About The Catholic Community of The Sacred Heart of Jesus · Fort Campbell, Kentucky
The Catholic Community of The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Roman Catholic parish that serves the Soldiers Chapel (Building 5875) on Fort Campbell, Kentucky — the home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). It falls under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), and its priest-chaplains are endorsed by AMS but remain on loan from their home dioceses. Approximately 4,500 Catholic active-duty soldiers are counted as part of this community, alongside their families and other installation personnel. The parish is unique on a U.S. Army installation in that it occupies its own dedicated Catholic chapel with a tabernacle, Stations of the Cross and crucifix — something Dcn. Tony Carmona says exists at only one other post, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Col. Fr. Rajmund Kopec (Senior Command Chaplain, Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); on loan from the Archdiocese of Newark)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS)
Why belong here
Soldiers Chapel is one of the very few U.S. Army installations with a chapel permanently furnished for Catholic worship (tabernacle, crucifix and Stations of the Cross) — so Catholics stationed at or passing through Fort Campbell can count on Mass six days a week and the full sacramental life of the Church on post. The community is intentionally built around the realities of military life: it welcomes newcomers mid-school-year, helps families complete interrupted sacramental preparation, sends off deploying or PCS-ing service members with a special blessing and a St. Michael rosary at the end of every Mass, and maintains close ties with the local Diocese of Owensboro (Bishop William F. Medley made a pastoral visit in December 2023). For Catholic soldiers, families, and DoD civilians on Fort Campbell, it is both a parish and a home base that travels with the flock.
Mass times at The Catholic Community of The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM (before 10:00 AM Mass)
- Sunday 11:15 AM – 11:45 AM (before 12:00 PM Mass)
- By appointment — call 270-798-2352
About the Catholic Community of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Catholic Community of The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Roman Catholic parish at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). The community worships at Soldiers Chapel (Building 5875) on Desert Storm Avenue and falls under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). Its priest-chaplains are endorsed by AMS but always remain members of their home dioceses; the current senior command chaplain, Col. Fr. Rajmund Kopec, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark. Approximately 4,500 Catholic active-duty soldiers are part of this flock, along with their families and DoD civilians who live and work on the installation.
Worship Schedule
The published Mass schedule is built around the rhythm of duty on Fort Campbell. Sunday offers two Masses — 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM — with confessions heard before each. Weekday Mass is celebrated Monday through Thursday at 11:45 AM. There is no Mass on Friday or Saturday, and there is no Mass on a DONSA (Day of No Scheduled Activities). All Masses are celebrated in English.
- Sunday — 10:00 AM (English)
- Sunday — 12:00 PM (English)
- Monday — 11:45 AM (English)
- Tuesday — 11:45 AM (English)
- Wednesday — 11:45 AM (English)
- Thursday — 11:45 AM (English)
- Sunday Confessions — 9:00–9:45 AM and 11:15–11:45 AM (and by appointment: 270-798-2352)
Parish Life & Ministries
Parish life at Soldiers Chapel is shaped by the transience of military service. Sacramental preparation is intentionally flexible so that newcomers who arrive mid-school-year can complete whatever formation they still need; the parish also keeps an eye on the approximate 4,500 Catholic active-duty soldiers on post and is working to expand young-adult ministry and adult catechesis. The Catholic Youth Organization meets at the chapel on Sunday evenings, and the director of religious education, Lori Sylvia, coordinates ongoing faith formation.
- Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) — Sundays at 7:00 PM
- Adult catechesis and sacramental preparation (Lori Sylvia, DRE)
- Young-adult ministry focused on Catholic active-duty soldiers
- Pastoral care for service members who are deploying, PCSing, or leaving service (special blessing + St. Michael rosary at the end of each Mass)
Clergy & Staff
The community is served by priest-chaplains assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell, together with a permanent Catholic coordinator and a director of religious education. The current leadership is Fr. Rajmund Kopec (Senior Command Chaplain), Fr. Maciej Napieralski (chaplain), Dcn. Tony Carmona (Catholic coordinator), and Lori Sylvia (DRE).
