South Carolina Episcopal campus ministry is a source of faith, fellowship for cadets

Students at The Citadel Military College in Charleston, South Carolina, pose with the Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia, The Episcopal Church’s bishop suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, center, who was a guest speaker during a Monday night Citadel Episcopal Cadet Fellowship gathering. Photo: Courtesy of Rob Donehue

[Episcopal News Service] Olivia Kassebaum isn’t a typical college sophomore. As a finance major at The Citadel Military College in Charleston, South Carolina, she must adhere to wearing an authorized uniform and hairstyle and keep her barracks clean and tidy at all times, for example.

The Citadel’s strict regimen is preparing Kassebaum to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps after graduation. The program, she told Episcopal News Service, is “not for everyone” and “very stressful at times,” but she still finds time to relax and grow her faith during the school year though the Citadel Episcopal Cadet Fellowship. Every Monday, volunteers from the Diocese of South Carolina cook and serve homemade meals for nearly 100 students, who stay after dinner for group discussion and socialization.

“Monday nights are absolutely amazing and a breath of fresh air. The dinners … have really been a lifeline,” Kassebaum, a cradle Episcopalian from Charlotte, North Carolina, said. “But the big thing, of course, is getting to meet all these wonderful people around me who are involved with the same faith and who care about the same things or similar things that I do. It’s been very nice.”

The Episcopal Church has had a chaplaincy at the Citadel, established in 1842, throughout most of the college’s existence, according to the Rev. Robertson “Rob” Donehue,” sub-dean of Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston and the Citadel Episcopal Cadet Fellowship’s chaplain since 2022. Donehue and a group of lay volunteers oversee the program.

The Episcopal campus ministry at The Citadel “fell apart,” Donehue said, following the Diocese of South Carolina’s 2012 schism. In 2015, Lester Pittman, canon catechist at Grace Church Cathedral and a U.S. Air Force veteran, revived the ministry with three freshmen gathering weekly in a classroom, then a professor’s house, to discuss topics like how faith can help them navigate difficult times, and how having a relationship with God can provide a more positive outlook on life. Word of mouth spread, and gatherings rapidly outgrew the professor’s living room. They eventually moved to the ministry’s current location on campus.

“We’ve had cadets break down in tears before, so we try to help them as much as we can. It can be especially hard for freshmen to adjust to the military pressure,” Pittman, a Citadel alumnus, told ENS. “The cadets are so appreciative of this ministry; it’s definitely a highlight of their week. They thank us over and over and over again every week.”

Today, the Citadel Episcopal Cadet Fellowship is one of the college’s largest regular campus gatherings and is believed to be one of the largest Episcopal campus ministries. Cadets of many different Christian and other faith backgrounds, including Greek Orthodox, Jewish and Muslim, have participated.

“We are so encouraged to see this growing model of ministry,” Myra Garnes, The Episcopal Church’s officer for youth, young adult and campus ministries, told ENS in a written statement. “These young adult leaders are exploring their faith while serving their country and pursuing their education. As a church, we can learn from and look for ways to support these efforts.”

Every Monday during the school year, volunteers from the Diocese of South Carolina cook and serve homemade meals for nearly 100 students at The Citadel Military College in Charleston as part of the Citadel Episcopal Cadet Fellowship ministry. After dinner, the students stay for group discussion, Bible study and socialization. Photo: Courtesy of Rob Donehue

The number of volunteers who buy groceries, cook the meals and participate in post-dinner discussions varies weekly, but four core members are Lester and Claire Pittman, and Nancy and Taylor Skardon.

Each meal typically includes a protein, bread, salad and ice cream, but volunteers also make vegan, kosher, halal and allergen-free dishes when requested. Nancy and Taylor Skardon individually text participants reminders of evening fellowship and that week’s menu.

“Most groups will just order big boxes of pizza and call it a day, but we try to set ourselves apart by making students get the message that they’re loved, and we made the effort to prepare something from scratch just for them,” Taylor Skardon, a retired U.S. Navy captain and Citadel alumnus, told ENS. “Young adults today are looking for community, so we want them to feel welcome and a part of one.” 

After dinner, Donehue usually presents a discussion topic and lets the cadets share their perspectives. Sometimes they engage in a Bible study.

“It’s great to see these young people actively engaging in questions of faith, what faith means to them and how the teachings of Jesus are still relevant in their own lives,” Donehue told ENS. “There’s nothing too dogmatic about what we do, but a lot of students respond really well to learning about Christian faith from an Episcopal perspective. The message is definitely resonating.”

Group discussion time sometimes includes guest speakers, including, in 2024, the Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia, The Episcopal Church’s bishop suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries and a Marine veteran. Ritonia, whose episcopate includes overseeing Episcopal military chaplains, talked about the realities of military service and the roles military chaplains serve. About a third of Citadel graduates, like Kassebaum, join the armed forces as commissioned graduates annually.

Ritonia also explained how having some sort of faith can help boost morale for service members in times of tragedy and conflict, including war.

“When you’re dealing with a life-or-death situation and you have a strong sense of faith – any faith – it can help you face that crisis and save your life and possibly somebody else’s life,” Ritonia told ENS. “That’s the kind of work people involved with the [fellowship] are doing, and they may not even be aware of it. They’re talking about faith and really helping folks learn how to be resilient and draw on resources that will get them through really tough times.”

Beyond Monday dinners, Donehue and the core volunteers are available to serve cadets throughout the week. Nancy Skardon, who’s fondly known among the cadets as their “den mother,” regularly checks on the women cadets, for example.

“The Citadel’s student body has become a bit more diverse in recent years, but it’s still overwhelmingly male (72%). It can be a lot for the female students,” Nancy Skardon told ENS. “Talking to them individually and just being present lets them know you care for them beyond our designated fellowship nights.”

The fellowship has been a “life changing” experience for many cadets. It has inspired many to attend Sunday worship services at Grace Church Cathedral, and several have joined The Episcopal Church.

That was the case for Matthew Keplar, a sophomore intelligence and security studies major from Norfolk, Virginia. He was baptized in January and is taking classes to be confirmed this spring. After graduating from The Citadel, he plans to attend an Episcopal seminary with the goal of becoming a Navy chaplain. This ambition, he told ENS, stemmed from learning about the fellowship during his first week in college as a freshman.

“I’ve known early on that I want to pursue a career in service, but the fellowship and Grace Church Cathedral are what really drove me to pursue Episcopal priesthood and chaplaincy as a vocation,” Keplar said. “I’ve met so many good people through this fellowship, rooted in faith – people I’ll stick with for the rest of my life.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.