About New River Air Station Chapel · New River, North Carolina
New River Air Station Chapel — officially the McCutcheon Memorial Chapel — is the Catholic chapel serving the Marines, Sailors, families, and civilian personnel of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Operated by the base Chaplain's Office under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), it offers daily Mass, Catholic Bible study, Rosary, Religious Education (CCD), fellowship, pastoral counseling, and a robust Deployed Spouses Dinner ministry. The chapel sits on Curtis Road, the main street of MCAS New River, between the base theater and the Provost Marshal's Office, and is staffed by one Catholic priest and two Protestant chaplains who provide confidential spiritual direction and crisis support to the entire installation community.
- Established
- circa 1957 (60th anniversary celebrated June 2017)
- Rector
- Father William Wong (Catholic priest/chaplain, identified in a 2019 MCIEAST video; current assignment subject to military rotation)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS)
Why belong here
The McCutcheon Memorial Chapel is more than a worship space — it is the spiritual home of the MCAS New River community, where active-duty Marines and Sailors, their spouses, children, retirees, and civilian employees gather for daily Mass, Rosary, Bible study, and fellowship. The chapel's pastoral team offers fully confidential counseling on faith, relationships, grief, depression, and pre-marriage or family issues, and its monthly Deployed Spouses Dinner is a free meal open to every family touched by deployment, not just church members. Whether you are looking for weekday Mass, CCD/Religious Education for your children, a listening ear from a chaplain, or simply a tight-knit community that 'picks up Marines from MCT and brings them here' when the chaplain is at Camp Geiger, the chapel is set up to walk with you through every stage of military life.
Mass times at New River Air Station Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
About the McCutcheon Memorial Chapel
The McCutcheon Memorial Chapel — commonly listed on Catholic directories as New River Air Station Chapel — is the Catholic and Protestant worship center for Marine Corps Air Station New River, a helicopter installation home to Marine Aircraft Groups 26 and 29 in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The chapel sits at 236 Curtis Road (Building AS-236) on the main street of the base, between the base theater and the Provost Marshal's Office. It is staffed by one Catholic priest and two Protestant chaplains who provide sacraments, Bible studies, Religious Education (CCD), fellowship, and fully confidential pastoral counseling to active-duty service members, their families, retirees, and base civilians. The chapel falls under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), the Catholic diocese that provides priestly faculties and pastoral care for U.S. service members and their families worldwide.
- Combined Catholic + Protestant chapel on MCAS New River
- Staffed by one Catholic priest and two Protestant chaplains
- Under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
- Serves active duty, families, retirees, and base civilians
History & Heritage
Marine Corps Air Station New River traces its origins to 1944, when the U.S. military carved roughly 2,700 acres out of the northwest corner of Camp Lejeune to create an emergency landing field and aircraft training site known as Peterfield Point. The airfield was commissioned a Marine Corps Auxiliary Air Facility on 26 April 1944 — the date recognized as the station's founding — and was redesignated as a full air station on 1 September 1968. In 1972 it was renamed McCutcheon Field in honor of Brigadier General Keith B. McCutcheon, a highly decorated Marine aviator who earned the Distinguished Service Medal with two Gold Stars, the Army Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with Combat "V," and numerous other awards; McCutcheon is widely regarded as one of the fathers of Marine Corps helicopter aviation. The McCutcheon Memorial Chapel, which bears his name, was built as the installation's central house of worship and celebrated its 60th anniversary in June 2017. Lt. Cmdr. Raynard Allen, then chaplain at MCAS New River, preached a sermon tracing the chapel's history and Gen. McCutcheon's legacy, after which the congregation shared music, games, and a cookout of hot dogs and hamburgers. A plaque honoring Gunnery Sgt. Glen J. White — a Montford Point Marine drafted in 1945 who served 27 years in the Marine Corps and then ushered at the chapel for more than 40 years — was dedicated inside the chapel in September 2013 by Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Bailey, deputy commandant for plans, policy and operations. The chapel also serves as the venue for memorial services honoring fallen Marines such as Cpl. Skyler James, an aviation mechanic who died in July 2017.
- MCAS New River commissioned 26 April 1944 as MCAAF Peterfield Point
- Redesignated as an air station 1 September 1968
- Airfield renamed McCutcheon Field in 1972 after BGen Keith B. McCutcheon
- McCutcheon Memorial Chapel celebrated 60th anniversary in June 2017
- Memorial plaque for Montford Point Marine GySgt Glen J. White dedicated 2013
Mass, Worship, and Prayer Schedule
Catholic Mass is offered five days a week at the chapel, with a Sunday morning Mass that includes fellowship afterward and weekday Masses that fit into the Marines' and Sailors' duty day. Protestant worship is also offered each Sunday morning, and the chapel's week is rounded out with a Wednesday Rosary, Tuesday evening Catholic Bible study, and a Wednesday evening Protestant Bible study. Chapel office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sundays.
