CDR John J Gayton, CHC, USN
BIOGRAPHY
U.S. Navy Chaplain
Father John J. Gayton is the 5th of 12 children born to Joseph J. Gayton and Elizabeth A. Gayton (nee Thomas). However, his parents also took in foster children in their life together and, later in life, when his mother “Sis” was a widow. Two of those children remained forever in the family. One of them is Donald VanAlstyne (“ Father Van”) the genius behind The Guardian of Defenders Memorial.
Father John completed Catholic Grade School, as did all of his siblings, at Incarnation of Our Lord Catholic Parish (“Inky”) in Olney, Philadelphia. He graduated from Cardinal Dougherty High School and was a 1st Lieutenant in the Color Guard of the world-renowned Cardinal Dougherty Marching Band.
Father John entered the Congregation of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception in 1976. He met another Marian, Donald VanAlstyne, who was raised as an orphan and had no family to whom to go home at Christmas. He invited his brother “Van” to his home and then his mother and all of his sisters and brothers adopted him into the family. Father Van has been a member of the family for the past 42 years.
Father John completed his BA in Psychology at the Catholic University of America. During that time he spent two summers teaching at the Divine Mercy Boarding School in Fawley Court, Henley-on-Thames, England. He also served in a Prison Ministry at Lorton Prison, in Virginia for three years!
At the conclusion of his BA, he went to The Catholic University of Lublin, Poland to study the Polish language and culture for one year. After the declaration of Martial Law and the suppression of the “Solidarity” Workers Union, when most of the foreign international students fled, he remained with a couple other students he encouraged to stay. He was arrested by secret police and accused falsely of yelling anti-government slogans and propaganda and released with threatening warnings but decided to stay for another year and take his 1st year of Theology at the Lublin Seminary.
He completed his Masters of Divinity at the Catholic University of America. During that time, he served in Parish Health Ministry at the Mother Church of Black Catholics in Washington DC: Saint Augustine’s Catholic Church. During this time the AIDS crisis erupted and, since the African American Church geographically included the central gay area of Washington DC, he became one of the primary providers of ministry to those with AIDS. This thrust him into the forefront of the Catholic response to AIDS. As a seminarian and as a deacon he rose to the challenge!
While continuing this ministry at Saint Augustine’s he was ordained a Catholic Priest by Archbishop Hickey at the National Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on December 13, 1986 in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe to which he had a particular devotion.
A year later the Congregation of Marians assigned him as Vocation Director and transferred him to their Mother House in Stockbridge Massachusetts. Less than a year after that, he was also assigned as the Superior of the Community and the Rector of the National Shrine of Divine Mercy! During his tenor as The Rector or the Shrine of the Divine Mercy he organized the celebration of the Feast of Divine Mercy at the Shrine into a national event with thousands of pilgrims and live TV coverage by EWTN that included
tens of thousands of viewers!
In 1993, Father John decided to return to the university to complete his dream to be a professional therapist and to serve in the United States Military. At the University of Connecticut he received his MSW as a clinical individual and group therapist! Immediately after his graduation in the spring of 1996, he began his Basic Training to become a Reserve Navy Chaplain in Newport, Rhode Island. He was only some days shy of his 40th birthday, which was the cut-off age for being commissioned as an officer in the Chaplain Corps. He was the 2nd oldest in his class of 41 Chaplain Candidates, however he completed in top five in physical fitness! He also received the “Four Chaplains Award” as the most Ecumenical Chaplain. His 41 classmates chose him for this honor!
In the Fall of 1996, Father John moved to Wilmington, Delaware to work for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Delaware, first as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor and, soon after, as the Director of AIDS Ministry. In this capacity, he founded the Catholic Charities Family Resource Center, a multi-service program for those living with HIV/AIDS and their families since the epidemic in Delaware was predominately among IV drug users, which was passed to their Spouses and children. The Family Resource Center provided Individual and Group Counseling, a Daily Dinner for clients, a Health Center, Children and Family Outings, Computer Resource Room and Classes, Community Education and Training.
