St. Stephen’s Church to celebrate Mass marking 80th anniversary of four chaplains in WWII

St. Stephen's Church in Kearny is where one of the chaplains, Lt. Fr. John P. Washington, last served as associate pastor. Photo by Grant Whitty on Unsplash

The St. Stephen's Church in Kearney is set to host a tribute Mass in honor of the four chaplains who gave up their life jackets to save soldiers.

Tribute Mass for Four Chaplains

The Jersey Catholic reported that the Mass will be held in honor of the men on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 12 p.m. to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the heroism that led to their deaths.

St. Stephen's Church in Kearny is where one of the chaplains, Lt. Fr. John P. Washington, last served as associate pastor.

The Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, Gregory J. Studerus, will then preside over a Mass honoring the selflessness of the heroes.

The event will begin with paying honor to the men known as the Four Chaplains with a presentation of colors featuring bagpipers and veterans groups from throughout New Jersey.

The Four Chaplains were the following:

Lt. Alexander D. Goode, a rabbi
Lt. George L. Fox, a Methodist minister
Lt. Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister
Fr. Washington

Boy Scout troops from as far away as Ohio will get unique Four Chaplains patches upon completing an educational program devised by St. Stephen's Boy Scout Unit 305 to commemorate the event.

As mentioned, to honor the memories of their deceased loved ones, relatives of Fr. Washington, Rabbi Goode, and some of the troops and civilians who perished on the Dorchester will attend the Mass.

Auerbach will also show a significant collection of Chaplain artifacts in the chapel.

It reportedly includes historical photographs, commemorative stamps from 1948, and copies of the medals awarded to the soldiers.

In addition, he will be available to people interested in learning more about the bravery of the heroes to answer any questions they may have.

Sanctuary of the Four Chaplains

St. Stephen's Church, which the Archdiocese named the official Sanctuary of the Four Chaplains in 2016, has a long history of paying respect to the heroes of World War II. In 2016, the church received this designation from the Archdiocese.

In addition to holding a Mass in their honor annually, the parish established a scholarship program and a Boy Scout troop in the Four Chaplains' honor.

The program reportedly aims to ensure that subsequent generations will carry their legacy.

Additionally, in 2013, St. Stephen's memorialized the bravery of the Chaplains by commissioning globally renowned sculptor Timothy Schmalz to construct a bronze monument.

The sculpture measures 12 ft. in height and weighs 2,000 lbs. to testify to their heroism.

The statue and a plaque describing the Four Chaplains' history are in front of the church structure.

The Four Chaplains

A German submarine sank the United States Army Transport Ship Dorchester in the early morning hours of Feb. 3, 1943, when it fired a torpedo while traveling through the waters of the North Atlantic.

As the ship started to go down into the icy surface, four individuals went around the troops reassuring and encouraging them.

The men served as the ship's chaplains; among them were a Catholic priest named Fr. John P. Washington, a Rabbi named Alexander Goode, two Protestant ministers named Rev.George Fox and Rev. Clark Poling, and a Protestant minister named Rev. Clark Poling.

After then, the chaplains did something quite remarkable; they removed their life jackets and donated them to four other service members on board because the ship had run out of supply.

According to testimonies given by witnesses, the Four Chaplains were last seen kneeling with their arms clasped, leaning against the ship's railing, and praying before they disappeared.