WASHINGTON, D.C. – Father Robert Marciano was a busy parish priest at SS. Rose and Clement in Warwick, with 2,000 families and an elementary school in his charge. He perhaps never imagined heading a “parish” so far-flung that it encircles the world.
Now he does. On February 29, Fr. Marciano was named the new Chief of Chaplains for the U.S. Air National Guard, “effective immediately.”
He has become senior pastor to the 107,000 men and women of the Air National Guard, as well as serving as leader for the 528 Chaplain
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chaplains and chaplain assistants representing diverse faith communities.
In a telephone interview from Washington, D.C., where he has been based since June, 2006 on the Chaplain staff of the National Guard Bureau, Fr. Marciano said, “I will represent all faiths as best I can,” noting that many Catholics serve in the National Guard and are a diverse group including minorities, women, and some “very devout” members from the Bible belt.
In his new position, he is responsible for planning, resourcing, and executing the entire National Guard chaplaincy program. Fr. Marciano will also serve as principal advisor to the liaison for the Chief of Chaplains, Air Force.
Brigadier General and Chaplain John B. Ellington, Jr. director of the National Guard Chaplaincy, made the official announcement. In a telephone interview this week, Ellington – a minister with the Disciples of Christ Protestant denomination – said he has known Fr. Marciano “since shortly after he came into the Guard – at least 15 years. He’s a great guy.”
Ellington said when he first met Fr. Marciano at SS. Rose and Clement, “I realized he was a future leader of the Air National Guard Chaplaincy. He’s well-organized, he’s personable, he’s a gracious host – and he’s a caring, loving, sharing human being.”
Ellington, who was Chief of Chaplains before assuming his current role, was rueful that in top leadership positions, often “You see people becoming bureaucrats, and no longer realizing the importance of the people they serve. Fr. Marciano brings a refreshing attitude and energy to the office.”
He was quick to give an example. “Fr. Marciano learned that a chaplain was being deployed over his daughter’s birthday. He got the address and sent the little girl a card, telling her how important the work is that her dad is doing.”
As chief of all chaplains, Fr. Marciano will be responsible for recruiting new chaplains, in-depth assessments, training, mentoring and deployment of chaplains and their assistants all over the world. “It is so important for people to have the opportunity to express their faith,” Ellington said, “whether it’s Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim. Our primary role in the chaplaincy is to assure the free expression of religion to the men and women serving their country all over the world. It is a Constitutional right.”
The director also had something to say to the people of Rhode Island. “I really appreciate your sacrifice,” he said. “Fr. Marciano has been a great part of the diocese and the National Guard in Rhode Island. It was a loss for them when he came our way. But he is so dedicated to the men and women in uniform...” Ellington offered similar gratitude in a letter to Bishop Thomas J. Tobin.
Robert Marciano is well-known in Rhode Island. The son of Alfred and the late Mary (DiTata) Marciano, he graduated from Bishop Hendricken High School in 1975 and Providence College in 1979. With a Master of Divinity degree from St. John’s Seminary in Brighton MA, he has served as a parish priest in the Diocese of Providence since 1983, most recently at SS. Rose and Clement from 1994-2006.
He also served as chaplain to the Warwick police and fire departments, the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, and as chaplain for the 143rd AirLift Wing of the R.I. National Guard in Quonset.
In 2004, he was named Chaplain of the Year for the Air National Guard. Since arriving in Washington, he has served as director of Personnel and Accessions, and most recently as director of staff.
He graduated with excellence from the Air War College at the Pentagon in June, 2007.
“The more I see, the more I think that God was at work in bringing us the best of the best,” concluded Ellington.
