He described traveling to provide religious support to AFU Soldiers and encountering a rapidly developing threat from an unmanned aircraft. The experience reinforced for him that chaplains operating in a combat environment must remain adaptable and aware of changing conditions.

“In Ukraine, a chaplain needs to visit Soldiers downrange,” said Umantsiv. “You never know what you will encounter.”

That reality is one reason Umantsiv values the exchange with U.S. Army chaplains.

“It is very valuable to come here and learn from U.S. Army chaplains,” said Umantsiv. “The experience from your chaplaincy helps us overcome challenges.”

The course also builds relationships and camaraderie through informal interactions among the participants. Chittim described Ukrainian and U.S. chaplains sharing time together outside the classroom, including a gathering where participants sang together. Those relationships complement the formal instruction and reinforce the course’s emphasis on exchanging experiences between chaplains.

As Umantsiv prepares to return to Ukraine, he said he intends to apply what he learned based on the needs of the Soldiers he supports.

“When I go back, while everything is still fresh in my head, I will try to use this experience according to the needs and situation,” said Umantsiv.

For the U.S. instructors, the goal extends beyond the completion of another course. By preparing Ukrainian chaplains to teach others, the program creates an opportunity for knowledge and experience to continue moving throughout the Ukrainian Chaplain Corps.

The result is a continuing exchange in which U.S. Army chaplains share established religious support practices while Ukrainian chaplains bring firsthand experience from operating in a wartime environment.

For Umantsiv, that exchange is ultimately about preparing chaplains to continue serving Soldiers when the circumstances around them change.

“The situation in Ukraine is real, and it changes every day,” said Umantsiv. “You have to be creative.”

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.