When retired Air Force officer Suzy Streeter enrolled in the University of Dayton’s Master of Pastoral Ministry program in 2021, she was searching for the next step in her life after 28 years of military service. What she did not expect was that a class assignment in “Theology of Ministry,” taught by Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski, MHSH, D.Min., would spark the creation of a global spiritual mentoring initiative for U.S. service members.
As part of the course, students were challenged to write their own theology of ministry. Streeter began reflecting on her decades of military experience, the spiritual insights she was gaining through her UD formation, and her lifelong passion for mentoring. A new question emerged: What would it look like to spiritually accompany military members in a more intentional way?
Inspired by Pope Francis’ call to accompaniment in Evangelii Gaudium, she envisioned a ministry built on active listening, compassionate presence, and “soul friendship.” The focus would be on pairing seasoned military personnel with younger service members who were seeking guidance on integrating their faith with military life.
In 2022, Streeter met with Dr. Mark Moitoza, Vice Chancellor for Evangelization at the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), to explore launching the idea locally in Colorado Springs. With encouragement from AMS and UD faculty, the vision quickly expanded.
A key turning point came when Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski, MHSH, D.Min., from the Institute for Pastoral Initiatives (IPI), offered to help design and deploy a spiritual mentoring training course on the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation (VLCFF). This collaboration allowed the program to become structured, sustainable, and accessible to military communities around the world.
By September 2023, Streeter began recruiting both mentors and mentees. Experienced military members completed training grounded in active listening, pastoral presence, and spiritual accompaniment. Many junior military members shared that they were unsure how to integrate their Catholic faith with their military responsibilities, and the mentoring relationships became a meaningful response to that need.
Following Streeter’s graduation in May 2024, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio approved a pilot expansion of the ministry, with IPI continuing to support the effort. Since then, Streeter has visited military chapels across Europe, Asia, and the United States, and has trained more than sixty military mentors and eleven military spouses.
The feedback has been deeply moving. One mentee shared, “My mentor has been a Godsend.” Mentors have also found the experience enriching, noting that the skills gained through the training have supported their own spiritual lives and volunteer ministries.
Today, Streeter is working closely with AMS to continue expanding the ministry through outreach, digital communication efforts, and ongoing refinement of the training process. She hopes to help more mentors and mentees form meaningful spiritual connections as the ministry grows beyond its pilot phase.
What began as a UD classroom assignment has become a global ministry of presence, compassion, and hope. It continues to reflect IPI’s mission to empower disciples who accompany others in faith, wherever they may be.
To learn more about the Military Spiritual Mentoring Initiative, visit:
https://www.milarch.org/spiritual-mentoring/