Monday, May 25
This post was provided by Father Desmond Drummer
Memorial Day 2020
Servant of God
Father Emil Joseph Kapaun
On April 11, 2013, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Father Emil J. Kapaun, a Catholic priest who served as an Army chaplain in the Korean War. He died as a prisoner of war at the age of 35 on May 23, 1951. While Father Kapaun's heroism as a non-combatant is recognized by the Medal of Honor, his heroic Christian virtue is the reason he was declared "Servant of God" in 1993 - the first step on the path to becoming a canonized saint in the Catholic Church.
Korean War Army Chaplain Awarded Medal of Honor
To view the full 20-minute ceremony, click HERE.
Prayer for Father Kapaun’s Canonization
Lord Jesus, in the midst of the folly of war, your servant, Chaplain Emil Kapaun,
spent himself in total service to you on the battlefields and in the prison camps of Korea,
until his death at the hands of his captors.
We now ask you, Lord Jesus, if it be your will,
to make known to all the world the holiness of Chaplain Kapaun
and the glory of his complete sacrifice for you by signs of miracles and peace.
In your name, Lord, we ask, for you are the source of peace,
the strength of our service to others, and our final hope. Amen.
Chaplain Kapaun, pray for us!
Learn more about Father Emil J. Kapaun and the cause for sainthood on the dedicated webpage of the Diocese of Wichita.