Emil Kapaun
Encyclopedia
Emil Joseph Kapaun was a Roman
Catholic priest
and United States Army chaplain
who died in the Korean War
. The Roman Catholic Church has declared him a Servant of God
and he is a candidate for sainthood.
. His parents were Enos and Elizabeth Kapaun, Czech
immigrants
He attended and graduated from Pilsen High School in May 1930. Kapaun graduated from Conception Abbey
seminary
college in Conception, Missouri
, in June 1936. He then attended Kenrick Theological Seminary (now Kenrick-Glennon Seminary
), St. Louis, Missouri
, where he was ordained in June 1940. Kapuan also served as auxiliary chaplain at Herington Army Airfield nearby Pilsen. In December 1943, Fr. Kapaun was appointed pastor
to replace Fr. Sklenar who had retired. After serving in the Pilsen area under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita
, Kapaun joined the army in July 1944.
in Wichita, Kansas
. He celebrated his first Mass at St. John Nepomucene in Pilsen, Kansas
.
In 1943, Kapaun is appointed auxiliary chaplain at the Herington Army Airfield near Herington, Kansas
.
Fr. Kapaun began his military chaplain
cy at Camp Wheeler
, Georgia
, in October 1944. He and one other chaplain ministered to approximately 19,000 service men and women.
He was sent to India
and served in the Burma Theater
. Fr. Kapaun was promoted to Captain in January 1946 and returned stateside in May 1946. Kapaun was discharged in 1946 and went to the Catholic University of Washington
where in 1948 he earned an M.A. in education.
In September 1948, he re-enlisted in the Army. He resumed his chaplaincy at Fort Bliss
, El Paso, Texas
. Fr. Kapaun left his parents and Pilsen for the last time in December 1949.
In July 1950, Kapaun was ordered to Korea from Japan, a month after North Korea
invades South Korea
.
In January 1950 he was stationed near Mt. Fuji, Japan
as a military chaplain until alerted into combat in July 1950. In the same month, Fr. Kapaun's unit, the 35th Brigade from Ft. Bliss landed in South Korea during a big invasion. He was constantly on the move northward until his capture by Chinese Communists in November 1950.
In November 1950, he was captured near Unsan
, North Korea. On May 23, 1951, he died in a prison camp in Pyoktong
, North Korea.
His main complaint was lack of sleep for several weeks at a time. He constantly ministered to the dead and dying while performing baptism
s, hearing first Confession
s, offering Holy Communion and celebrating Mass
from an improvised altar set up on the front end of an army jeep. He constantly would lose his Mass Kit, jeep and trailer to enemy fire. He told how he was thoroughly convinced that the prayers of many others were what had saved him so many times up until his capture. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal
in September 1950 just before his capture in November 1950. Kapaun was captured in November 1950 and died in a POW camp on May 23, 1951. He was buried in a mass grave near the Yalu River
. He was noted among his fellow POWs as one who would steal coffee and tea (and a pot to heat them in) from the Communist guards.
On August 18, 1951, Kapaun is posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
for his actions at Unsan
.
(R-Kan.) began a campaign to award the Medal of Honor
to Kapaun.
Before leaving office on September 16, 2009, Secretary of the Army Pete Geren
sent Tiahrt a letter, agreeing that Kapaun was worthy of the honor. Admiral Michael Mullen
, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
, also agrees. Seven chaplains have been awarded the Medal of Honor
. Tiahrt hopes the United States Congress
will approve a bill awarding the Medal of Honor
to Kapaun, for signing by President Barack Obama
.
by the Roman Catholic Church
, the first step toward possible canonization
.
Reports received noted that Fr. Kapaun's feet had become badly frozen, but that he continued to administer to the sick and wounded. He continuously went out under heavy mortar and shelling to rescue wounded and dying soldiers at personal risk of being captured or killed.
Many accounts were given as to the many creature comforts he provided the many of his comrades of the 8th Cavalry Regiment during imprisonment. They were both spiritual and physical. He provided endless hours of prayer
and what nourishment he could find to all he could to keep them from starving to death.
Fr. Kapaun, weakened as months passed on, managed to lead Easter
sunrise service on Sunday, March 25, 1951. He was so weak that the prison guards took him to the hospital where he died of pneumonia
on May 23, 1951. Fr. Kapaun received a citation for the Distinguished Service Cross
.