- Col. Fr. Rajmund Kopec — Senior Command Chaplain (Archdiocese of Newark, on loan to AMS)
- Maj. Fr. Maciej Napieralski — Catholic Chaplain, Fort Campbell
- Dcn. Tony Carmona — Catholic Coordinator, Fort Campbell
- Lori Sylvia — Director of Religious Education
Relationship with the Diocese of Owensboro
Because Fort Campbell lies within the geographic Diocese of Owensboro, the parish cultivates a close working relationship with Bishop William F. Medley and with neighbouring Catholic parishes in southern Kentucky — most notably Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Hopkinsville, whose parochial vicars have concelebrated Masses at Soldiers Chapel. The most visible expression of that relationship was Bishop Medley's pastoral visit on 14 December 2023, which included Mass at Soldiers Chapel, a meet-and-greet luncheon, a tour of the post, and the gift of a framed sketch of Soldiers Chapel from Fr. Kopec and the parishioners.
- Bishop William F. Medley, Diocese of Owensboro — pastoral visit 14 Dec 2023
- Fr. Christopher Kight and Fr. Emmanuel Udoh, Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Hopkinsville — concelebrants of the Dec. 14, 2023 Mass
Soldiers Chapel: The Building
Soldiers Chapel is Building 5875 on Desert Storm Avenue. Although the building is government property — meaning any faith group on the installation may request its use through the Religious Services Office — it is permanently furnished with the appointments of a Catholic church: a tabernacle, a crucifix, and the fourteen Stations of the Cross. When the chapel is shared with another group, the Blessed Sacrament is moved to a smaller tabernacle in the sacristy, the Stations of the Cross are closed behind their doors, and a curtain is drawn behind the crucifix. Dcn. Carmona has said the only other U.S. installation with a chapel furnished to this degree for Catholic worship is the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
- Building 5875, Desert Storm Avenue, Fort Campbell, KY 42223
- Permanent Catholic furnishings: tabernacle, crucifix, Stations of the Cross
- Shared-use protocol: Host relocated, Stations closed, crucifix curtained for other faith groups
Visiting Fort Campbell & Staying Connected Online
Because Fort Campbell is a controlled-access military installation, visitors without a DoD ID card must enter through the visitor control center with a valid photo ID, pass a background check, and state their purpose for visiting. The parish office can be reached at 270-798-2352, and the garrison chaplain's office at 270-798-6124. For those who cannot come on post — or who are away on leave or deployment — the parish has maintained a livestreamed Sunday Mass on its Facebook page, a practice that began during the COVID-19 closures of March 2020.
- Facebook (parish): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064552600943
- Facebook (livestream / alternate page): https://www.facebook.com/Fort-Campbell-Catholic-Chapel-Community-of-the-Sacred-Heart-of-Jesus-106394342725451
- Phone (Catholic worship services): 270-798-2352
- Phone (Garrison Chaplain's Office): 270-798-6124
- Email: [email protected]
Pastoral Care for a Transient Community
A defining feature of the Catholic Community at Fort Campbell is the farewell blessing given at the end of every Mass: the priest asks whether any soldiers in the congregation are leaving the community — deploying, on Permanent Change of Station orders, or finishing their service — invites them forward, and gives each one a special blessing and a rosary paired with a St. Michael the Archangel prayer card. Dcn. Carmona notes that the blessing is given even to those attending Soldiers Chapel for the very first time, underscoring the parish's instinct to mark every arrival and every departure as a sacramental moment in the life of the flock.
- End-of-Mass farewell blessing for deploying / PCSing / departing soldiers
- St. Michael the Archangel rosary and prayer card as a parting gift
- Given to every soldier present — including first-time visitors
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Rajmund KopecOctober 2022 – present
Colonel, U.S. Army; Senior Command Chaplain at Fort Campbell / 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) since 2022. Native of Poland, immigrated to the U.S. in 1988; ordained for the Archdiocese of Newark in 1992. Previously: III Corps Command Chaplain at Fort Hood, TX; U.S. Forces Command Chaplain at Fort Bragg, NC (Oct 2019 – 2022); Office of the Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Army Pentagon; unit chaplain tours in Hawaii, Kentucky, Alabama, and Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
- Fr. Maciej Napieralski
Major, U.S. Army Chaplain, serving with the Catholic Community at Fort Campbell as of December 2023.