Naval Submarine Base New London (SUBASE) celebrated the 80th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Chapel on the Thames during a special event in the Chapel on Tuesday, December 3.
Rear Admiral Carey Cash, Deputy Chief of Chaplains for the Navy, and Chaplain of the Marine Corps, traveled from Washington, D.C. to participate in the celebration.
“This in my view is significant not only for SUBASE but also for our Navy,” said Cash. “To celebrate 80 years of faithful service by Chaplains, Religious Program Specialists, and this Chapel, in a day and age in which folks sometimes dismiss faith or put it on the sidelines - this matters.”
Cash highlighted that the Chapel was one of the historic “storefronts” of the SUBASE Religious Ministries program; an enduring bastion of solace and place of worship for Sailors of all faiths; and, citing the motto long associated with the Chapel on the Thames, a place truly where: “Faith runs deep.”
Captain Kenneth M. Curtin Jr., SUBASE Commanding Officer, underscored that in its 80 years, the Chapel has supported the spiritual readiness and life and family milestones of tens of thousands of Submarine Sailors and congregation members.
“But this Chapel is just brick, concrete and wood without the rock upon which it’s built,” Curtin said. “And to me, that rock is the exceptional members of the Chaplain Corps and Religious Program Specialist rating who have been, and continue to be: valued advisors; leaders in spiritual readiness; and champions of Sailor well-being.”
Commander Gene Monnin, SUBASE Command Chaplain, who served as Master of Ceremonies at the celebration, echoed Curtin’s recognition of the Chaplain Corps and Religious Program Specialists who had served at SUBASE, calling them “the dedicated men and women who, throughout the decades, have tirelessly kept these doors open to all.”
Born from a November 1943 request, with $45,000 in funding approved and appropriated in March 1944, the Chapel on the Thames was completed on the base in November 1944.
“In [those] 8 months, brick-by-brick this historic Chapel rose as a symbol of faith, hope, love, and freedom over SUBASE,” said RP1 Emily Blonski of the SUBASE Chaplain Center.
“When complete, Chapel on the Thames was dedicated on December 3, 1944, with a ceremony and prayers from chaplains and key religious leaders from the community.”
In a nod to that original dedication, three community faith leaders joined the celebration to offers prayers of re-dedication: Rabbi Marc Ekstrand, Rabbi of the Reform Jewish Community of Temple Emanu-El in Waterford, Conn.; Fr. Tom Hoar, President of St. Edmund’s Retreat on Ender’s Island in Mystic, Conn.; and, Brother Lawrence Potts, First Councilor to the Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in New London, Conn.
Ekstrand noted that Curtin, in speaking earlier in the celebration, had invoked the same verse Ekstrand had thought appropriate from the Book of Psalms: “They that go down to the sea in ships, That do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, And his wonders in the deep.”
Monnin called the three faith leaders’ appeals and blessings “wonderful,” and with them, he said: “the Chapel stands ready for another 80 years of service to our Navy, our SUBASE, and our Sailors, families and congregants.”
Recognized as the “Sailors Chapel,” and the Navy’s “Submarine Memorial Chapel,” through the decades, the Chapel on the Thames is also well known for its extraordinary stained glass windows, its brass-labeled pews honoring the Submarines lost during World War II, and its Book of Remembrance listing the names of all those Submariners lost.
The stained glass windows depicting four distinct themes, were commissioned and created by famed artist Charles J. Connick – representing the last artistic work he would perform prior to his death in 1945.
As the celebration ended, Monnin pointed out that the Chapel’s impact over its last eight decades has transcended the iconic artifacts and even the religious services held within it.
“I hope you have seen that we honor [the Chapel on the Thames], not because we are all religious, or even share the same religious convictions,” Monnin concluded. “But because we acknowledge the strength of the spirit and place to inspire and empower individuals as they walk difficult paths in service of their country.”