chaplain, originally a priest or minister who had charge of a chapel, now an ordained member of the clergy who is assigned to a special ministry. The title dates to the early centuries of the Christian church.
In the 4th century, chaplains (Latin cappellani) were so called because they kept St. Martin’s famous half cape (cappella, diminutive of cappa). This sacred relic gave its name to the tent and later to the simple oratory or chapel where it was preserved. To it were added other relics that were guarded by chaplains appointed by the king during the Merovingian and Carolingian periods, and particularly during the reign of Charlemagne, who appointed clerical ministers (capellani) who lived within the royal palace. In addition to their primary duty of guarding the sacred relics, they also said mass for the king on feast days, worked in conjunction with the royal notaries, and wrote any documents the king required of them. In their duties chaplains thus gradually became more identified with direct service to the monarch as advisers in both ecclesiastical and secular matters.
The practice of kings appointing their own chaplains spread throughout western Christendom. Many of the royal chaplains were appointed to bishoprics and the highest offices in the church; and down to the present day the British monarchs have appointed their own royal chaplains. British monarchs still appoint the members of the Royal College of Chaplains, whose duties now involve little more than preaching occasionally in the chapel royal.
In modern usage the term chaplain is not confined to any particular church or denomination. Clergy and ministers appointed to a variety of institutions and corporate bodies—such as cemeteries, prisons, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, embassies, legations, and armed forces—usually are called chaplains.
Chaplains serve in the armed forces of most countries, generally as commissioned officers who are not required to bear arms. Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish chaplains serve in the armed forces of the United States.
A chaplain performs basically the same functions in most armed forces. A chaplain in the U.S. military must furnish or arrange for religious services and ministrations, advise his commander and fellow staff officers on matters pertaining to religion and morality, administer a comprehensive program of religious education, serve as counselor and friend to the personnel of the command, and conduct instruction classes in the moral guidance program of his service.