Chaplain of the Senate

The Chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for Senators, their staffs, and their families. The Chaplain is appointed by a majority vote of the members of the Senate on a resolution nominating an individual for the position. The three most recent nominations have been submitted based on a bipartisan search committee although that procedure is not required.

Chaplains are elected as individuals and not as representatives of any religious community, body, or organization. As of 2014, all Senate Chaplains have been Christian but can be members of any religion or faith group. Guest Chaplains, recommended by Senators to deliver the session's opening prayer in place of the Senate Chaplain, have represented "all the world's major religious faiths."

The current Chaplain, Barry C. Black, a retired Navy Rear Admiral and former Chief of Navy Chaplains, is the first African-American and the first Seventh-day Adventist to hold the position.

The Chaplain of the United States Senate is chosen to "perform ceremonial, symbolic, and pastoral duties." These responsibilities include opening Senate sessions with a prayer or coordinating the delivery of the prayer by guest chaplains recommended by members of the Senate. The Chaplain's prayer is referred to as "one of the Senate's most enduring traditions" in the official Senate pamphlet "Traditions of the U.S. Senate."

The Senate Chaplain is also responsible for "hosting" Guest Chaplains on the day they deliver prayers. According to the U.S. Senate website, these guest chaplains have represented "all the world's major religious faiths," and their participation is a sign that the Senate is sensitive to the "increasing religious diversity of the nation."

According to Robert C. Byrd in his book "The Senate:1789-1989", has written that "The Duties that chaplains perform...are not all written down, but they are numerous and have evolved over the centuries." His description continues:

"The Chaplain visits senators when they go to the hospital, represents the Senate in appearances before church groups across the nation, and is host to visiting religious figures who come to the Capitol. On occasion, chaplains of the Senate have led groups of saffron-robed Tibetan monks on tours of the building."

The Chaplain also provides pastoral care for the Senators, their staffs, and their families, and provides or oversees religious programs such as Bible study, reflection groups, and the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast. The Chaplain also often presides over religious ceremonies such as funerals and memorial services for current or past members and participates, offering delivering the invocation or benediction, at many official U.S. ceremonies, including White House events. For example, Chaplain Barry Black delivered the keynote address at National Prayer Breakfast held February 2, 2017 before President Trump and previously at the "inaugural prayer breakfast" and the benediction at the "inaugural luncheon" for President Barack Obama. In a January 2011 post on "On Watch in Washington," the Chaplain of the Senate as well as the Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives were included as part of "Obama's Spiritual Cabinet."

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Wikipedia