His early years in the Navy Reserves were served with the 4th Marine Corps Air Wing at Naval Air Station Willowgrove, PA with Marine Air Group 49 and assigned to the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 “The Red Dogs.”
In May 1999, he was one of the first reservists to be mobilized for active duty in support of the NATO military operation in Kosovo War. LT Gayton was assigned to Souda Bay Naval Support Activity on the Island of Crete. During his deployment he established very effective relationships with the local community leaders and lead multiple Public Relations Projects that brought positive media coverage for the Navy. For his efforts he was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
After returning to the United States, Father Gayton assumed the position to which he was assigned before his deployment as the Associate Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Elkton MD. Chaplain Gayton was assigned as Battalion/ Squadron Chaplain to the Marine Wing Support Squadron 472, also stationed at NAS Willow Grove. Within less than three years the War in Iraq began and he was recalled to active duty. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 25th Marines as their Battalion Chaplain, a Marine Corps Infantry Battalion that was also mobilized to deploy to Iraq. Plans were changed and 1/25 was headquartered at Camp Schwab on the Island of Okinawa. One of the Battalion’s Companies was deployed to Riyadh, for port security, a second was sent to Mongolia to train troops in Anit-terrorist skills. A third company was assigned to apprehend Al Qaida forces crossing the waters from Indonesia into Southern Philippines. The fourth was deployed to the most southern area of the Philippines – Mindanao in the city of Zamboanga. They were assigned as the security force for Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines. Al Qaida had already established training camps and an alliance with Abu Sayyaf. The Navy Seals and Army Rangers were tasked with counter terrorism and the training of Philippine troops. Chaplain Gayton, who was promoted to Lieutenant Commander (LCDR), during this deployment, travelled between units but most especially between Okinawa and Zamboanga to provide pastoral care and morale support for his troops. The Commanding Officer of the Task Force asked Chaplain Gayton to become the chaplain for the entire Task Force since he was the only available chaplain coming into theater. He agreed. Chaplain Gayton did visits to SPEC OPS outposts for pastoral care and participated in Medical Community Action Projects (MED CAPS). He also enlisted family, friends and parishioners in the United States to send supplies and organized Humanitarian Aid to remote villages and school children in Zamboanga.
Returning to the United States in 2004, Father Gayton resumed his assignment as Associate Pastor at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Claymont DE. Holy Rosary was his dream assignment. He identified this parish with his own childhood parish in Philadelphia and had always hoped to serve there. He quickly assimilated into the parish with predominantly “blue collar” roots. The parishioners were very patriotic and supportive of his Military Ministry in the US Navy Chaplain corps. They were a tight knit and highly cohesive community. In his own words: “It was the best celebration of Christian Community in my Life.” During that time, Chaplain Gayton served for a year with the Submarine Squadrons in Groton CT until he was selected as the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of MEFRELLANT Det A – supervising all the Reserve Chaplains & RPs assigned to the Active Duty Marine Air Bases on the East Coast.
During this time, Father Gayton’s mother became critically ill after an outpatient test went wrong. He and his family spent months caring for her while she was in critical condition in the ICU and then at a Special hospital for persons living on ventilators. When she was finally able to be discharged she was non-ambulatory and unable to care for herself. She could not eat whole food or care for her own hygiene. Father John took a leave of absence from his parish assignment with no pay and became his mother’s primary caregiver. He nursed her back to health over the period of one year until she was able to get in and out of bed on her own and walk around the house with the use of a walker. (Picture of me and Mom)
In December 2006, the timing was not ideal, Chaplain Gayton received another recall to active duty. It was what the military calls “short fused”, meaning there was not much time to prepare. He was to report and be deployed within a month. There would be no time for the usual pre-deployment training or preparation. He had no time to pack his personal belongings once again. As a Catholic chaplain, he was immediately needed to deploy to Fallujah, Iraq with IIMEF Forward (Second Marine Expeditionary Force Forward). He was assigned as the only Catholic Chaplain to serve all of Al Anbar Province! More than 53,000 square miles! There were three other Catholic Chaplains in this area: one was an Army Battalion Chaplain serving only his Battalion near Ramadi, the second was a Navy Chaplain at Al Assad, the central Air Base and location of the only major Medical facility before shipment to Landstuhl, Germany, another was at TaQadam, the central processing base for those coming and going into Iraq. All of them were Stationary, meaning they did not travel beyond their local area for Chaplain Support. Father John was tasked with covering the Catholic sacramental and pastoral care for every military location in Al Anbar Province (53,000 sq. mi.) and simultaneously administering the entire Catholic Program at Camp Fallujah, the headquarters of the Second Marine Division in command of all troops in Al Anbar Province. Chaplain Gayton traveled by helicopter and then convoy to the remote areas. However, most of his travel was by HUMVEE Convoys from Camp Fallujah. He spent 30% of his time in convoys — the most dangerous place in Al Anbar due to IEDs (Improvised Explosive Divisive).
