About Seymour Johnson AFB Chapel · Goldsboro, North Carolina
The Seymour Johnson AFB Chapel — officially the Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community — is the Roman Catholic worship community serving the airmen, families, and civilian personnel of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (home of the 4th Fighter Wing) in Goldsboro, North Carolina. It is one of two active faith communities hosted by the base chapel, alongside a Protestant interdenominational community. The Catholic community offers Sunday Mass, weekday Mass, confessions, sacramental preparation, religious education, and confidential pastoral counseling, and falls under the pastoral care of the Diocese of Raleigh.
- Patron
- Saint Michael the Archangel
- Diocese
- Diocese of Raleigh
Why belong here
The Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community at Seymour Johnson AFB exists to provide Catholic airmen, dependents, and authorized civilian personnel the full free exercise of their faith while stationed in the Goldsboro area. Parishioners can attend Sunday and weekday Mass, receive the sacraments (baptism, confirmation, marriage, anointing of the sick), bring children to religious education, and rely on 100% confidential counseling from a priest-chaplain available 24/7 through the duty chaplain. It is a small, tight-knit faith community in which a base chaplain serves as pastor, walking with military families through the unique spiritual demands of service life.
Mass times at Seymour Johnson AFB Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15–5:15 p.m.
- Weekdays by request
About the Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community
The Catholic Community at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is formally titled the Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community and is one of two active faith communities hosted by the base chapel (the other being a Protestant interdenominational community). It is a military parish under the Diocese of Raleigh, serving the 4th Fighter Wing and all assigned personnel. Its mission, in the words of the base Chaplain Corps, is 'to ensure free exercise of religion and provide opportunities for spiritual and religious growth through worship, religious education, counseling and visitation.'
Sacraments, Rites & Ceremonies
The Catholic chaplain on base can arrange all the usual Catholic sacraments and rites — marriage, baptism, confirmation, anointing of the sick, and others — at the request of the faithful. Pre-marital counseling is required before a chaplain will perform a wedding and typically takes four to six months to complete. Family members should contact the chapel office to begin preparation well in advance of any planned ceremony.
- Marriage (4–6 months of pre-marital counseling required)
- Baptism (including infant baptism)
- Confirmation
- Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation / Confession
- Funerals and memorial services (by arrangement)
Confidential Counseling & Pastoral Care
Base chaplains provide 100% confidential, solution-focused counseling and crisis response 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Counsel is available on premarital, marriage, family, and crisis concerns, and conversations with a chaplain are protected as privileged communication. After duty hours, the duty chaplain is reached through the Command Post.
- Confidential spiritual, moral, and personal counseling
- Premarital and marriage counseling
- Family and crisis counseling
- Work / home visits by chaplain on request
- 24/7/365 crisis response via duty chaplain
Religious Education
The Catholic Community offers religious education to support sacramental preparation and ongoing faith formation for children and adults connected to the base, complementing the chapel team's worship services.
Protestant Community (sister faith group)
The same base chapel also hosts an active Protestant (Christian interdenominational) community. Protestant Sunday services are held at 11:00 a.m., with religious education for ages three through adult at 9:30 a.m. Other faith groups (Jewish, Orthodox, Muslim) are supported through the chapel on request.
- Protestant Sunday Worship — 11:00 a.m.
- Protestant Religious Education — Sundays 9:30 a.m.
Clergy & Chaplain Corps
The Catholic Community is pastored by a uniformed Air Force priest-chaplain assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing Chaplain Corps, in coordination with the Diocese of Raleigh. Recently published diocesan assignments show the role rotating every one to several years, in line with normal U.S. Air Force chaplain assignment cycles. Fr. Joseph G. Mulroney served as Priest Chaplain until his 2017 reassignment, and Fr. Jeffrey A. Bowker was Priest Chaplain from June 27, 2017 until his reassignment in June 2018 to Saint Therese Parish, Wilson.
- Diocese of Raleigh — Pastor: Most Reverend Luis Rafael Zarama, Bishop of Raleigh
- Prior Priest Chaplain — Rev. Jeffrey A. Bowker (June 2017 – June 2018)
- Prior Priest Chaplain — Rev. Joseph G. Mulroney (reassigned June 2017)
Visiting the Chapel — Hours, Access & Emergencies
The Chapel Office is open Monday through Friday, 0730–1630. Access to the chapel itself requires authorized entry to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (typically a valid DoD ID for service members, dependents, retirees, and DoD civilians, or escorted access for guests). For any after-hours sacramental or pastoral emergency, contact the Command Post and ask for the duty chaplain.
- Chapel Office hours — M–F, 0730–1630
- Chapel Office — (919) 722-0315
- Catholic Community info line — (919) 722-0145
- Diocesan listing — (919) 722-0312
- Chapel email — [email protected]
- After-hours duty chaplain — Command Post (919) 722-0004 or (919) 722-1973
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Joseph G. Mulroneyprior to 2017
Served as Priest Chaplain to the Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community at Seymour Johnson AFB; reassigned as Administrator of Sacred Heart Parish, Dunn, effective June 27, 2017.
- Reverend Jeffrey A. BowkerJune 27, 2017 – June 2018
Appointed Priest Chaplain to the Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Community at Seymour Johnson AFB effective June 27, 2017 (previously Parochial Vicar at Infant of Prague Parish, Jacksonville); reassigned as Pastor of Saint Therese Parish, Wilson, effective June 26, 2018.