ACTIVITY CALENDARS The spaces in RMFs are used for a multitude of religious, command, and civic functions during normal duty hours, in the evenings, and on weekends. One of your most important responsibilities will be to make sure there are no scheduling conflicts. Only one person in the RMF should manage the activity calendar. This person should be the only one to make changes to the activity schedule. For the sake of accuracy, the person who has this responsibility should make each change in schedule on the activity calendar immediately upon being notified of the change. Just as only one person should manage the activity calendar, only one activity calendar, such as the one shown in figure 6-2, should be prepared and maintained. A good practice is to have an activity calendar for the current month and one each for the following 2 months. Remember, the chaplain’s office may be notified of scheduled meetings, ceremonies, and other activities several months in advance. This is particularly true if your RMF handles wedding ceremonies that may be scheduled up to a year in advance. Keeping track of all scheduled events in an RMF is a big job. For an effective activity calendar, each entry you make for a scheduled event should include the following four elements: 1. Time of the event 2. Description of the event 3. Place or location of the event 4. Person (name and phone number) coordinating the event When entering events in the activity calendar, be aware that you will need more information for some events than for others. For example, in the case of routinely occurring events, such as weekly religious services, you will not need the depth of information, such as the name and phone number of the person coordinating the event, as you would for a wedding that is scheduled to take place in the RMF the following month. At the beginning of each month, give a copy of the activity calendar to the command chaplain and chapel staff. Be aware that the commander or commanding officer (CO) and executive officer (XO) or chief of staff may also need copies.    Since the CRP is the overall responsibility of these officials, the chaplain should keep them informed of the activities occurring in the RMF. PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION Privileged communication is a legal term defined as a special relationship involving a spoken or written communication between two or more persons. This relationship  seals  the  counselor  or  confessor  from releasing any information derived from the privileged communication. You refer to the person protected as the counselee  or  penitent. Privileged  communication occurs between a counselee or penitent and a clergyman or clergywoman, chaplain, minister, priest, or rabbi and, by extension, an RP. Some examples of situations in which you, the RP, would  be  bound  by  privileged  communication  are presented in the following cases: . You are in the berthing area when a service member approaches you for the purpose of having you relay  details  to  a  chaplain  concerning  a  personal difficulty. .  A  shipmate  solicits  you  at  your  quarters specifically so you can relay facts concerning a personal problem to one of the chaplains. . A shipmate approaches you, explains a personal problem, and asks you whether you feel he should see a chaplain. l A shipmate approaches you, tells you about a personal problem and his intention to see a chaplain, and asks if you could help him get an earlier appointment. . A friend confronts you concerning a personal dilemma and asks you to recommend someone to whom she can turn. In all these cases, you are in a situation that involves privileged   communication. A   privileged communication is confidential if it is made to a chaplain in the chaplain’s capacity as a spiritual adviser or to an RP  in  the  RP’s  official  capacity.  Because  it  is confidential,  a  privileged  communication  is  not intended to be disclosed to third persons other than those to  whom  the  person  has  given  his  or  her  explicit permission. This privilege may be claimed by the person, by the guardian or conservator, or by a personal representative if the person is deceased. The chaplain or RP who receives the communication may also claim the privilege on behalf of the person. The authority of the chaplain or RP to do so is presumed in the absence of evidence to the contrary. Obviously, you must use care and control whenever a person seeks your counsel on a personal matter. 6-6