Saturday, 7 July 2012

Father Emil J. Kapaun ... now here's a real man!

Father Emil J. Kapaun ... now here's a real man!



Emil Kapaun

http://www.frkapaun.org/


Emil Joseph Kapaun
Emil Kapaun.jpg
Chaplain (Captain) Emil Joseph Kapaun
Born(1916-04-20)April 20, 1916
Pilsen, Kansas
DiedMay 23, 1951(1951-05-23) (aged 35)
Pyoktong, North Korea
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branchSeal of the US Department of the Army.svg United States Army
Years of service1944–1951
RankUS-O3 insignia.svg Captain
Battles/warsWorld War II
Korean War
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal with V (Valor) Device
Purple Heart
Emil Joseph Kapaun (April 20, 1916 – May 23, 1951) 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.

 

Emil Joseph Kapaun was born on April 20, 1916, and grew up on a farm three miles southwest of Pilsen, Kansas.[1][2] His parents were Enos and Elizabeth Kapaun, Czech immigrants.[3]
He attended and graduated from Pilsen High School in May 1930.[4] 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.

On June 9, 1940, Kapaun was ordained a priest at what is now Newman University in Wichita, Kansas.[1] 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.[1]
Fr. Kapaun began his military chaplaincy at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, in October 1944. He and one other chaplain ministered to approximately 19,000 service men and women.[4]
He was sent to India and served in the Burma Theater.[1] Fr. Kapaun was promoted to Captain in January 1946[1] 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.[1]
In July 1950, Kapaun was ordered to Korea from Japan, a month after North Korea invades South Korea.[4]
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.[5][6] The POWs marched for 87 miles to a prison camp near Pyoktong, North Korea.[7] Kapaun was able to influence some prisoners, who were ignoring orders from officers, to carry the wounded.[7] At the camp, he dug latrines, mediated disputes, gave away his own food, and raised morale among the prisoners.[8] He also led prisoners in acts of defiance and smuggled dysentery drugs to the doctor, Sidney Esensten.[9] Kapaun developed a blood clot in his leg, dysentery, and pneumonia.[10] He died on May 23, 1951 at the prison camp in Pyoktong, North Korea.
His main complaint was lack of sleep for several weeks at a time.[4] He constantly ministered to the dead and dying while performing baptisms, hearing first Confessions, 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.[4] 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.[4] 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.[1][2]
An G.E. Theater television play, entitled, "The Good Thief" aired on CBS in the late 1950s and starred Spencer Tracy.
In 2000, U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) began a campaign to award the Medal of Honor to Kapaun.[11]
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 agreed. Seven chaplains have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Tiahrt hoped the United States Congress will approve a bill awarding the Medal of Honor to Kapaun, for signing by President Barack Obama.[11]
The current version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Senate Bill 1867, Section 586) contains an authorization and a request to the President to award the Medal of Honor to Emil Kapaun postumously for acts of valor performed by him during the Battle of Unsan on November 1 and 2, 1950 and while a prisoner of war until his death on May 23, 1953 as a chaplain in the 8th Cavalry Regiment during the Korean War.[12]

In 1993, Kapaun is named Servant of God by the Roman Catholic Church, the first step toward possible canonization.[1]

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."[4]
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.[4]
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.[4]
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.[4]
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 soul. 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 communism. He has bequeathed a picture of Christ-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.[13]

The Vatican is now examining whether a medical healing that took place in Sedgwick County, Kansas, can be considered a miracle by the Roman Catholic Church.[1] He may be on the road to sainthood and could be considered only the third American-born saint.

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.[14]
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.[15][5]
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.[15]
The Rev. John Hotze, the judicial vicar for the Diocese of Wichita, and trained in Canon Law, will assist in investigating Kear's case.[1] 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.[16] The Wichita diocese has continued receiving reports of miracles involving Fr. Kapaun.[17] He is being considered for possible designation as a martyr.[15]

On May 7, 2011, Nick Dellasega collapsed at a Get Busy Living 5K race in Pittsburg, KS (honoring the memory of Dylan Meier). 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".[18] 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.[19]
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."[18][18]

