Category Archives: Daily Prayers

There are two bottlenecks in the Red Sea. Everyone knows about the Suez Canal, but at its southern end the Red Sea narrows into the straits of Bab-al-Mandeb before emptying, though the Gulf of Aden, into the north Arabian Sea. This is a dangerous transit because, in addition to being one of the busiest shippingContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 13 March”

Destroyers rose to naval prominence during the fight against submarines in the Second World War, and one of their primary missions remains defending the fleet from the threat of submarine attack. It is a proficiency all escort ships (CRUDES, in US Navy parlance) must demonstrate before departing for an extended deployment. Lately in an eraContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 11 March”

I like to interrupt the war stories with other stuff, and as I may have mentioned before, I got a kick out of reading poetry on the ship’s main public address system. So I went back to poetry for this one. As for the prayer, if you’re Orthodox and you’ve been reading along with thisContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 10 March”

When we deployed with the USS Laboon in company, I had no idea who Laboon was. Looking up his story I was amazed to find that he, like me, began his Navy service in submarines, but finished it as a chaplain. Take some time to read the remarkable stories of the chaplains who have wonContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 9 March”

Most of our Navy ships that deploy from the eastern coast of the U.S. will pass through the Suez Canal. It is a long transit in restricted waters that presents a host of difficulties, not the least of which is that the ships are close enough to land to be hit by a thrown rock,Continue reading “Daily Prayer, 8 March”

Being a command chaplain means ensuring people of all faiths are protected in their right to freely exercise their religion. As a Greek Orthodox priest, I spend less of my time providing for the religious needs of my faith and a little more time, facilitating the religious needs of others. For example, I must seeContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 7 March”

The Boatswains Mate (BM) is one of the oldest ratings in the Navy, predating steam—and even the United States. It is one of the hardest working rates in the Navy, as boatswains mates are responsible for the care of all the ships lines (what most of us call ropes) and for the preservation of theContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 6 March”

This prayer is another of my explorations into history resulting from a historical occasion, in this case relating to the Navy Construction Battalions, or Seabees. Seabees tend to move in their own circles and have less interaction with other Sailors like the ones who man the escort fleet of cruisers and destroyers, so I thoughtContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 5 March”

Sometimes my role as their chaplain was just to be the crew’s cheerleader. After a long day of complicated evolutions, my job was to be there to encourage them and be their biggest fan. This prayer was part of that effort after one of those days.   Yesterday was a pretty busy day, and IContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 4 March”

American warships need lots of gas, and on the way through the Mediterranean, if you don’t get it from underway replenishment, than you have to stop in a port. After Rota, Spain, the next place ships tend to stop on their way through is in Souda Bay, Greece, which is on the island of Crete.Continue reading “Daily Prayer, 3 March”