Revolutionary War Era

This portable altar was not used by a chaplain of the American or British forces but is posted here as possibly representative of portable altars used in the era and region.

This particular portable altar belonged to Joseph Mathurin Bourg in about 1775.

Josep Bourg was born in Rivière-aux-Canards, Nova Scotia but in 1755 was deported with his family, likely to Virginia before going to England then winding up in France where he studied philosophy and theology. After which, he was sent to Quebec, ordained in Montreal then sent to minister to the people around Acadia, Nova Scotia in 1773. As a missionary, his service took him all over the region, carrying this portable altar with him.

Being a portable altar used by a minister who studied in Europe and ministered in North America, it is possible that similar portable altars were used by chaplains in the Continental Army or the European Armies who fought with or against them.

(Information about Father Bourg and his portable altar came from the Dictionary of Canadian Biography and the New Brunswick Virtual Museum (where the picture of the portable altar also came from).

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Civil War Era

Found this picture of a chalice used in the Civil War on a website about an exhibition at the Loyola University Museum of Art.  The website describes this chalice as follows:

Civil War Chalice

Ca. 1850-1865
Brass with remnants of silver plate.
4.5” x 4.5” x 7”

This chalice is reputed to have been used by Jesuit chaplains at Masses on Civil War battlefields. It is not known whether it was used on the Union or Confederate side, and this borderland ambiguity reflects the position of Missouri in general and the city of Saint Louis in particular. From the state’s origins in the Missouri Compromise (1820) through the infamous Dred Scott case (1847-1857) —- a case which rested in part on Saint Louis’s geographical location on the Mississippi River border separating slave-state Missouri and free-state Illinois —- into the St. Louis Riot of May 11, 1861, Missouri formed an ambiguous frontier between north and south, east and west (“gateway to the west”). (The first Jesuits to cross from Maryland and settle in Saint Louis had brought their slaves with them.) The ambiguity carried into the Civil War in which Missouri was a slave state under Union control. Throughout the war, Saint Louis was a city of divided loyalties that pitted against one another members of businesses, congregations, families —- and, presumably, the Saint Louis Jesuits, especially those of different Belgian and German-speaking origins.

It is fitting, then, that we do not know whether this chalice was used by a Confederate Jesuit chaplain or a Union Jesuit chaplain. What is certain is that the soldiers who attended Mass on the battlefield would have believed that this chalice truly held the blood of Christ, and that this sacrificial blood, in some mysterious sense, helped make sense of the blood shed all around them.

Lender: Midwest Jesuit Archives, Saint Louis, Missouri

(The above description and accompanying photo is from Crossings and Dwellings.)

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While not an officially issued “chaplain kit,” this close up of Chaplain Mooney conducting mass for the 69th New York State Militia encamped at Fort Corcoran, before the First Battle of Bull Run 21 July 1861 shows the altar set-up for a Roman Catholic service for Soldiers in the field (Photo: Matthew Brady, public domain).

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A similar Roman Catholic altar set-up can be seen a bit better in this artist’s rendering of Chaplain P.P. Cooney, C.S.C. Chaplain General of Ind. Troops in the Field, celebrating mass for the troops Easter, 1864.

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This worship service of the Ninth Massachusetts Infantry in 1861 shows a similar altar set-up as those above. This one, however, shows a crucifix attached to the front of the larger cross in front of the altar.

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World War 1 Era

I don’t recall ever seeing pictures of World War I chaplains with any kind of chaplain kit or field altar.  The early 20th century did not have a well-formed Chaplain Corps so it would not be surprising to not have standard issue items for worship in the field. The Roman Catholic Church, however, did provide their chaplains with a kit which is very similar to the one Catholic chaplains used in WW2.

Until May 1918, chaplains were assigned only as low as the Regiment level.  The law that went into effect in May 1918 permitted a chaplain for every 1200 Soldiers, but these positions didn’t get rapidly filled in the AEF. Organizations like the Salvation Army, Y.M.C.A. and the Knights of Columbus sent “chaplains” to the war zone to help provide for the spiritual needs of the deployed Soldiers.  Once authorized, many of these ministers received commissions and were assigned to units already deployed.

I came across an interesting box which caught my eye because of what was written on the back.  Written in pencil was, “23rd Infantry, France, February 3rd 1918. The 23rd Infantry Regiment was in France at this time (the main body arriving in October 1917) and was part of the 3rd Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division. They were involved in several significant battles including the Battle of Château-Thierry in July 1918.  This box was part of the “Homan’s Sick-Call Outfit” which was patented in 1897 and advertised as “provid[ing] everything needed by the priest for the edifying administration of the Sacraments in the home” (from an 1897 advertisement). It’s not unreasonable to assume that this kit may have been taken to theater by a Catholic minister either sent by the

Knights of Columbus or as an official chaplain in the Army, being a smaller and more portable kit than the ones provided by the Church.  From my research, it appears this may have been used by Chaplain Julius Babst who was a Roman Catholic chaplain assigned to the 23rd Infantry Regiment.  The fact that his award citations and military records indicate that he was in the 23rd on the date written on the box; he was a Roman Catholic chaplain and this box was produced for Catholic use;  the box came from an estate where there were other items from the 23rd Infantry Regiment and was in California where Chaplain Babst died; all lead me to conclude that the likelihood is high that Chaplain Babst took this box to war in France and probably used it to perform the sacraments for Soldiers in his unit.

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Chalice and paten from Chaplain Francis Duffy’s kit, on display at the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps  Museum, Ft. Jackson, SC (photo: Daryl Densford).

