The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation honors the memory of military clergymen from different religions who banded together in heroic acts, sacrificing their own lives to save others.
 
The Philadelphia-based organization’s Executive Director Bill Kaemmer works to carry on this tradition of interfaith cooperation by encouraging individuals and groups to set aside differences to serve others.
 
Those differences include religion.
 
“What bound these four guys together was the fact that they had a really strong belief in humanity,” Kaemmer said of the chaplains for whom the group is named. “And I think that’s how chaplains need to act within an organization.”
 
Putting humanity first requires chaplains and other members of the American Legion Auxiliary to be mindful of the many different religions that those in their units may practice. It requires an emphasis on spirituality when offering prayer or guidance, instead of references to individual faiths.
 
2025-2026 ALA National Chaplain Nancy Magginnis understands how difficult it can be to refrain from focusing on a specific religion. But as a Christian, she said she works hard to ensure that she is conscious of other faiths, even as she honors her own.
 
“We want to include everyone in the things that we think, do, and say,” she said.
 
Kaemmer and Magginnis provided suggestions to help ALA members offer the kind of inclusive prayer and guidance that Four Chaplains encourages. Here are four key tips:
 
1. Celebrate spirituality. The Army emphasizes the importance of thinking about something bigger than oneself. “The challenge for chaplains,” said Kaemmer — who served in the Army’s Chaplain Corps for 30 years — “is to get people to think outside of their lives and how they affect other people.”
 
2. Enlist help. When ALA chaplains and other members prepare to pray with members of other faiths, those who practice that religion can be a resource. “I know a lot of chaplains,” Kaemmer said. “So, often I will call them and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got to talk in front of this group. What are your recommendations?’”
 
3. Be mission-focused. Just as the ALA’s mission puts service first, so should the practice of providing spiritual guidance, said Magginnis. “If we can start by setting aside our religious differences, then I think that helps us in the long run when other issues come up.”
 
4. Compile resources. Kaemmer recommended compiling procedures and information to share with the next chaplain or anyone else who might be asked to offer prayer or guidance. “If you’re doing an event,” he said as an example, “have something that says, ‘Here’s how we did it, here’s where we held it, here’s the contact, and here are some prayers I learned.’”
 
Ultimately, Kaemmer said honoring all ALA members’ religions is about aligning with the motto of Four Chaplains: Unity without uniformity. “We’re not trying to build congregations,” he said. “We’re trying to teach people to do acts of selfless service in the community and to teach people the idea of interfaith cooperation.”