By Jesse Bribiesca Jr.
Very soon the people of Kansas will witness a remarkable homecoming: the arrival of the mortal remains of a native son whose heroism in a war 70 years ago has made him a candidate for sainthood.
Father Emil Kapaun’s life was driven by that subtle yet compelling gift called God’s grace, and his response to that grace was tested in the Korean conflict, in which he served as an Army chaplain and became a prisoner of war whose care for his comrades knew no bounds.
Growing up in rural Pilsen in Marion County, Kansas – where he was born on his family’s farm in 1916 – he learned early to work hard and cherish his religious faith. He was ordained a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita in 1940 and shortly thereafter became a full-time Army chaplain, serving in Burma and India near the close of World War II.
A pause in his military duty in 1946 included brief pastoral work at St. Teresa’s Church in Hutchinson, Kansas, and after re-enlisting Father Kapaun was sent to Japan in 1950. In July of that year he escorted a group of soldiers to Korea, where his efforts on their behalf became legendary.
In one incident in which a jeep driver was killed, Father Kapaun drove the vehicle – loaded with wounded men – through fire-swept roads, to safety. He also carried a stretcher with a wounded soldier a distance of 10 miles, to a farmhouse. There, he tended to other sick and wounded men, visiting and praying with them.
After he and several other soldiers were overrun by Communist troops and taken to a prison camp, Father Kapaun became known for the “ration runs” in which he would take food from the enemy and bring it to starving comrades.
“He sometimes got two 100-pound sacks of grain plus pockets full of salt,” a fellow POW recalled in an article by author Ann Ball. “Every night we held prayers, and he prayed not only for our deliverance, but also for the enemy.”
Father Kapaun often woke early to tend to his fellow prisoners, whose death rate was 10 to 20 daily. Meeting their spiritual needs often required him to sneak past guards, a risk he calmly embraced.
Father Kapaun died in captivity in May 1951, at the age of 35. A short time later his parents were presented with the Bronze Star Medal and the Distinguished Service Cross. Among his other posthumous military honors were the Prisoner of War Medal in 1989 and the Medal of Honor in 2013, making him the most decorated military chaplain in U.S. history.
Last March, the news that Father Kapaun’s nearly intact remains had been identified set in motion plans to bring them home to Kansas. As the events surrounding that homecoming unfold near the end of this month, we recall that if the Roman Catholic Church eventually declares him a saint, it will be because Father Kapaun heroically loved God and neighbor.
His known actions – and they are many – point to such courageous love. May the church’s official recognition of his sanctity occur soon.
A schedule of events, Sept. 25-29
Father Kapaun’s remains were identified in Hawaii this spring, 70 years after his death.
An airline flight bringing the remains from Hawaii will land at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport Saturday, Sept. 25. His remains will then arrive at his hometown church, St. John Nepomucene in Pilsen, Kan., Sunday, Sept. 26, for a private observance.
Father Kapaun’s remains will then return to Wichita, where they will stay at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception until a public rosary and vigil at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28, at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. The arena is also the site of Father Kapaun’s public funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29. Afterward, an outdoor public procession starting at Veterans Memorial Park will return his remains to the cathedral in Wichita, where they will be interred.
Although the vigil service and funeral Mass require reservations, the two events will be livestreamed, and the global Catholic TV network EWTN will broadcast the funeral live. The procession afterward is open to the public, without reservations.
More details about these events are available at the website www.kapauncomeshome.com. Also, to learn more about his life, visit frkapaun.org.
Jesse Bribiesca Jr. is a member of St. Teresa Catholic Church, Hutchinson, Kan.