A detailed account of Fr. Kapaun's life is recounted in Fr. Arthur Tonne's Chaplain Kapaun: Patriot Priest of the Korean Conflict. The author writes:
When Fr. Kapaun was assigned to the Eighth Cavalry regiment — which was surrounded and overrun by the Chinese army in North Korea in October and November 1950 — he stayed behind with the wounded when the Army retreated. He allowed his own capture, then risked death by preventing Chinese executions of wounded Americans too injured to walk.
, can be considered a miracle by the Roman Catholic Church
. He may be on the road to sainthood and could be considered only the third American-born saint.
On June 26, 2009, Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, the Roman Postulator for Father Kapaun's cause for canonization arrived in Wichita in order to interview doctors in relation to alleged miraculous events. Among these, the claims of 20-year-old Chase Kear who survived a severe head injury last year in part, because he and his family claim, they successfully petitioned Fr. Emil Kapaun to intercede for them.
Kear, a member of the Hutchinson Community College
track team, fell on his head during pole vaulting practice in October 2008 but, it is said, was miraculously healed despite being near death.
The Rev. John Hotze, the judicial vicar
for the Diocese of Wichita, and trained in Canon Law, will assist in investigating Kear's case. Fr. Hotze has spent eight years investigating the proposed sainthood of Kapaun. The Catholic Church has considered canonizing Fr. Kapaun ever since soldiers were liberated from Korean prisoner-of-war camps in 1953 and retold tales of Kapaun's heroism and faith. The Wichita diocese has continued receiving reports of miracles involving Fr. Kapaun. He is being considered for possible designation as a martyr
.
). Due to a series of coincidences, Nick survived, even though he had seemingly died on the scene. His childhood friend, EMT Micah Ehling, is quoted by the Eagle as saying "I know what a face looks like when the soul leaves the body. And that's what Nick looked like". Some bystanders attribute Nick's survival to the devotion of his cousin, Jonah Dellasega, who fell to his knees at the scene and prayed to Father Emil Kapaun. In a strange coincidence not reported by the Eagle, Dylan Meier
, in whose memory the 5K was being held, was slated to teach English in Korea at the time of his death.
Skeptics point out that Kapaun's spirit could not possibly have orchestrated the bizarre coincidences that saved Nick's life, because some of them were set in motion long before Nick collapsed (including a visit by Nick's uncle, Mark, a medical doctor from Greenville, N.C.). However, believers insist Father Kapaun intervened to save Nick's life; The Eagle reports: "The coincidences are strange enough and the prayer notable enough that a Catholic church investigator has reported Nick's story to the Vatican, which happens to have a representative in Wichita again, sizing up Father Emil Kapaun for sainthood."
Roman Catholic (term)
The term Roman Catholic appeared in the English language at the beginning of the 17th century, to differentiate specific groups of Christians in communion with the Pope from others; comparable terms in other languages already existed...
Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
and United States Army chaplain
Chaplain Corps (United States Army)
The Chaplain Corps of the United States Army consists of ordained clergy who are commissioned Army officers as well as enlisted soldiers who serve as assistants. Their purpose is to offer religious services, counseling, and moral support to the armed forces, whether in peacetime or at war.-Army...
who died in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. The Roman Catholic Church has declared him a Servant of God
Servant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
and he is a candidate for sainthood.
Early life
Emil Joseph Kapaun was born on April 20, 1916, and grew up on a farm three miles southwest of Pilsen, KansasPilsen, Kansas
Pilsen is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Kansas, United States. It is named after the city Plzeň in Czech Republic, formerly Bohemia.-19th century:...
. His parents were Enos and Elizabeth Kapaun, Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
immigrants
He attended and graduated from Pilsen High School in May 1930. Kapaun graduated from Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway County, was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an abbey in 1881...
seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
college in Conception, Missouri
Conception, Missouri
Conception is an unincorporated community in eastern Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. It is located about eleven miles southeast of Maryville on U.S. Route 136. It is very near Conception Junction, Missouri . Conception is home to Conception Abbey....
, in June 1936. He then attended Kenrick Theological Seminary (now Kenrick-Glennon Seminary
Kenrick-Glennon Seminary
Kenrick–Glennon Seminary is a private not-for-profit Roman Catholic Seminary located in Shrewsbury, Missouri in St. Louis County. The Seminary is named after Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick and Cardinal John J. Glennon, former Archbishops of Saint Louis. The Seminary traces its origins to the...
), St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, where he was ordained in June 1940. Kapuan also served as auxiliary chaplain at Herington Army Airfield nearby Pilsen. In December 1943, Fr. Kapaun was appointed pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
to replace Fr. Sklenar who had retired. After serving in the Pilsen area under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita
Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita is a Roman Catholic diocese in Kansas. It was founded on August 2, 1887, and covers Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Labette, Marion, McPherson, Montgomery, Morris, Neosho, Reno,...
