About Joint Base Lewis-McChord Madigan Army Medical Center Chapel · McChord Air Force Base, Washington
The Madigan Army Medical Center Chapel is the Catholic worship site of the Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), located inside the Hospital Tower Lobby at 9040 Jackson Avenue on the installation. It is one of three Catholic worship locations on JBLM, alongside Lewis Main Chapel and McChord Field Chapel #2, all served by the same team of Catholic priest-chaplains. The chapel falls under the canonical jurisdiction of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), and its primary mission is the pastoral care of active-duty service members, their families, and the patients and staff of Madigan Army Medical Center. The site offers daily and Sunday Mass plus Confession, and Madigan patients can also follow services on the hospital's closed-circuit television (Channel 30).
- Established
- 1944
- Patron
- Saint Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Chaplain (MAJ) Marcin Bulinski (Fr. Marcin), Senior Priest, JBLM Garrison
- Diocese
- Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
Why belong here
The Madigan Chapel offers a daily and Sunday Mass schedule inside one of the Pacific Northwest's largest military hospitals, making Catholic worship and the sacraments unusually accessible to patients, hospital staff, active-duty service members, and their families on JBLM. Under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, the Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community combines the Madigan chapel site with Lewis Main Chapel and McChord Field Chapel #2, giving parishioners a multi-site parish with ongoing faith formation (OCIA/OCIC, Catholic Religious Education for Pre-K through 8th grade), Catholic Teen Girls Ministry, Knights of Columbus, CWOC (Catholic Women of the Chapel), altar guild, lector, Eucharistic, and music ministries — and a chaplain team available 24 hours a day for sacramental emergencies.
Mass times at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Madigan Army Medical Center Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before every Mass at JBLM Catholic chapels, or by appointment (contact Fr. Ramos at 253-240-5406)
Adoration times
- First Friday Eucharistic Adoration after the 12:00 noon Mass at Main Post Chapel; special Adoration times offered by Fr. Hoffmann via a Signal group
About the Madigan Army Medical Center Chapel
The Madigan Army Medical Center Chapel is the in-hospital Catholic worship site of the Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community, the consolidated Catholic congregation serving Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). It sits in the Hospital Tower Lobby of Madigan Army Medical Center at 9040 Jackson Avenue, JBLM, WA 98431, and is one of three Catholic worship locations on the installation alongside Lewis Main Chapel and McChord Field Chapel #2. The community operates under the canonical jurisdiction of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), and its mission statement is to 'Nurture the Living, Care for the Wounded, Honor the Fallen.' While active-duty service members and their dependents are the canonical subjects of the AMS, the community warmly welcomes retirees, DoD civilians, and visitors — with the understanding that some sacramental programs may carry canonical limitations for non-active-duty attendees.
- Worship site name: Madigan Army Medical Center Chapel
- Parish community: Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community
- Diocese: Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
- Host installation: Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Washington
- Madigan Hospital Tower Lobby, 9040 Jackson Avenue, JBLM WA 98431
History of Madigan and Its Catholic Chapel
Madigan Army Medical Center traces its origins to 1944, when War Department General Orders 76 (September 22, 1944) re-designated Fort Lewis General Hospital as Madigan General Hospital in honor of Col. Patrick S. Madigan, Medical Corps — the 'Father of Army Neuropsychiatry' who had served as assistant to the U.S. Surgeon General from 1940 to 1943 and died on May 8, 1944. The hospital was formally dedicated in August 1945 and has since grown into a major tertiary-care medical center serving more than 100,000 active-duty service members, families, and retirees. As a major military treatment facility, Madigan has long maintained a chapel ministry within its hospital tower. The Catholic community serving JBLM's chapels is now gathered under the patron Saint Michael the Archangel, and on July 27, 2023 the JBLM Catholic Community announced a 90–120 day chapel renovation at Madigan beginning August 5, 2023, during which on-site Masses were paused and the faithful were directed to Lewis Main Chapel and McChord Field Chapel #2.
- Fort Lewis General Hospital redesignated Madigan General Hospital on Sept. 22, 1944
- Hospital formally dedicated August 1945
- Named for Col. Patrick S. Madigan, 'Father of Army Neuropsychiatry'
- Summer 2023: chapel renovation suspended on-site Mass from 5 AUG 2023
- Pastoral care for inpatients continued throughout the renovation
Clergy and Staff
Catholic ministry at JBLM is led by a team of active-duty Army chaplain-priests and a contract priest, all serving the Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community across its three worship sites. The contact priest for sacramental requests and counseling is Fr. Alexander Ramos, who keeps office hours at the Madigan Chapel (Sunday–Wednesday, 0530–1530) and at Lewis Main Chapel (Thursday–Friday, 1000–1400). The community also lists lay leaders for music, lector, altar guild, faith formation, and pastoral council roles.
