KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Deck the halls and the chapels! U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz Religious Support Office is ramping up its Christmas operations and preparing for parishioners from across the community.
For Christmas, this means the RSO schedules services, ready the chapels for each service and provides items like candles, wreaths and poinsettias. During December, Christmas services and other religious ceremonies take place around the world.
Throughout this time, the garrison is responsible for four chapels hosting multiple services which will see garrison Soldiers and family members as well as military and civilian members from across the greater Kaiserslautern Military Community.
“The religious support office is the operational function of the chapels,” said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Randall Curry, garrison chaplain. “We make sure the chapels aren’t double-booked, they have a chaplain to lead the service and we provide items like bibles, Sunday school books and communion.”
This year, the garrison is hosting Catholic and Protestant services for Christmas.
“We pretty well know it is going to be Christmas Day and Christmas Eve activities,” said Curry. “We let the pastoral team decide what they are going to do, and then we coordinate a response. The big piece is ensuring the facility is open and ready.”
Religious affairs specialists, formally called chaplain’s assistants, play a critical role in Christmas chapel operations. Sgt. 1st Class Joel Torres serves in that role.
“Sergeant Torres will work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to open the chapel, set up for the service, and ready the chapel for the next service,” said Curry. “He will also work from 11 o’clock at night to one to one thirty in the morning to prepare and close the chapel.”
“We also have four chaplains who will be leading the service or music teams,” continued Curry. “Chaplains Michael Dawson and Matt Holder will be at Daenner chapel leading the message and singing while chaplains Lane Sandifer and Joshua Portwood will be at Rock chapel on Smith Barracks leading liturgy and songs.”
This time of year means there are more services throughout the garrison, Curry said.
“During the Christmas season there are additional opportunities to worship and we are honored to help facilitate those services,” he said.
This year’s Christmas services are:
Catholic:
Christmas Eve, Dec. 24:
- 5 p.m. Christmas Vigil Rheinland Chapel, Smith Barracks
- 12 a.m. Midnight Mass, Daenner Chapel, Daenner Kaserne
Christmas Day Roman Catholic Mass:
- 10 a.m. Hilltop Chapel, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
Protestant:
- 3:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, Rock Chapel, Smith Barracks
- 5 p.m. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Daenner Chapel, Daenner Kaserne
- 5 p.m. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, Hilltop Chapel, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
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