One day in particular reflects why the Marine Corps awarded him the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. ( LINK Click here to read more-Article Here)
In January 2008 with only a few weeks until the end of his one-year tour, Chaplain Gayton received a Red Cross Message that his mother was diagnosed with Stage four pancreatic cancer and he needed to return home immediately. He returned home to care for her. On Mother’s Day, at his mother’s home, he was presented the Bronze Star in her presence and, he in turn, pinned it on her. She died 10 days later and was buried wearing the Bronze Star. (Photos Here)
Father Gayton, reported to Holy Cross Catholic Church as associate pastor in June 2008. The Navy assigned him as the Chaplain of the United States Coast Guard Pacific Area in Alameda, CA, supervising all Navy Chaplains assigned to the Coast Guard in the Western half of the nation. A year later he transferred to Coast Guard Atlantic Area as supervisory chaplain in the Eastern half of the nation. At the same time the pastorship at Holy Rosary Church came open and Father John applied for the position. Chosen by the Bishop, he began at Holy Rosary in June 2009. (two photos here)
He led a financial and spiritual Renaissance at Holy Rosary, which resulted in the financial solvency of the parish and a resurgence of Volunteers to save the sale of the Parish School and the Historic Grubb-Worth Mansion. 240 volunteers worked for 14 months to restore the residence, which was erected in 1784 and expanded in 1919. It is an example of period restoration and a shinning star on the Claymont Historical Tour. It serves as the Pastoral Center for the Parish. (Photos Here of the work and the sign and the final look)
In 2013, Chaplain Gayton, now a Commander, was once again mobilized to active duty and deployed to Camp Lemonnier, in Djibouti Africa, as the Command Chaplain and the Catholic Chaplain which before then were two different positions. He became “dual-hatted.” Once again he formed a partnership between family, friends and parishioners at home with the Troops in several countries of Africa and local charitable agencies. He took programs that were established by previous Chaplains and multiplied them, creating several other humanitarian programs. By the end of his tour the American Troops were sending out two to three groups a day to visit orphanages and schools, to teach English on behalf of the State Department, providing food, clothes and recreation for street children; building and repair projects for local charities. In order to solidify the relationship between the American Troops and the local government, Chaplain Gayton began meetings with government officials and local business owners. He then organized the first meeting between Military Commanders, Government & Business leaders hosted at Camp Lemonnier. That year Camp Lemonnier was awarded the two top awards offered in the Navy for Unit Volunteer Programs and Community Relations Programs. (Several photos here)
Father John joyfully returned to his civilian ministry as pastor at Holy Rosary Parish in July 2014 with much gratitude to Father Leonard Kempski, a retired priest and friend, who served as the administer of the parish in his absence. In the Navy Reserves, he was assigned as the Deputy Command Chaplain for the 4th Marine Logistics Group at the Marine Corps Reserve Headquarters in New Orleans, Louisiana and then in 2016 as Regimental Chaplain for the 7th Naval Construction Regiment (Seabees) in Gulfport, Mississippi. Bishop Malooley of the Diocese of Wilmington assigned him for a second 6 year term as pastor of Holy Rosary in 2016. Chaplain Gayton is now looking forward to retiring from the United States Navy Chaplain Corps in June 2019 at the age of 63 and after 23 years of service!