Hi. I am Fr. Paul Rivers. I serve as a Chaplain in the US Army. I have been on active duty with the Army since graduating from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 2008. After going through Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina during the summer of 2008, I was assigned to the 5-15th Cavalry Squadron at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Thirty two months later I received orders to the 709th Military Police Battalion in Grafenwoehr, Germany. My family stayed behind in the States and I am set to deploy sometime next year to sunny Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In the meantime I ensure religious support operations for my Battalion and the Brigade by effectively communicating what systems are in place to meet a pluralistic environment’s needs. I also perform my priestly functions for those who are Orthodox or who are Ortho-curious through the leading of the Divine Liturgy, baptisms, hearing confessions, etc.
From a young age I have been concerned with the things of the Spirit. My journey to Orthodoxy was long and sometimes tedious as I wrestled with questions of the faith. I give God the glory for where I am today. His mercy has brought me home. My time as a Chaplain has taught me that people are generally the same no matter their race, creed, or upbringing. People desire respect, dignity, and a safe place to be heard and understood. I strive through the grace of God to bring that to them so that hopefully the light of Christ will shine in their hearts.
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Fr. Paul Rivers (SVOTS ’08) is a US Army Chaplain currently stationed in Germany. He and his wife Kendra have two boys.
This article was originally published September 30, 2011
