Four Chaplains model the Beatitudes for us, Bishop Chau says

Eighty-three years ago, on Feb. 3, 1943, a vessel transporting U.S. soldiers was torpedoed by a German submarine while crossing the Labrador Sea. Four chaplains aboard the USAT Dorchester – Reverend George L. Fox, Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Reverend Clark V. Poling, and Father John P. Washington – made the ultimate sacrifice, offering their lifejackets to save others on the sinking ship.

In 2013, a 12-foot, bronze monument honoring the Four Chaplains was unveiled at St. Stephen Parish in Kearny, NJ, where Father Washington last served before entering the military chaplaincy. The work was created by master sculptor Timothy Schmalz.

Later designated by the Archdiocese of Newark as the Sanctuary of the Four Chaplains, Saint Stephen’s holds an annual “Father Washington Mass” to honor the priest and the three fellow chaplains who died with him aboard the Dorchester.

This year’s Mass, held on Feb. 1, was celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Pedro Bismarck Chau, regional bishop of Hudson County. Monsignor Joseph Mancini, pastor of Saint Stephen’s, concelebrated with several other priests from the archdiocese.

Relatives of the chaplains and servicemembers who died on the Dorchester attended the liturgy. They were joined by veterans, current servicemembers, Scouts, bagpipers, parishioners, and community members who are still moved and inspired by the story of the Four Chaplains.

Living the Beatitudes “to the end”

Bishop Chau began his homily by thanking “all the men and women in the different branches of military service who defend and protect our nation.”

In Sunday’s Gospel reading (Matt 5:1-12), Jesus shares the Beatitudes with his followers. “It really is Jesus showing us the model of discipleship, the framework that we Christians should follow in our lives,” Bishop Chau said.

“Today the Gospel places before us a vision of true greatness,” he said, adding that a Christian understanding of greatness “does not come from power, weapons, or worldly success, but, interestingly enough, from humility, mercy, and self-giving love.”

The Beatitudes that Jesus shares “are not merely poetry meant be admired from a distance, my brothers and sisters, but they are a way of life,” the bishop continued. “Sometimes that way of life will lead us to death.”

“Today, as we commemorate the tragedy at sea of the Dorchester, we are given a powerful and concrete witness of what the Beatitudes look like when they are lived to the very end,” he said.

Offering one’s life for another

Recalling the moment when the Dorchester was struck by a German torpedo, Bishop Chau said he could “not even begin to imagine how those 902 people felt” in the atmosphere of darkness and panic after the torpedo struck.

At that moment, the chaplains did not argue about theology or “about who was the most important one, the worthiest to be saved, and they did not try to save themselves either,” Bishop Chau said. Instead, the four chaplains “thought about saving others,” giving up their lifejackets and “guiding the frightened to safety.”

“They are a great model for us,” he continued. “How are we providing consolation and comfort to those who are suffering around us today? They prayed with the dying. How many people in our hospitals and perhaps in our own neighborhoods are sick with no one to visit them.”

“When there was nothing else to give, they gave their lives,” Bishop Chau said. He pointed to the testimony of eyewitnesses “who recalled seeing them standing arm in arm on the sinking deck, praying together as the ship disappeared beneath the waves.”

“By offering their lives for the sake of those other people, they believed it was the beginning of a new life in Christ. They knew that God was faithful and that a place of glory awaited them in Heaven. That should also be the force that leads us to live our lives with love, mercy, and compassion,” Bishop Chau said.

To view more images from the 2026 Father Washington Mass, click HERE.

Featured image: The Four Chaplains Monument, located outside St. Stephen’s Church in Kearny, NJ. The parish held its annual “Father Washington Mass,” celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Bismarck Chau, on Feb. 1, 2026. (Photo by Shania Mosquera / Archdiocese of Newark)