, Kapaun joined the army in July 1944.
U.S. Army service
On June 9, 1940, Kapaun was ordained a priest at what is now Newman UniversityNewman University
Newman University is a coeducational Catholic liberal arts university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. The university offers both undergraduate and masters level programs.-History:...
in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. He celebrated his first Mass at St. John Nepomucene in Pilsen, Kansas
Pilsen, Kansas
Pilsen is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Kansas, United States. It is named after the city Plzeň in Czech Republic, formerly Bohemia.-19th century:...
.
In 1943, Kapaun is appointed auxiliary chaplain at the Herington Army Airfield near Herington, Kansas
Herington, Kansas
Herington is a city in Dickinson and Morris counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. Named after its founder, Monroe Davis Herington. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,526.-19th century:...
.
Fr. Kapaun began his military chaplain
Military chaplain
A military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
cy at Camp Wheeler
Camp Wheeler
Camp Wheeler was a United States Army base near Macon, Georgia. The camp was a staging location for many US Army units during World War I and World War II. It was named for Joseph Wheeler, a general in the Confederate States of America's Army....
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, in October 1944. He and one other chaplain ministered to approximately 19,000 service men and women.
He was sent to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and served in the Burma Theater
China Burma India Theater of World War II
China Burma India Theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjunction with British and Chinese Allied air and land forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II...
. Fr. Kapaun was promoted to Captain in January 1946 and returned stateside in May 1946. Kapaun was discharged in 1946 and went to the Catholic University of Washington
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
where in 1948 he earned an M.A. in education.
In September 1948, he re-enlisted in the Army. He resumed his chaplaincy at Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
, El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. Fr. Kapaun left his parents and Pilsen for the last time in December 1949.
In July 1950, Kapaun was ordered to Korea from Japan, a month after North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
invades South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
In January 1950 he was stationed near Mt. Fuji, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as a military chaplain until alerted into combat in July 1950. In the same month, Fr. Kapaun's unit, the 35th Brigade from Ft. Bliss landed in South Korea during a big invasion. He was constantly on the move northward until his capture by Chinese Communists in November 1950.
In November 1950, he was captured near Unsan
Unsan
Unsan is a kun, or county, in eastern North Pyongan province, North Korea. Within the province, it borders Hyangsan in the east, Kujang and Nyongbyon in the south, and Tongchang and Taechon in the west...
, North Korea. On May 23, 1951, he died in a prison camp in Pyoktong
Pyoktong
Pyoktong is a kun, or county, in northern North Pyongan province, North Korea. It lies in the valley of the Yalu River, and borders China to the north. Within North Korea, it is bounded by Tongchang in the south, Changsong in the west, and Usi county in Chagang province to the east...
, North Korea.
His main complaint was lack of sleep for several weeks at a time. He constantly ministered to the dead and dying while performing baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
s, hearing first Confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
s, offering Holy Communion and celebrating Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
from an improvised altar set up on the front end of an army jeep. He constantly would lose his Mass Kit, jeep and trailer to enemy fire. He told how he was thoroughly convinced that the prayers of many others were what had saved him so many times up until his capture. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
in September 1950 just before his capture in November 1950. Kapaun was captured in November 1950 and died in a POW camp on May 23, 1951. He was buried in a mass grave near the Yalu River
Yalu River
The Yalu River or the Amnok River is a river on the border between North Korea and the People's Republic of China....
. He was noted among his fellow POWs as one who would steal coffee and tea (and a pot to heat them in) from the Communist guards.
On August 18, 1951, Kapaun is posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
for his actions at Unsan
Unsan
Unsan is a kun, or county, in eastern North Pyongan province, North Korea. Within the province, it borders Hyangsan in the east, Kujang and Nyongbyon in the south, and Tongchang and Taechon in the west...
.
Military Service Decorations
- Distinguished Service Cross
- Legion of Merit
- Bronze Star Medal with V (Valor) Device
- Purple Heart
- Prisoner of War Medal
- American Campaign Medal (WWII)
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (WWII) with One Campaign Star
- World War II Victory Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Korean Service Medal with Two Campaign Stars
- United Nations Service Medal - Korea
- Republic of Korea War Service Medal
- U.S. Army Presidential Unit Citation
- Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Possible Medal of Honor
In 2000, U.S. Rep. Todd TiahrtTodd Tiahrt
Todd Tiahrt is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district encompasses 11 counties in the south central region of the state, including the city of Wichita. He was succeeded by Republican Mike Pompeo.Tiahrt ran...
