Steered by God and ordered by the military
Father BalkeyCHARLOTTE — Father Darren Balkey, parochial vicar at St. Matthew Parish, soon will add a camouflage Navy uniform with a cross insignia pinned to the collar to his collection of vestments.
He will gain an additional title, too: Lieutenant Balkey, Chaplain Corps, U.S. Navy. Instead of his parishioners calling him Father Balkey, his unit will refer to him as Chaplain Balkey.
St. Matthew parishioners will honor him at a farewell reception on Sunday, June 1, after he presides over his final children’s Mass, marking the end of his three-year assignment with the Diocese of Charlotte. His parish family, who appreciate his dedication, will miss him greatly.
Diane Kiradjieff, director of religious education, says, “We are all sad he is leaving, but look what he is going to do. You can’t be bitter about that. He is serving his country, he is still serving us, and he is serving God.”
On June 8, Father Balkey will join the ranks of only 50 active-duty Catholic U.S. Navy chaplains nationwide. Ordained in June 2022, Father Balkey “wet his feet” just enough to embark on his first assignment. Three years as a priest is the minimum required by Military Services Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio to receive official orders.
Father Balkey will be traveling light, considering he has no idea where his assignment will take him.
“I could go to the Navy, the Coast Guard, the Marines – wherever there’s a ship,” he says. “I can be going to anything that floats and any base inside or outside the United States.”
His first destination will be the Naval Chaplaincy School in Rhode Island for two months of training. Upon completion, he will serve the military for a minimum of five years.
Father Balkey isn’t nervous about his new mission. Being a priest helped him realize he is not steering the ship – God is. “It’s something I don’t stress about, because what am
I going to do?” he muses. “It’s like I am laying on that floor again (at ordination) saying, ‘Here I am, send me’.”
Even though chaplains are non-combative, he is geared up with his weapon of choice: prayer.
Father Balkey has had a busy three years assigned to St. Matthew in Charlotte, one of the largest parishes in the country, where he joyfully embraced every aspect of the priesthood, such as baptisms. (Photo provided by Phillip Budidharma)“I offered two Masses for my first commanding officer and three Masses for my first command,” he says. “I want to be able to look them in the eye and say, ‘Sir or Ma’am, I’ve been praying for you. Here is the day I did that, and I am a Catholic priest. I am going to serve on your team. Let me know where I can do the most good.’”
He explains, “I am sending missiles over the horizon, already shooting spiritual ammunition in the right direction for the people that I work for and the people that I work to serve. I don’t know who my commander will be. God knows, and that’s awesome, but all I can do is be obedient.”
At the age of 33, Father Balkey foresees being the old guy on the ship.
“The majority of our military are people that are from 18 to 25 years old. They are away from home for the very first time. They’re in a high-stress environment. They’re starting to ask the big questions,” he says. “At that moment, people can have a very profound encounter with God.
“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, you’re such a young priest,’ but I’m pretty old for a sailor,” he says.
This doesn’t bother him. One of the main reasons he became a priest after graduating from Belmont Abbey College with a degree in criminal justice was to be a father figure to the community.
“I was looking for something with further reach. You can’t arrest your way out of a problem. You can’t fix a broken home with a search warrant. I thought the thing that was missing here was a true father,” Father Balkey says. “I began to have a spiritual desire to father these people spiritually, to be there for people, like a shepherd.”
Father Darren Balkey blesses Ensign Veronica Hine on Aug. 15, 2022, at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. Hine, a Catholic and 2021 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, was serving aboard Coast Guard Cutter Sycamore, a seagoing buoy tender homeported at Naval Station Newport. While Father Balkey was preparing for seminary, “Anchors Aweigh,” the song he played during high school football games, became a continuous soundtrack in his head. He took that as a sign the Navy was also calling, and he answered. (Photo provided by Erin Donlon)That mentality was felt at St. Matthew Parish.
“He very much is a shepherd for all of the staff as well as the faithful,” Kiradjieff says.
Father Balkey hopes to shepherd his new flock in the military, which he felt called to even as he was preparing for seminary.
“I felt called to give my life for the sake of the Church, and the natural corollary to that was serving my country as well,” he says.
Balkey has had a busy three years, being assigned to one of the largest parishes in the country. With approximately 11,000 parish families, nine Sunday Masses, nine nearby hospitals, 700 St. Matthew School students, thousands of faith formation students, a lot of marriages and funerals, Father Balkey’s “training wheels” fell off a while ago.
“He is always available and truly wants to know you,” Kiradjieff says. “He challenges us all to grow in our roles. He was able to touch on each ministry and get to know as many parishioners as possible.”
“We are going to miss him tremendously. He has been a bright presence here, and he very much cares about making sure he left this place better than when he arrived,” she says.
— Lisa M. Geraci