- Chaplain (MAJ) Marcin Bulinski (Fr. Marcin) — Senior Priest, JBLM Garrison; mobile 312-826-2605
- Chaplain (CPT) Ethel Anarado (Fr. Ethel) — Priest, JBLM Garrison
- Chaplain (CPT) Norlito Concepcion (Fray Norlito) — Priest, JBLM Garrison; 808-635-1481
- Chaplain (CPT) Edward Hoffmann (Fr. Hoffmann) — Priest, JBLM Garrison; 253-312-9610
- Fr. Alexander Ramos — Contract Priest; 253-240-5406; [email protected]
- Religious Support Office: 253-967-5962 (BLDG 2007A, 2nd Street & Liggett Ave)
- Lay leaders: Mike Winkler, Morrie Fanto, Alexandria Roche, Tom Oroho, Mary Jo Cahill, Greg Kaufman, Chip & Jennie Dowd, Maria Teresa Correll, Troy Allison, Elton Poole, Caroline Shumar, Karina Lucero & Steve Jacobs, Helen Poole
Ministries and Faith Formation
The Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community runs an unusually broad slate of ministries for a military installation parish, including the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) and for Children (OCIC, Pre-K through 8th grade), Catholic Religious Education (CRE), Catholic Teen Girls Ministry, the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women of the Chapel (CWOC), and the liturgical ministries of Eucharistic Minister, Lector, and Altar Guild. Music ministry is led by Troy Allison overall and by Elton Poole at McChord. Parishioners are invited to serve as catechists, peer companions, or small-group leaders, and OCIA/OCIC classes meet on Sundays at 10:30 AM at Lewis Main Chapel during the formation year (August–June).
- OCIA (Adults) and OCIC (Children, Pre-K–8th)
- Catholic Religious Education (CRE) — registration forms on jblmcath.com
- Catholic Teen Girls Ministry (Alexandria Roche)
- Knights of Columbus (Tom Oroho)
- Catholic Women of the Chapel / CWOC (Caroline Shumar)
- Eucharistic Ministry, Lector Ministry, Altar Guild
- Music Ministry (Troy Allison; McChord: Elton Poole)
- Pastoral Advisory Council (President: Mike Winkler; VP: Morrie Fanto)
Sacraments at JBLM Catholic
Requests for Roman Catholic sacraments, counseling, and other priestly ministries should be directed to Fr. Alexander Ramos at 253-240-5406. Infant Baptismal Instruction is held every third Sunday of the month after the 12:00 noon Mass in Room A112 at the Main Post Chapel, and parents contact one of the priests in advance to schedule. The Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care additionally offers Weddings, Funerals, Baptisms, pastoral counseling, loss and grief work, emergency and trauma response, and 24-hour on-call sacramental availability. Hospital patients can also request a priest visit through Madigan's chaplain service.
- Baptism: Infant Baptismal Instruction, third Sunday of the month after 12:00 noon Mass, Room A112, Main Post Chapel
- Confession: 30 minutes before every Mass or by appointment
- Matrimony: by arrangement with the priests
- Anointing of the Sick / Communion visits for hospital patients
- Pastoral counseling and 24-hour sacramental on-call coverage
JBLM Catholic Community — Three Worship Sites
The Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community serves the entire JBLM installation through three Catholic worship locations. Lewis Main Chapel (Building 2001, 9th Division & Liggett Ave) hosts the largest schedule, including Sunday Mass at 9:00 AM and 12:00 noon and daily Mass Monday–Friday at 12:00 noon. McChord Field Chapel #2 (181 Col. Joe Jackson Blvd., McChord Field) hosts Sunday Mass at 10:30 AM. The Madigan Army Medical Center Chapel (9040 Jackson Avenue, in the Hospital Tower Lobby) offers the schedule listed above. Catholic parishioners on JBLM are encouraged to attend whichever site is most convenient; sacramental records are shared across the community.
- Lewis Main Chapel — Bldg 2001, 9th Division & Liggett Ave, Lewis Main WA 98433
- McChord Field Chapel #2 — 181 Col. Joe Jackson Blvd., McChord Field WA 98438
- Madigan Army Medical Center Chapel — 9040 Jackson Avenue (Hospital Tower Lobby), JBLM WA 98431
- McChord Field Chapel #1 — 180 Col. Joe Jackson Blvd., McChord Field; phone 253-982-5556