(R-Kan.) began a campaign to award the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
to Kapaun.
Before leaving office on September 16, 2009, Secretary of the Army Pete Geren
Pete Geren
Preston M. "Pete" Geren, III served as the 20th United States Secretary of the Army from July 16, 2007 to September 16, 2009...
sent Tiahrt a letter, agreeing that Kapaun was worthy of the honor. Admiral Michael Mullen
Michael Mullen
Michael Glenn "Mike" Mullen is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral, who served as the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2011. Mullen previously served as the Navy's 28th Chief of Naval Operations from July 22, 2005 to September 29, 2007...
, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...
, also agrees. Seven chaplains have been awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
. Tiahrt hopes the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
will approve a bill awarding the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
to Kapaun, for signing by President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Possible Sainthood
In 1993, Kapaun is named Servant of GodServant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, the first step toward possible canonization
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
.
Personal holiness
The following is a general narrative from the many reports of Fr. Kapaun's ordeal as a prisoner of war given by many repatriated American soldiers after their release from prison camps. He was most remembered for his great humility, bravery, his constancy, his love and kindness and solicitude for his fellow prisoners. "He was their hero... their admired and beloved "padre." He kept up the G.I.'s morale, and most of all, allowed a lot of men to become good Catholics."Reports received noted that Fr. Kapaun's feet had become badly frozen, but that he continued to administer to the sick and wounded. He continuously went out under heavy mortar and shelling to rescue wounded and dying soldiers at personal risk of being captured or killed.
Many accounts were given as to the many creature comforts he provided the many of his comrades of the 8th Cavalry Regiment during imprisonment. They were both spiritual and physical. He provided endless hours of prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and what nourishment he could find to all he could to keep them from starving to death.
Fr. Kapaun, weakened as months passed on, managed to lead Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
sunrise service on Sunday, March 25, 1951. He was so weak that the prison guards took him to the hospital where he died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on May 23, 1951. Fr. Kapaun received a citation for the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
.
A detailed account of Fr. Kapaun's life is recounted in Fr. Arthur Tonne's Chaplain Kapaun: Patriot Priest of the Korean Conflict. The author writes:
"In a very definite sense, we are all beneficiaries from the life of Fr. Kapaun. He has left us a stirring example of devotion to duty. He has passed on to us a spirit of tolerance and understanding. He has given us a share of dauntless bravery — of body and soulSoulA soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
. He has transmitted to every one of us a new appreciation of America, and a keener, more realistic understanding of our country's greatest enemy — godlessness, now stalking the world in the form of communismCommunismCommunism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. He has bequeathed a picture of ChristChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
-like life. What Fr. Kapaun willed to us cannot be contained in memorials, however costly or beautiful. It is a treasure for the human soul — the spirit of one who loved and served God and man — even unto death."
When Fr. Kapaun was assigned to the Eighth Cavalry regiment — which was surrounded and overrun by the Chinese army in North Korea in October and November 1950 — he stayed behind with the wounded when the Army retreated. He allowed his own capture, then risked death by preventing Chinese executions of wounded Americans too injured to walk.
Canonization process
The Vatican is now examining whether a medical healing that took place in Sedgwick County, KansasSedgwick County, Kansas
Sedgwick County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county's population was 498,365 for the 2010 census. The largest city and county seat is Wichita. The county was named after General John Sedgwick...
, can be considered a miracle by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He may be on the road to sainthood and could be considered only the third American-born saint.
2008
On Sunday, June 29, 2008, the Opening Ceremony which officially opens the Cause for Sainthood for Fr. Emil Kapaun was made on Father Kapaun Day held at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Pilsen, Kansas.On June 26, 2009, Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, the Roman Postulator for Father Kapaun's cause for canonization arrived in Wichita in order to interview doctors in relation to alleged miraculous events. Among these, the claims of 20-year-old Chase Kear who survived a severe head injury last year in part, because he and his family claim, they successfully petitioned Fr. Emil Kapaun to intercede for them.
Kear, a member of the Hutchinson Community College
Hutchinson Community College
Hutchinson Community College is a two-year college located in Hutchinson, Kansas. Its mascot is the Blue Dragon. Philadelphia Phillies reliever Mike Zagurski attended the school.-External links:*...
track team, fell on his head during pole vaulting practice in October 2008 but, it is said, was miraculously healed despite being near death.
