National Meetings

The Military Chaplains Association conducts an annual convocation at various locations around the Nation.

These meetings are normally in late April or early May.   Currently, they are known as the “MCA National Institute.”  Their agendas typically include presentations and discussion pertinent to chaplaincy as a ministry profession, annual awards ceremonies, and the Annual Membership Meeting.  Attendees represent our five constituent chaplaincies.  They include active duty, Guard, Reserve, prior service, and retired chaplains.  Leaders from religious faith groups, the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, and subject matter experts from other disciplines join with us.

In addition to legal requirement of an annual meeting for MCA members, these annual gathering are important for sustaining an environment of Joint Service and inter-agency collaboration among chaplains.  In 2007, 2009, and 2011 MCA co-located the National Institute with the bi-annual convocation of Veterans Affairs Department chaplains.  These cooperative ventures were particularly fruitful for community networking and mutual understanding as we seek to improve care for Wounded Warriors.  Our national meeting in 2010 occurred in Columbia, SC and 2011 in Hampton, VA.  For a summary of sites in years prior, go to the link below.

National Meeting Sites from 1931-2009

The 2012 Annual Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 18 April at the Holiday Inn Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX.  Look for a registration form and information on hotel reservations on Wednesday, 15 February.  Plan to register on Tuesday afternoon.  Other meeting activities will include a keynote speaker on “Moral Injuries During War,” briefing on the mission of the newly formed Chaplains Alliance, and assistance with recording your story for the Chaplains “213 by 2-03-13″ Campaign for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.