Team Mildenhall chaplain becomes spiritual ambassador in Romania

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Eric Petosky
  • 323rd Air Expeditionary Wing
CAMPIA TURZII, Romania --  While F-15s stand ready to augment Romanian airspace security and strengthen military cooperation, Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Eric Boyer is improving spiritual ties with the allied NATO country as well.

Chaplain Boyer, from RAF Mildenhall, is deployed to Campia Turzii, a small Romanian Air Base near Turda and home of the 404th Air Expeditionary Group, a contingent of F-15s and Airmen from across U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

One of the first orders of business was finding a place to host Easter services for those deployed with him, no small task in a tent city. Romanian Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Sorin Medrea, part of the 71st Air Base also at Campia Turzii, offered the use of the Romanian Orthodox chapel already located at the base.

"I am a protestant chaplain, so I needed to find a Catholic priest to deliver Mass," Chaplain Boyer said. "Father Sorin not only offered the use of his chapel here, but also was gracious enough to find a Catholic priest for the service."

Language was a barrier, so some parts were read in English by Chaplain Boyer and other parts in Romanian. It was the first time Chaplain Boyer, a protestant minister, had delivered Catholic Mass, and he delivered it in an Orthodox Church.

Chaplain Medrea later introduced Chaplain Boyer to Chaplain (Maj.) Daniel Valean, Romanian Army 55th Information and Communication Battalion. The three men shared philosophies on being spiritual leaders in the armed forces, and scheduled a visit to an Orthodox cathedral and school in Cluj-Napoka.

The finale was an audience with Archbishop Valeriu Anania, one of three archbishops in Romania. Archbishop Anania is a heroic figure in the Romanian Orthodox Church due in part to his struggle to oppose the strict ban on religion under communism. His opposition resulted in his conviction as a political dissident and subsequent 25 year prison sentence under the Soviet regime. He served a little over six years before his eventual release by general decree in 1964.

"It was a great honor to meet with his eminence the Archbishop Anania," said Chaplain Boyer. "When I deployed, I never would have imagined I'd be doing something like this."