Father Matthew Whitehead

On Thursday, May 31, 2018, three former Anglican U.S. Military chaplains were ordained Catholic priests for the Personal Ordinariate for the Chair of St. Peter. The Ordinariate was erected by the Holy See in 2012 to provide a way for groups of former Anglicans to become Catholic, while retaining elements of their worship traditions and spiritual heritage. All three newly ordained Catholics will continue to serve as military chaplains, but with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). One of the priests is Father Matthew Whitehead, CH (CPT), USA, now stationed at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the AMS, Father Whitehead re-traces his spiritual journey, beginning when he was an Evangelical, through his ministry as an Anglican priest, and the process of discernment that ultimately led him to the Catholic priesthood. He reflects on some of the vast differences in teaching between Evangelical and Catholic doctrine, and how he has come to hold fast to the tenets of the Catholic faith, including the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the power to pray for the faithful departed, and the role of Mary, Mother of God, in eternal Salvation.