 Gallery

  • Chaplain (Captain) Emil Kapaun
  • A statue in Pilsen, Kansas, depicting Kapaun helping a wounded comrade
  • 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 School, 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.
  • 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
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wenzl, Roy (December 6, 2009). "The Miracle of Father Kapaun". The Wichita Eagle. http://www.kansas.com/kapaun/. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
  2. ^ a b Nasaw, Daniel (April 16, 2012). "Recognition finally for a warrior priest's heroics". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17224774. 
  3. ^ Wenzl, Roy (December 13, 2009). "Part 8: The Miracle of Father Kapaun. Father Emil Kapaun: Former POWs say his miracle was providing them hope". The Wichita Eagle (Kansas.com). http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/13/1096173/father-emil-kapaun-former-pows.html. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "FATHER EMIL JOSEPH KAPAUN". Knights of Columbus. Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20100926012959/http://www.kofc3744.org/kapaun.htm. 
  5. ^ a b Wenzl, Roy (December 6, 2009). "Part 1: The Miracle of Father Kapaun. Father Emil Kapaun: In Korea, Kapaun saves dozens during Chinese attack". The Wichita Eagle (Kansas.com). http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/06/1085753/father-emil-kapaun-in-korea-kapaun.html. 
  6. ^ Wenzl, Roy (December 7, 2009). "Part 2: The Miracle of Father Kapaun. Father Emil Kapaun: Through Death March, Father Kapaun perseveres and inspires". The Wichita Eagle (Kansas.com). http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/07/1086859/father-emil-kapaun-through-death.html. 
  7. ^ a b Wenzl, Roy (December 8, 2009). "Part 3: The Miracle of Father Kapaun. Father Emil Kapaun: In icy POW camps, Kapaun shares faith, provisions". The Wichita Eagle (Kansas.com). http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/08/1088292/father-emil-kapaun-in-icy-pow.html. 
  8. ^ Wenzl, Roy (December 9, 2009). "Part 4: The Miracle of Father Kapaun. Father Emil Kapaun: As hundreds die, Kapaun rallies the POWs". The Wichita Eagle (Kansas.com). http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/09/1089887/father-emil-kapaun-as-hundreds.html. 
  9. ^ Wenzl, Roy (December 10, 2009). "Part 5: The Miracle of Father Kapaun. Father Emil Kapaun: Leads camp prisoners in quiet acts of defiance". The Wichita Eagle (Kansas.com). http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/10/1091710/father-emil-kapaun-leads-camp.html. 
  10. ^ Wenzl, Roy (December 11, 2009). "Part 6: The Miracle of Father Kapaun. Father Emil Kapaun forgives guards, welcomes death". The Wichita Eagle (Kansas.com). http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/11/1093318/father-emil-kapaun-forgives-guards.html. 
  11. ^ a b Milburn, John, "Army says Kansas Army chaplain Rev. Kapaun worthy of Medal of Honor for service in Korean War", Associated Press, October 13, 2009. Baltimore Sun website. Retrieved 2009-10-15. The article includes an undated photo (released by the Catholic Diocese of Wichita), showing Father Kapaun saying Mass in the field.
  12. ^ "SEC. 586. AUTHORIZATION AND REQUEST FOR AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR TO EMIL KAPAUN FOR ACTS OF VALOR DURING THE KOREAN WAR.". National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012 (Senate Bill 1867). Library of Congress. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c112:2:./temp/~c112Z3xMhM:e283766:. Retrieved 25 December 2011. 
  13. ^ http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1297312.html
  14. ^ http://www.frkapaun.org/
  15. ^ a b c "Vatican sends investigator for Kapaun sainthood". Associated Press (TheKansan.com). June 22, 2009. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. http://www.thekansan.com/news/x931200052/Vatican-sends-investigator-for-Kapaun-sainthood. 
  16. ^ Wenzl, Roy (December 12, 2009). "Part 7: The Miracle of Father Kapaun. Father Emil Kapaun: POWs call him 'a hero and a saint'". The Wichita Eagle (Kansas.com). http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/12/1094896/father-emil-kapaun-pows-call-him.html. 
  17. ^ http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=10569235&nav=menu486_2_4
  18. ^ a b c http://www.kansas.com/2011/07/03/1919049/mans-recovery-credited-to-kapaun.html
  19. ^ http://www.morningsun.net/newsnow/x1042542059/Dylan-Meier-dies-in-hiking-accident
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