Our mission is to ensure that the pastoral care of all those associated with Australia’s defence is provided at the highest possible level.
Who we are
The official title of our faith community is the Catholic Military Ordinariate of Australia. However, this title is not well understood in the Australian context within the wider Catholic community, the Australian Defence Force as well as the ecumenical and multi-faith environment in which we are immersed.
The nomenclature The Catholic Diocese of the Australian Military Services is used in daily communication as a more descriptive title within Australia. Within this site the simpler nomenclature CATHOLIC MILITARY DIOCESE will be used.
Mission and Purpose
The sole purpose of our Military Diocese is to provide, in the best way possible, for the particular spiritual, religious and pastoral needs of military members and families, given the unique and challenging lifestyle and professional circumstances of military service.
The care of all Catholic personnel will always be the primary responsibility and compelling duty of the Military Diocese, given the Church’s recognition that military personnel can contribute enormously to the stability of our world and to the establishment of peace.
‘Those too who devote themselves to the military service of their country should regard themselves as the agents of security and freedoms of peoples. As long as they fulfil this role properly, they are making a genuine contribution to the establishment of peace.’
‘Gaudium Et Spes’ no79 - Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 1965.
Our identity
- Our identity is founded in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise that he is always with us.
- Our identity is expressed through membership of the Catholic community, both in Australia and universally. We seek to hold fast to the apostolic foundations, traditions, and beliefs of our Church.
- Our identity is supported by the people we serve: our Defence force members. Our family Defence values are embraced and lived.
Motivation to serve
- The Military Diocese seeks to witness the dignity of persons, acknowledging the worth and dignity of every serving member with their families.
- We are called to a ministry of reconciliation, recognising our own need for healing, and being generous and merciful instruments of God’s mercy.
- Our motivation is continually refreshed in our personal encounters with God and frequently experienced in our pastoral relationships with the members of the Australian Defence Force.
Missionary - a ministry without borders
- The Military Diocese encompasses a ministry on the fringes: in far-flung places, in operations, on military bases or in harsh deployments far from home – a ministry without borders.
- Our missionary impulse is present wherever we serve. Wherever we are sent, we are missionary in outlook and in practice.
- Jesus is as present in the dug-out, on picket duty or on a frigate as in any cathedral. Through baptism, military members are configured to Christ.
Our support
As the heart of our mission is Christ Jesus, we encourage all in the Military Diocese, both Chaplains and those who serve, to maintain intimacy with Jesus through encounter, discipleship and mission as an outpouring of our immersion into Christ Jesus through baptism.
Practice of the faith is our lifeblood. For our Chaplains, daily prayer, participation at the Holy Eucharist and in the Sacraments of the Church and love of the Scriptures, the Word of God, is essential if we are to be witnesses to Christ’s presence and to lead Defence personnel to holiness of life.
The origins of the Catholic Diocese of the Australian Military Services go back to 1911 when the Catholic Bishops of Australia delegated the Archbishop of Melbourne to confer with the Department of
We are motivated to serve the Lord, our Nation and the Australian Defence Force
to the best of our ability through the services we provide.
(RACS) Advisory Board
Representing faith denominations in our Australian Defence Force