New command chaplain now serving at NAVSTA

Cmdr. (Sel.) Waldemar A. Kilian, became the new command chaplain at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Great Lakes on Aug. 2. A native of Poland, was ordained in Rome in 1987 and worked in Italy for three years.
    After coming to the United States in 1990 he served in a parish in Middleton, Conn. for six months, then received permission to work permanently in the U.S., serving in the Archdiocese of Chicago as associate pastor and hospital chaplain.
    "I was in an Italian parish in Connecticut," the priest said.
     But in Chicago he needed to learn English.
    "The best learning is on the job," he said. "I had no choice; the primary language in Chicago is English. I could have chosen a Polish area but my choice was to go to an English-speaking area. I wanted to learn the language. Not to be fully engaged here would be a mistake. I had good people around to help me, to correct my mistakes."
    Kilian had permanent residency in the United States and applied for citizenship in 1995.
    After becoming a citizen, in 1998, he was commissioned as a chaplain in the Navy Reserve and completed chaplain school in Rhode Island. A year later he was assigned to a Marine Reserve Unit at Great Lakes.
    In deciding to join the Navy, Kilian, who had served as a hospital chaplain, decided he wanted to do something more, to increase his area of operation. "I had to get permission from the Bishop and then I contacted the recruiter," he said. "Now, after 13 years, it seems like that was a very good choice."
    In 2005, three years after he was named pastor of St. Bruno parish on the south side of Chicago, the chaplain was deployed in support of the 2nd Marine Division in Iraq, where he spent nine months on the ground.
    "Every day was different, and not every day was a pleasant one," he said, but he found the tour to be a rewarding one. "My responsibilities included outreach and ministry to all the forward components of the force under the division command in Anbar Province," he said.
    After serving in Iraq Kilian returned to St. Bruno parish. He submitted a request, and in May of this year was recalled to active duty, receiving orders, in June, to report to Naval Station Great Lakes.
    "I want to provide effective and efficient command religious program and as much help for everyone in the command and tenant commands as possible," the chaplain said. "There are many things to be involved in here and great opportunity for everyone to contribute to the success of our mission."