The Office of Chaplains provides guidelines for Ecclesiastical Endorsement. Ecclesiastical Endorsements are provided to Chaplain candidates by their Bishop in the diocese to which the candidate has been assigned; however, the Office of Chaplains provides “Guidelines for Ecclesiastical Endorsement” so Bishops can make informed decisions about providing Ecclesiastical Endorsement to Chaplain candidates in their Diocese.
When various agencies receive an Ecclesiastical Endorsement from an OCCI Chaplain candidate’s Bishop, the Endorsement of an OCCI Chaplains conveys to the agency the OCCI Chaplain candidate is of the highest professional caliber, prepared through seminary training, and ordained through OCCI as either a priest or permanent deacon, and conveys the OCCI Chaplain candidate truly has a “call within a call” to serve in the specialized ministry of Chaplaincy and understands the role of a chaplain, regardless of the type of chaplain they become.