The Rev. John Hotze, the judicial vicar
Judicial vicar
In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court...
for the Diocese of Wichita, and trained in Canon Law, will assist in investigating Kear's case. Fr. Hotze has spent eight years investigating the proposed sainthood of Kapaun. The Catholic Church has considered canonizing Fr. Kapaun ever since soldiers were liberated from Korean prisoner-of-war camps in 1953 and retold tales of Kapaun's heroism and faith. The Wichita diocese has continued receiving reports of miracles involving Fr. Kapaun. He is being considered for possible designation as a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
.
2011
On May 7, 2011, Nick Dellasega collapsed at a Get Busy Living 5K race in Pittsburg, KS (honoring the memory of Dylan MeierDylan Meier
Dylan Meier was a quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats football team. He played in college from 2002 to 2006.From 2007 to 2009 he played in Europe for the German and Italian Football Leagues.-Early life:...
). Due to a series of coincidences, Nick survived, even though he had seemingly died on the scene. His childhood friend, EMT Micah Ehling, is quoted by the Eagle as saying "I know what a face looks like when the soul leaves the body. And that's what Nick looked like". Some bystanders attribute Nick's survival to the devotion of his cousin, Jonah Dellasega, who fell to his knees at the scene and prayed to Father Emil Kapaun. In a strange coincidence not reported by the Eagle, Dylan Meier
Dylan Meier
Dylan Meier was a quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats football team. He played in college from 2002 to 2006.From 2007 to 2009 he played in Europe for the German and Italian Football Leagues.-Early life:...
, in whose memory the 5K was being held, was slated to teach English in Korea at the time of his death.
Skeptics point out that Kapaun's spirit could not possibly have orchestrated the bizarre coincidences that saved Nick's life, because some of them were set in motion long before Nick collapsed (including a visit by Nick's uncle, Mark, a medical doctor from Greenville, N.C.). However, believers insist Father Kapaun intervened to save Nick's life; The Eagle reports: "The coincidences are strange enough and the prayer notable enough that a Catholic church investigator has reported Nick's story to the Vatican, which happens to have a representative in Wichita again, sizing up Father Emil Kapaun for sainthood."
Memorials
- Kapaun Memorial Chapel, Seoul, South Korea; dedicated November 4, 1953.
- Kapaun Religious Retreat House, Ōiso, Japan; dedicated December 1954.
- Kapaun Barracks and Chapel, United States Military Base, Kaiserslautern, Germany; dedicated June 7, 1955.
- Father Kapaun Memorial Technical School, Kwanju, Korea; dedicated Summer 1955.
- Chaplain Kapaun Memorial High School, Wichita, Kansas; dedicated May 12, 1957. Later to become Kapaun Mt. Carmel High SchoolKapaun Mt. Carmel High SchoolKapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School, sometimes called Kapaun, is a private, four year, co-educational, secondary school operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita. The mission of the school is to form the total person in the image of Jesus Christ...
, 1971. - Bronze Door Panel, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Wichita, Kansas; dedicated February 1997.
- Chaplain Kapaun Korean War Memorial Site, Pilsen, Kansas; dedicated June 3, 2001.
- Chaplain Kapaun Complex, Fort Riley, Kansas; dedicated 2001, 2002.
- Emil Kapaun Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Assembly, Katy, TX.
- "The Good Thief", a General Electric Theater television production, starred Spencer Tracy as Father Kapaun.
See also
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA#Chaplains in Korean War
- Roman Catholicism in the United States#American Catholic Servants of God, Venerables, Beatified, and Saints
- Kapaun Mt. Carmel High SchoolKapaun Mt. Carmel High SchoolKapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School, sometimes called Kapaun, is a private, four year, co-educational, secondary school operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita. The mission of the school is to form the total person in the image of Jesus Christ...
in WichitaWichita, KansasWichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
Further reading
- A Saint Among Us, Father Kapaun Guild (Wichita Chancery Office) KS, 2009.
- The Story of Chaplain Kapaun, Fr. (Msgr.) Arthur Tonne, 1954, Didde Publishers, Emporia KS.
- A Shepherd in Combat Boots, William L. Maher, 1997, Burd Street Press, Shippensburg, PA, ISBN 1-57249-305-4
External links
- The Miracle of Father Emil Kapaun
- Catholic War Veterans - Emil Kapaun
- Website for Kapaun's Cause of Sainthood
- Father Emil Kapaun's life, deeds compiled; Roy Wenzl; The Wichita Eagle; December 28, 2010.
- Fr. Emil Kapaun: The Good Thief