Evening star., 1943-03-07
Front Line Chaplain
Finds Satisfaction
In Teni-Church
1t. Woodroofe, Formerly Of
St. Bartholomew, Has
Busy Time in Tunisiu
By RUTH CowAN,

BY RUTH COWAN,
Associated Press War Correspondent.
WITH AMERICAN FORCES On
TIE TUN1S1AN FRONT, Feb. 2:
(delayed) His altar Is . packing
case covered with Army blankets
Hts church is q tent heated by 9
stove which barely takes the chill
out Of the severe mountain air. HI.
tent Is also his sleeping quarters a'
night and the rectory by day.
But 1t. Robert Woodroofe. chap.
lain ut q front-line hospital, said hi
Is getting great satisfaction out Of
his work.
He was attached to big, fashion
able ST.. Bartholomew's Episcopal
Church in New York before he vol
unteed and came overseas with this
hospital unit. His wife and four
children are In New York.
II have q feeling I am really
accomplishing something" he said
And can testify that he is very
busy. .
6UuU0y NOIuQ1tA1AOu SGkvIC0s
On Sundays he holds q COM
munion service ut $50 am. An
hour and a half later comes a gen.
eral Protestant service held either
outdoors or In one Of the hospital
ward tents. There is q hymnsing
In his tent Sunday nights.
The soldiers favorites are the
familiar hymns. "Old Rugged
Cross" Rock Of Ages" and Abide
With Me"
They sort of wore out Onward
Christian Soldiers" q few weeks
ago because the organist, Pvt John
Martin, could play that without the
music. Pvt. Martin was assistant
organist at st. Bartholomews.
On Sundays and during the week
Pvt. Martin takes the portable organ
around to the various hospital wards
20 that soldiers can sing.
Once . week enlisted men, officers.
patients and members Of the hos
pital staf1 attend Bible class In
1t. Woodroofe's tent. These meet
1ngs frequently turn into open dig
cussions, said the chaplain, and II
enjoy them more than any other
activities"
Catholic Mass in Afternoon.
On Friday evenings, 1t. Wood
foofe holds q Jewish sabbath eve
service. Mass is said Sunday after
moons for Catholics by the corps
chaplain, Father Maurice Shataig-
mon Of Galveston, Tex, who comes
over to the hospital from another
unit.
In addition to his clerical tasls,
It. Woodroofe had other duties
before the recent arrival Of Barbara
Brandon Of Chicago and Indianapo-
Us, American Red Gross assistant
4eld worker. The chaplain dis
tributed the Red Cross limited sup
ply Of toothbrushes, shaving cream
and raSors to patients who needed
them.
The chaplain's tent also is the
hospital library and has 200 books
received from the drive for books
In the United States I scanned
the titles and can see why some Of
them never left the shelves even
Ia this hospital, where every copy
Of . month-old magazine Is q prize
bit Of late news.
It IL q rare soldier. wounded Or
well. who would want to read
sWoodcraft." "On the HEARTH >
.Abovs the Dove c2te" and similar
titles.
The chaplain conhded that nine
huge engineering manuals were
never opened. except to obtain peper
70 light the stove.
Want Adventure Stories.
What the soldiers want, according
70 the chaplain, are magazines,
Western stories apd adventure and
mystery tales. They like comics.
Men don't manifest intellectual
interest when they are Sick" said
1t. Woodroofe.
The chaplain and Pvt. Martin get
out daily bulletin OF news picked
up from radio broadcasts. News
papers from home are weeks or
months old before they get here.
1t. Woodroofe frequently gets re-
quests from the soldiers to write
letters for them. He told Of one
chap who didn't have much book
Learning" and as far as he could
got tn his letter was. Dear Nom. +"
He wanted tbs chaplain to write
her like he would his own mother.
Before 1t. Woodroofe left New
York his congregation gave him .
silver chalice, but he said he had
had very few opportunities to use 1t.
The chaplain 10 Q native Of Phila-
delphia.