Father
Howard Krick: A life of military discipline, ministry
By Lou Baldwin
Special to the CS&T
You really don’t have to join the U.S. Navy to see the world; the
U.S. Air Force will do. Father Howard K. Krick, 78, who celebrates 50
years as a priest this year, is living proof.
Mostly during his days as a U. S. Air Force chaplain, he’s seen
70 foreign countries and all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico and Guam.
“I like to travel,” he said, an understatement if ever there
was one.
For him, travel began early. He was born in Rhode Island, and his family
lived in Florida when he was a small child. The family moved to Philadelphia
and St. Bartholomew Parish when he was 5 years old.
He entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary a year after high school, did
well in his studies and was ordained in 1958.
That was followed by a series of assistant pastorships: at All Saints
Chapel, which served Philadelphia General Hospital; St. Laurence, Upper
Darby; St. Maria Goretti, Hatfield (where he was administrator during
the pastor’s illness) and Resurrection of Our Lord.
But the military needed chaplains in the early 1960s. Father Krick applied
for permission to volunteer, and his request was granted.
After his military training, the newly minted Captain Krick was sent to
windswept Shemya Island near the western edge of the Aleutian chain. “We
had about 1,200 guys and a third of them were Catholic,” he recalled.
It was difficult, monotonous duty for the airmen — especially because
their family members were not permitted to join them. One of the things
Father Krick did to help their morale was to start a crafts program. He
still has a finely crafted leather map of the island, which he fashioned
there.
Other assignments took him to Stewart Air Force Base in New York, Lackland
Air Force Base in Texas, Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and
a couple of tours in Japan.
In Japan, of course, the thing to do is climb Mount Fuji, and Father Krick
did that a couple of times. Once he carried a full Mass kit to celebrate
the Eucharist at the summit.
Father Krick rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, serving 37 years
as a military chaplain, first as an active chaplain and then as a civilian
contract chaplain near San Antonio, Texas.
At the end of the day, a military chaplain is essentially a parish priest,
Father Krick explained: He serves not only the men and women in the military,
he serves their families, too. He celebrates Mass, he baptizes, he officiates
at weddings and conducts religious education programs and retreats. He
does quite a bit of counseling, especially for young men and women who
are homesick for their families. There is an ecumenical and interfaith
dimension, too, because at any given location there can’t be a chaplain
for every denomination.
“I just want young kids to know this is important work,” said
Father Krick, who is now living in retirement at Regina Coeli Residence
in Warminster. “I just thank God for His many blessings, and that
I was able to do this.”
Lou Baldwin is a member of St. Leo Parish and a freelance writer.