Navy chaplain directs AFCC

By Cmdr. Yolanda Gillen, Naval Chaplaincy School and CenterAugust 12, 2011

Navy chaplain directs AFCC
Navy chaplain (Capt.) W. Kyle Fauntleroy, right, commanding officer of the Naval Chaplaincy School and Center, takes over as director of the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center by receiving the symbolic stole from Air Force chaplain (Col.) Steven Keith, c... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- Navy chaplain (Capt.) W. Kyle Fauntleroy, commanding officer, Naval Chaplaincy School and Center has assumed the position of Director of the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center.

Fauntleroy takes over for Army chaplain (Col.) David Smartt, who is the commandant of the Army Chaplain Center and School. The change became official during a passing of the stole ceremony Aug. 2.

The passing of the stole isn’t a change of command ceremony. It’s a representation that the responsibility of the director has passed from one chaplain to another.

As the fourth director of the AFCC since it was established in 2009, Fauntleroy assumes the management and responsibility of providing technical leadership for the center.

“The Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center is, quite simply, an opportunity to join the gifts and graces of pastoral care professionals, to unite our experiences and lessons learned, and join our voices to the whispers and psalms of divine concern for those serving just and humane causes in the most lethal environments in creation,” Fauntleroy said. “Together, we attend to the voices, whispers and cries of those who sacrifice their lives and livelihood for others, and we validate their stories, we institutionalize their experiences, we honor their service, so that those who follow may remember, and learn, and hold life sacred across the face of creation from generation to generation.”

Outgoing director Smartt complimented the collaborative nature of the center.

“It has been my singular honor to have served as director of the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center. We feel particularly blessed to have the Navy Chaplain School and Center, the Air Force Chaplain Corps College, and the Army Chaplain Center and School on this campus,” Smartt said. “The collaboration and cooperation continues to enrich the learning environment by helping us better understand the uniqueness of our services as we work together to ensure military service members and families have the best in religious support.”

The AFCC is the center for training of military chaplains. It was established as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment Commission mandate for the Navy Chaplain School in Newport, R.I., the Religious Program Specialist “A” School in Meridian, Miss., and the Air Force Chaplain Service Institute in Montgomery, Ala., to co-locate with the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School in Ft. Jackson.

The Army, Navy and Air Force chaplaincy schools remain independent, but together they form the AFCC. Each of the school’s commandants or commanding officers can serve as director of the AFCC for one year.