Military spiritual mentoring pilot program takes flight

by William J. Dagendesh

PHOTO: (Front row, left to right): Pictured are Mary Grier, Carlos Montgomery, and Mark Sorapuru from Our Lady of Peace Catholic Community at Peterson Space Force Base Chapel. The three completed a spiritual mentoring course developed by Our Lady of the Pines parishioner Suzy Streeter. Also pictured is Franciscan Father Don Billiard, chaplain at Peterson. (Photo courtesy of Suzy Streeter) 

COLORADO SPRINGS. A program designed to provide spiritual mentoring for U.S. servicemembers is receiving favorable reviews from the military community.

The Military Spiritual Mentoring program creates Catholic spiritual mentoring by inviting veteran military personnel to share secular and spiritual life experiences with junior members. Bishop James Golka has endorsed the program.

The brainchild of retired U.S. Air Force Col. Suzy Streeter, the program works in conjunction with the University of Dayton’s Masters in Pastoral Ministry program. Because not having a mentor can result in faith formation loneliness, Streeter sought to create an avenue in which service members can learn to become a guide for those seeking to bridge the gap between military and spiritual life.

After launching the program in 2020, Streeter chose to be part of the first hybrid cohort from the University of Dayton. Streeter started the process in October 2021 and pursued a masters in Pastoral Ministry all while envisioning a program involving all six military branches.

In summer 2022, Streeter wrote about her own philosophy of ministry. “I wanted to find a way to integrate what I was learning in school and my experiences from the military, especially mentoring, which had been a passion of mine,” Streeter said.

In fall 2022, Streeter pitched her idea to Sister Angela Zukowski, executive director, Institute for Pastoral Initiatives (IPI). In June 2023, Streeter worked with IPI’s Robert Stewart to establish a Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation course.

Sister Angela recommended that Streeter collaborate with Dr. Mark Moitoza, vice chancellor for Evangelization at the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. The University of Dayton’s virtual learning team created a course tailored to meet the needs of military personnel that became a central component of Streeter’s practicum project.

In fall 2023, Streeter recruited mentors and mentees through chapels at Fort Carson and Peterson Space Force Base. Fourteen military mentors and mentees participated.

The first pilot was conducted from mid-August to early September 2023, and material test training and course preparation went from October to November 2023. From October 2023 to March 2024, service members from Fort Carson and Peterson Space Force Base volunteered to participate in the project.

Retired and active duty personnel journeyed with junior soldiers, guardians and airmen, becoming spiritual battle buddies, wingmen or soul friends. The second pilot program, which built on what the mentors had learned in the course, occurred from January to March 2024.

“Since this was still a school project, I was able to leverage the University of Dayton’s resources, to include posting my training material as a pilot class on the (online) portal. The mentors and mentees met for about two months before I asked them to fill out surveys,” Streeter said.

“I envisioned this ministry going beyond the local chapels to civilian parishes and other chapels worldwide. I approached Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services and Bishop Golka for their support to create another set of pilot ministries. Both were enthusiastic in their support.”

Streeter completed her degree in May 2024, and in September 2024, military members were recruited to become mentors through Our Lady of the Pines, St. Gabriel and St. Dominic parishes in the Diocese of Colorado Springs.

“The response was fantastic. Nineteen former and current military members representing the Army, Air Force, Space Force and Marines attended training sessions over a series of four weeks in October and November,” said Streeter.

Mentors are people who have served in the military for at least 10 years and are practicing Catholics seeking to give back to fellow Catholic service members. Now that these individuals have been trained, they seek to be paired up with new military members seeking to be mentored in their careers through a spiritual lens.

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Reservist Lt. Col. Tricia Hannigan and her husband, retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Duffy White, are thrilled to be sharing their 50 years of combined experience, she said.

“We look forward to learning about some of the challenges these new leaders are facing. The training was excellent and also allowed us to meet some new friends that share our love of country and Catholic faith,” Hannigan said.

Mentors and mentees are asked to sign a 6-month contract so they know what to expect.

“During those six months, I offer a time for mentors to meet over Zoom to touch base. This provides an opportunity to ask questions and sharpen mentoring skills,” Streeter said.

One of the important benefits of mentoring is helping service people learn they’re not the only ones who have experienced a certain scenario, she said. She is seeking to recruit more junior military members to be mentees.

Streeter also hopes to recruit a senior military spouse who can train fellow military spouses to be mentors to spouses joining the military.

Streeter hopes this concept spreads to all cities boasting a large military population. She believes it will help offset the shortage of military chaplains and provide a venue for civilian priests to draw on the knowledge and experience of seasoned members of the military to accompany parishioners.

“When people are heard and feel seen, they become more resilient to face whatever life throws at them,” Streeter said.

 To learn more visit https://udayton.edu/blogs/ipi/2024/24-06-07-military-spiritual-mentoring.php. To learn more contact Streeter at militaryspiritualmentoring@diocs.org.

(Editor’s note: Father Kyle Ingels recently interviewed Streeter on his podcast, “The Summit.” The episode can be found at: https://thesummitwithfatherkyleingels.podbean.com/e/the-summit-episode-14-suzy-streeter/?token=5ffcdb56d732762f5c8d515266a79e6d)