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World War 2 Era

“Portable altar with three panels that fold into a compact, fabric-lined carrying case with a leather strap handle. Used by Father George R. Metcalf of St. Paul, Minnesota. Metcalf served as chaplain for General George S. Patton during World War II. The style of the military uniforms depicted in the painting suggest that the altar was originally used during World War I” (In the collection of the Minnesota Historical Society). This portable altar is like one used by Chaplain McGavern in the Korean War, which you can see on the Korean War Kit page.

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The following chaplain kit was originally produced for either Catholic or liturgical Protestant, having a “reversible” cross with the corpus on one side and “IHS” symbol on the other. However, the owner of this kit removed the “IHS” symbol and put it above the corpus. This kit also includes the chalice with intinction insert, a ciborium, a lavabo bowl, paten, two candlesticks, two bottles (for wine and water) and a small container with individual cups, with most of the metal items being marked with “US.” This particular kit is missing the decorative cover for the back of the case (author’s collection).

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The following kit was used by Chaplain Francis Vogt but is like the kit used by Chaplain Francis Sampson whose story of loosing his kit in a river after a combat jump into Normandy was portrayed in the movie “The Longest Day,” though in the movie, it was a British Chaplain. According to Chaplain Bob Nay, “In real life it was Chaplain Sampson with the 101st. He lost his kit again at Market Garden. He jumped in Korea with the 187th and lost his kit again. When he made General he wanted a jumper friendly kit” (photo courtesy of Chaplain Bob Nay):

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The next kit (below) was a Navy issued kit. Theirs were nearly always with the blue covers instead of the maroon the Army used. The Navy kits are also a couple of inches larger than the Army kits. These were used in WW2 and into the Korean War (photo courtesy Chaplain Bob Nay):

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Here is a similar kit packed away and the case, nearly all of the pieces and the case marked “USN” (photo origins unknown):

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Korean War Era

There were “transition” kits produced the bridged between the WW2 and Korean War kits. The below chaplain kit was produced in 1951. The main difference between this one and those produced a year, two or three later are the bottles (photo courtesy Chaplain Bob Nay):

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The following kit was produced in 1952. Many of the pieces are different than the years before. Note the cruets and shorter candlesticks (photo courtesy of Chaplain Bob Nay):

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Below is a chaplain kit produced for the Air Force in 1954, with a plastic case. It comes with a corpus to be added to the cross for Catholic use (photos courtesy of Thomas Asher):

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Vietnam War Era

Going into the Vietnam era, Veteran chaplains would have used the kits they had from WW2 and/or the Korean War. You can see more about them on their respective pages.

While Jewish chaplains, by necessity, continued to use the larger, bulkier kits, this next kit was developed and began being issued to Protestant and Catholic chaplains during the Vietnam era. It is designed as a light-weight kit that has everything needed to perform a worship service with the celebration of communion, including having candles! I’ve been told that it also floats, to avoid loosing it in situations where you may find yourself in water, like what Chaplain Francis Sampson experienced in WW2 and the Korean War.

As much as this kit is smaller and lighter than the previous kits which were metal and even more transportable than the WW2 kits, it still wasn’t perfect. During the U.S. invasion of Grenada, the chaplains were not permitted to jump with these chaplain kits because of their size.

Further, they could not be added to the airdrops since ammunition was deemed as more important to the mission(!). “Space and weight limitations were very critical to the Ranger Battalion. Ranger chaplains therefore had to take as little equipment as possible. Chaplain Mack modified his chaplain’s kit to a small demolition bag carrying a communion cup and a host container plus some New Testaments, a Jewish Prayer Book, and rosary beads. Sacramental wine was carried in an extra canteen.”¹ Not long after this operation, the new, even smaller, chaplain kit was developed which could be either worn on the pistol belt or attached to a rucksack enabling chaplains to carry them along during parachute jumps.

The “Type 1” chaplain kit was issued early during the Vietnam War. It has the same pieces and parts as the “Type 2” (which was issued later in the war and beyond) with only minor differences. The most noticeable differences is the bag, which is a thinner, more shiny material than the Type 2 and doesn’t have a securing strap along the length of it (only two short ones over the top). The carry strap is also thinner than the Type 2, with an added shoulder cushion piece on it. There’s also a slight difference in the finish of the chrome pieces and the plastic bottles for the wine/juice and/or water are different. Finally, the plastic container inside the ciborium is larger in the Type 1 kit. The foam insert in the Type 1 kit was such that it deteriorated very badly over time. I don’t think I’ve seen the foam from a Type 1 that has survived. The foam in the Type 2 is tougher and more durable.

Sewn inside the bags on these kits are the checklist of included items (with care instructions, washing instructions for the fabric material, and regulations pertaining to the kit and its transport. The Type 1 kits do not have the fabric care instructions (center document (author’s collection):

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Type 1 and Type 2 bags (Type 1 is on the left). The texture of the material is very noticeable. Also, notice the difference in the shoulder straps (photo courtesy Chaplain Bob Nay):

Following is a Type 2 Catholic kit. The main differences from the Protestant kits are the corpus on the cross, the bell and the type of vestments (author’s collection):

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Below is Chaplain Charles J. Watters Catholic chaplain kit from Vietnam on display at the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Museum. Chaplain Watters was killed in action and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor (photo by author):

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Current Issue

The current kit is the lightest and most portable to date. It comes in two nylon cases, though I combined mine into one case for ease of transport (a 200-round SAW pouch, for those interested). It comes with everything necessary to perform a worship service with the celebration of Communion.

Above is the current issue chaplain kit in the Woodland Camouflage pattern. Notice the cross is Protestant and Catholic (author’s collection).

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There is also a Ministry Extender kit for Roman Catholics. Designed for non-priests to lead Catholic worship without the Eucharist (author’s collection):

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