Remember Father Kapaun on Memorial Day
As we pause on Memorial Day to remember those who have made the supreme sacrifice, we should bring to mind Father Emil Kapaun (pronounced "ka-pown"), an Army chaplain in the Korean War who exhibited great courage and devotion to his men on the battlefield, and even greater courage and devotion during captivity by the Communists that led to his death.
Father Kapaun's cause for sainthood is in progress, and you can visit his official site (click on this post's title).
Father's patron saint was St. Dismas, the Good Thief, as he risked his life to steal food for his starving men from their Red captors. He was a rock of strength to his men, keeping them from despair. The Communists exhibited fear of him because of his holiness. Finally illness overcame him, and the Communists took him away to die in a freezing room.
Father Kapaun, pray for us!
Father Kapaun's cause for sainthood is in progress, and you can visit his official site (click on this post's title).
Father's patron saint was St. Dismas, the Good Thief, as he risked his life to steal food for his starving men from their Red captors. He was a rock of strength to his men, keeping them from despair. The Communists exhibited fear of him because of his holiness. Finally illness overcame him, and the Communists took him away to die in a freezing room.
Father Kapaun, pray for us!
posted by Quintero at 1:13 PM
5 Comments:
Well said Quintero,
Blessed are those chaplains who braved the battle fronts to give the sacraments to those in need.
There's a Marine chaplain, who was a Maryknoll Father, whose canonization cause has just opened. His name was Father Vincent Capodanno, "The Grunt Padre." He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his sacrifice in Vietnam.
Father Capodanno also had a ship named in his honor, USS Capodanno, which was blessed by Pope John Paul the Great, in Naples, Italy, July 4, 1981. The USS Capodano was the first US military ship to receive a Papal blessing.
Greater love hath no man . . . [Jn 15:13]
OOooops! 'Missed the previous post!
Dear MVH,
Glad to hear you know so much about Father Capodanno, a real hero. He truly lived the Marine Corps motto, Semper Fidelis.
Dear Bob,
Thank you, and amen to your comments about chaplains!
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