- Sunday 8:30 a.m. — Catholic Mass (followed by Fellowship)
- Sunday 11:00 a.m. — Protestant Worship (followed by Fellowship)
- Tuesday 11:30 a.m. — Catholic Mass
- Tuesday 6:30 p.m. — Catholic Bible Study
- Wednesday 11:00 a.m. — Rosary
- Wednesday 11:30 a.m. — Catholic Mass
- Wednesday 6:00 p.m. — Protestant Bible Study
- Thursday 11:30 a.m. — Catholic Mass
- Friday 11:30 a.m. — Catholic Mass
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The chapel operates a parallel Sunday morning Christian education program for military children and youth, with a Catholic Religious Education (CCD) class and a Protestant Religious Education hour held between the two Sunday services. The Chaplain's Office also procures and oversees the position of Catholic Director of Religious Education (Coordinator of Religious Education), responsible for coordinating faith-based instruction for Catholic personnel and families stationed at MCAS New River. The chapel's Catholic Bible Study meets Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m., and Protestant Bible Study meets Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m.
- Sunday 9:45 a.m. — Protestant Religious Education
- Sunday 10:35 a.m. — Catholic Religious Education (CCD)
- Catholic Director of Religious Education position (contracted)
- Tuesday 6:30 p.m. — Catholic Bible Study
- Wednesday 6:00 p.m. — Protestant Bible Study
Pastoral Counseling & Deployment Support
The Chaplain's Office describes its ministry with the phrase "EVERYTHING IS CONFIDENTIAL" and welcomes service members and their families to discuss any concern — religious, financial, depression, pre-marriage, stress, relationships, physical or mental abuse, substance abuse, personal adjustment, suicide, harassment, mentoring, grief, discipline problems, or equal opportunity. Chaplain services are offered to family members as well as uniformed service members, and the office is equipped to refer individuals to other helping agencies on and off base. The Chaplain's Office also provides coverage for all tenant commands at MCAS New River and works in close coordination with the Family Readiness Officer, Marine Corps Community Services, and the Key Volunteers network to support families throughout the deployment cycle.
- Confidential counseling for any issue
- Available to families and uniformed service members
- Coverage of all MCAS New River tenant commands
- Coordination with FRO, MCCS, and Key Volunteers
- Suicide intervention and crisis response
Deployed Spouses Dinner
On the last Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m., the chapel hosts the Deployed Spouses Dinner in the Chapel Fellowship Hall. The free meal is open to all spouses and family members of deployed service members on MCAS New River — not just church members — and is described by the chapel as "a way we show appreciation to everyone in the community for their sacrifice." The dinner is one of the chapel's signature outreach ministries and has become a key touchpoint for families navigating deployment.
- Last Thursday of every month
- 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel Fellowship Hall
- Free and open to all spouses and family members of deployed service members
- Coordinated through the MCAS New River Chaplain's Office
Location, Hours & Contact
The chapel is located on Curtis Road, the main street of MCAS New River, between the base movie theater and the Provost Marshal's Office (PMO). Its physical address is 236 Curtis Road, Building AS-236, MCAS New River, Jacksonville, NC 28545, with a DSN line of 312-752-6801. The Chaplain's Office is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The chapel can be reached by phone at 910-449-6801, and the latest service times are mirrored on the base's Facebook page at facebook.com/mcasnrchapel. Access to the installation requires a valid military ID at the gate.
- Address: 236 Curtis Road, Bldg AS-236, MCAS New River, Jacksonville, NC 28545
- Phone: 910-449-6801 (DSN 312-752-6801)
- Office hours: Mon–Fri 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Sun 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
- On the main street (Curtis Road) between the base theater and PMO
- Facebook: facebook.com/mcasnrchapel
- Military ID required for base access
Diocese & Endorsing Authority
Because it is a chapel on a U.S. military installation, the McCutcheon Memorial Chapel falls under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). The AMS, headquartered in Washington, D.C. and led by Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., provides priestly faculties and sacramental coverage for Catholic service members and their families on active duty around the world and lists New River Air Station Chapel among its 56 parishes. The AMS currently works with a chronic shortage of Catholic priests — fewer than 200 active-duty chaplains serve some 400,000 Catholics in the U.S. Armed Forces — and recruits new chaplains through its Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program in partnership with dioceses across the country. Because priest-chaplains rotate with their units, the Catholic priest assigned to MCAS New River changes over time; Father William Wong was the Catholic chaplain there as of a March 2019 MCIEAST welcome video.
- Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS)
- Headquartered in Washington, D.C.
- Archbishop: Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D.
- New River Air Station Chapel is one of 56 AMS parishes
- Catholic priests rotate with their military assignments