Louis V. Iasiello, OFM, USN (born 6 September 1950) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest retired

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

officer who served as the 23rd

Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy The Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy (CHC) is the highest-ranking military chaplain in the United States Navy and head of the United States Navy Chaplain Corps. As part of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and Department o ...

from 2003 to 2006. He is a well known

Just War The just war theory ( la, bellum iustum) is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics which is studied by military leaders, theologians, ethicists and policy makers. The purpose of the doctrine is to ensure that a war i ...

theorist, For 18 months after his retirement from the Navy, he was the president of

Washington Theological Union Washington Theological Union (WTU) was a Catholic graduate school of theology and seminary in Washington, D.C. in the United States, founded in 1968. It stopped accepting students in 2011, and suspended operations at the end of June 2015. WTU wa ...

. He accepted a position as a Professor of Humanities at

Pontifical College Josephinum The Pontifical College Josephinum is a private Roman Catholic seminary and university in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded by Joseph Jessing in 1888 and was granted the status of a Pontifical College in 1892 by Pope Leo XIII, making it the only pon ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

, in 2010.

Background and education

Iasiello grew up in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and ...

. He is an alumnus of St. Bonaventure University (1972), with a bachelor's degree in History. He has earned graduate degrees from

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. App ...

(Education) (1973), the Washington Theological Union (Divinity) (1977), the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

(National Security and Strategic Studies) (1991),

Salve Regina College Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The university enrolls m ...

(International Relations) (1992), and a PhD from

Salve Regina University Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The university enrolls m ...

(2003). His doctoral thesis was titled ''Jus in bello: Key issues for a contemporary assessment of just behavior in war''.

Career

Iasiello was received into the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

in August 1973 and is a member of th
Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province
After his

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

, he worked in Anapolis, Brazil. He was ordained to the priesthood on 13 May 1978, and was assigned to a

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

parish serving the Hispanic community in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. He then became the head of the Modern Languages department at Bishop Timon High School in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

Military and Post-military Career

Iasiello was commissioned as a Navy Chaplain Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in the Naval Reserves in 1981 and was recalled to active duty July 1983. His active duty assignments include: Naval Air Station, Memphis (83–85); U.S. Coast Guard,

Kodiak, Alaska Kodiak ( Alutiiq: , russian: Кадьяк), formerly Paul's Harbor, is the main city and one of seven communities on Kodiak Island in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska. All commercial transportation between the island's communities and the outside ...

(85–86); USS ''Ranger'' (CV-61) deployed in Operation Earnest Will, and in other deployments to Korea and the Persian Gulf (86–87); Second Marine Division; (8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Regiment, Marine Forces Panama) including two deployments to Norway, Operation Just Cause, Panama, and with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Special Operations Capable (MEU SOC) (87–90). Other assignments include: Naval War College Command and Staff, distinguished military graduate (90–91); United States Naval Academy, staff and faculty (91–94); Joint Task Force 160 (Cuba and Haiti); Armed Forces Staff College (94); Assistant Fleet Chaplain, U.S. Atlantic Fleet and Deputy Chaplain, U.S. Atlantic Command (94–97); Director for Operational Ministry, Atlantic Fleet (97–98); and Director, Naval Chaplains School (98-00). After selection to flag rank, Iasiello became the first Chaplain Corps flag officer to be appointed Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps (00-03). He has served on a Defense Task Force and has lectured at a number of the military's war and staff colleges. The Senate confirmed his appointment as the 23rd Chief of Navy Chaplains, July 2003. He retired October 2006 and assumed the duties of President of the Washington Theological Union. Admiral Iasiello then served as co-chair of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services from 2008 through 2010. He has served on numerous boards and advisory councils, including the Board of Advisors of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy. He is currently on the board of the Franciscan Monastery of the HolyLand, Washington, DC. Since 2010, he has been a Professor of Humanities and Director of Human Formation at the

, Columbus, Ohio. Personal decorations include the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

(Gold Star in lieu of second award), the

Defense Meritorious Service Medal The Defense Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM) is an award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense. In the order of precedence of the United States Armed Forces, it is worn between the Purple ...

, the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

(three awards); Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Coast Guard Commendation Medal;

Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to recei ...

; the

Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR, ), is a high precedence United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or ...

and numerous other unit and service citations and awards. In 1999, as a Navy Chaplain, Iasiello assisted at the burials at sea of

John F. Kennedy, Jr. John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. (November 25, 1960 – July 16, 1999), often referred to as John-John or JFK Jr., was an American lawyer, journalist, and magazine publisher. He was a son of the 35th president of the United States, John F. Ken ...

, his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and her sister, Lauren Bessette.

Publications

Iasiello has been published in numerous periodicals and books, most recently in the Naval War College Review (Summer/Fall 04): Jus Post Bellum: Moral Obligations of the Victors of War.; "Betrayal of Trust: David and Bathsheba Revisited." New Theology Review Volume 21, Number 2, May 2008.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iasiello, Louis 1950 births Living people St. Bonaventure University alumni Niagara University alumni American Friars Minor Washington Theological Union alumni American Roman Catholic priests Military personnel from New York City Chaplains of the United States Marine Corps Naval War College alumni Salve Regina University alumni United States Navy admirals Chiefs of Chaplains of the United States Navy Recipients of the Legion of Merit Pontifical College Josephinum faculty