Combat chaplains who minister to men and women in the military are heroes, according to actor Chris Pratt ahead of a new documentary that puts them in the spotlight for Veterans Day.
“I’ve had the privilege of playing heroes on the big screen, but this film displays real-life heroism and courage displayed every day by combat chaplains,” Pratt, executive producer of a “Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey,” told Our Sunday Visitor in written comments. “And many of these heroes made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives without weapons.”
Pratt, perhaps best known for starring in “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Parks and Recreation,” added that the stories about military chaplains in the new documentary “are an inspiration to me and reveal that sacrifice and love of our neighbors can be just as powerful weapons.”
“Fighting Spirit” hits select theaters nationwide on Nov. 8. The 73-minute documentary follows Justin D. Roberts, a Protestant and former Army chaplain, in his search for healing that eventually leads him to the 2021 funeral of Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun, an Army chaplain and Medal of Honor recipient who sacrificed his life during the Korean War. Along the way, the film, rated PG-13, remembers the heroism of hundreds of military chaplains of various faiths who dedicated their lives to God by serving those who serve.
The film from Paulist Productions and the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps boasts the endorsement of several Catholics, including Sister Ann Hyacinth Genow, OP, and Sister Casey Marie Loyer, OP, of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, Sister Nancy Usselmann, FSP, director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, and Amanda Fox, president of the Military Council of Catholic Women-Worldwide.
Father Tom Gibbons, CSP, vice president of Paulist Productions and another executive producer of the documentary, called Pratt’s involvement with the film a “fantastic blessing.”
He told Our Sunday Visitor that Richard Hull, who wrote, co-directed and produced the film and sits on the board of Paulist Productions, reached out to Pratt through some connections. Pratt, Father Gibbons said, “really loved what we were doing” and signed on as an executive producer.
Pratt identifies as Christian and has spoken publicly about his faith in the past. According to a 2023 New York Times feature about his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, he was baptized Catholic but attended other Christian churches growing up. Schwarzenegger Pratt is Catholic and her two children with Pratt were baptized in a Catholic church.
The role of combat chaplains
Father Gibbons, who belongs to the Paulist Fathers, said that the documentary aligned with the mission of Paulist Productions, which calls itself a faith-based production company in the Catholic tradition.
“The mission of Paulist Productions … has been to advance the conversation between the sacred and the secular — and really to bring that conversation to as large of an audience as possible,” he said. “So when our president, Mike Sullivan, came up with the idea of doing something about military chaplains … it just seemed like such a beautiful way to kind of bring everybody to the table.”
Combat chaplains, he said, come from different faith traditions, from Judaism and Christianity to Islam and Buddhism. At the same time, they serve every person in their assigned military unit, regardless of his or her faith tradition.
“So if there’s a Catholic priest who is the chaplain for that unit, they’re there to minister to the Catholics and the Jews and the atheists and the Muslims and the Buddhists and everybody,” Father Gibbons said.
These chaplains are officers of the military as well as full-fledged ministers, he said, and can belong to any of the various branches, from the Army and Air Force to the Navy and Marine Corps.
“If a Catholic priest wants to become a chaplain, they’ll join the Army or one of the other services,” he described. “Combat chaplains, they’re the ones who go out with the unit, particularly into the most dangerous places, into the battlefield — and they go without a weapon.”
“It’s a really great sign of courage,” he added, “but it’s also a great sign of loyalty and being a minister of presence and being with people literally in the worst times of their lives.”
The most common cause of death among U.S. military personnel is suicide, according to the documentary website, and combat chaplains “are on the frontlines of that battle.” A report published earlier this year by the Military Health System examining U.S. Army mortality in active duty soldiers from 2014 to 2019 found that “the highest Army mortality rates were for deaths due to suicide.”
A focus on unity
Father Gibbons called the documentary a patriotic film and a film of faith while, at the same time, emphasizing that viewers don’t need to be people of faith to enjoy watching it. Pointing to the divisiveness of the 2024 election, Father Gibbons hoped that this film would inspire unity.
“What I’m really excited about is the fact that this provides such a great opportunity … for Americans in general just to kind of come together,” he said. “It offers the opportunity for people to kind of learn about different faiths and see different faiths in action, including our own Catholic faith.”
He hoped that viewers would come together and celebrate amidst their differences and also realize the importance of the “ministry of presence.” Chaplains, he said, “serve those who serve us” just by being present and walking with members of the military.
“A lot of times, when we encounter people who are going through difficult situations, we don’t always know what to say — and that’s OK — but the fact that we’re there speaks volumes,” he said. “I think maybe that’s something hopefully we can all remember to do in the various areas of our lives.”
