Auxiliary Bishop Joseph L. Coffey and Father Alexander "A.J." Houston in Knoxville, TN, on June 7, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Knoxville.
After years performing music in uniform, former U.S. Army clarinetist Alexander “A.J.” Houston has taken on a new role — serving the spiritual needs of soldiers as a Catholic priest.
Father Alexander “A.J.” Houston, 32, was ordained to the Catholic priesthood June 7 in the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, according to a press release from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).
A former active-duty soldier and clarinetist, Houston is now preparing to return to military life as an Army chaplain, providing spiritual care for service members and their families.
Bishop Mark Beckman of Knoxville ordained Fr. Houston at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with AMS Auxiliary Bishop Joseph L. Coffey concelebrating. His father, Charles Houston, a former U.S. Navy corpsman, was present for the ordination.
The priest said his vocation took shape while he was still in uniform.
“I felt the calling to ordained ministry while serving as an active duty soldier at Fort Bliss,” he recalled. “I saw the need for priests to serve in the Armed Forces while deployed in Iraq, and I was inspired by the preaching and the joy of some chaplains assigned to Fort Bliss.”
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Fr. Houston earned his undergraduate degree in music from the University of Cincinnati in 2015 and served as an Army musician until 2019. He later pursued seminary studies at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, earning both a Master of Arts in philosophical studies and a Master of Divinity.
“Please keep me in your prayers,” said Fr. Houston. “As you remain in mine.”
He will serve in parish ministry in Knoxville for three years before returning to active duty under the AMS’s Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program — a joint initiative between the AMS and dioceses nationwide aimed at addressing the ongoing shortage of Catholic military chaplains.
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