The Chaplain's Religious Enrichment Development Operation (CREDO) has been a part of Naval District Washington (NDW) for 44 years.

The CREDO program is distinctly spiritual and builds trust by facilitating an experience of unconditional acceptance resulting in a heightened sense of personal responsibility, and a deeper commitment to community.

"Military life is stressful-period. Stress has a way of getting in the way of intimate relationships and over time it can even wear on these relationships," said CREDO NDW Director Cmdr. Carl E. Trost. "Giving individuals and couples tools that strengthen these relationships, they are ready to face the challenges of military life, and life in general."

Each year CREDO hosts family retreats and spiritual growth retreats for individuals to develop their religious beliefs as well as marriage retreats for couples to explore positive ways to grow their marriage.

"In our marriage retreats and workshops, couples learn about tools, when used can help them talk about any and all issues that impact their relationship. These tools help couples create a place within the relationship where partners can share intimate, closely held thoughts and concerns, and tackle difficulties that all marriages encounter," said Trost.

Retreats and workshops like Marriage Enrichment, Personal Resiliency and Marriage Preparation, Assist and Safe-talk Suicide Intervention, Team Building, and Fighting for your Marriage are offered at no cost for active duty members and their immediate families, Reservists, as well as retirees.

"I was on hold at the transient personnel unit in waiting for my orders and I saw this flyer about CREDO in 1995," said Retired Chief Boatswain's Mate Tony Palm. "It just caught my eye, I didn't really care at the time what it was all about, all I cared about was that it was free and in the mountains east of San Diego and I thought that's kind of cool."
Palm explained he didn't go to the retreat with any goals or expectations nor spiritual connections.

"It was just a getaway for me at the beginning," said Palm. "I attended all the workshops and as the weekend progressed I became more and more emotional. By the third day the retreat just made me realize that I had been without a spiritual connection with God."
CREDO's mission is to build trust and facilitate an experience of unconditional acceptance, while affecting a heightened sense of responsibility.

"This process reconnected me with God," said Palm. "Over the course of six months after I went to the CREDO retreat, and after processing this spiritual stuff, it got me into a 12-step recovery for alcohol abuse."

"My faith in God is a direct result of me having attending CREDO six months before I got into the 12-step recovery program." said Palm. "My faith has only grown, it has only become more tangible in my life, it's not always been an easy thing, but I have always credited CREDO to be the spark. It was CREDO that led me to seek a better and deeper understanding of God, not religion. I believe that religion is for people who don't want to go to hell, and I believe that faith is for people whom have already being there."

The program emphasizes individual investment in teamwork, community building and reconciliation. CREDO offers reflection but does no attempt to "fix" people or force them to work on perceived issues. The intents is to look beyond behaviors to affirm each person as a unique creation of God with value and significance.

"There's a sense of professional fulfillment when individuals and couples are struggling with something small, large, or with life itself, find new energy and a new hope to tackle the source of that struggle. It's exciting to see the light bulb over one's head light up when one sees personal insight, understanding, forgiveness, love, and hope," said Trost.

For more information about the NDW CREDO program call 202-404-8830 or visit

http://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/ndw/installations/nsa_washington/about/facilities_and_resources/religious_programs.html


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