By Allen Lasher, Special to The Message
Home parish: Good Shepherd Parish, Evansville
Education: Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, Missouri; Class of 2032
Saint: Emil Joseph Kapaun
A saint for hope
Emil Joseph Kapaun was born into the small agrarian community of Pilsen, Kansas, in 1916. Attending grammar school, fishing and choring on the farm throughout his childhood, he prioritized serving at the altar for Holy Mass every chance he could. How can a farm kid from the Midwest be a Medal of Honor recipient and a canonized saint?
Father Kapaun was ordained a priest in 1940 and first volunteered for the Army chaplaincy near the end of World War II. But his actions during the Korean War are the most notable. Attached to some of the first U.S. forces engaged in the Korean conflict, he became a very busy chaplain. He was known to sprint into machine gun fire to retrieve wounded GIs, offering the Holy Mass in the midst of mortar fire, caring for the spiritual needs of Catholics, Protestants, Jews and non-religious alike. His reputation for courage and dauntless faith spread all the way from the front lines to his hometown.
And as his story unfolds, the most troubling times brought about his best.
Captured by Korean forces in 1950, the brave chaplain lifted the spirits of fellow POWs with his words and actions. He assisted with life-saving medical care under the worst conditions imaginable, stole food and tools from guards, and offered the sacraments and spiritual care to the demoralized, physically and mentally broken, the starving and the dying. As UN forces pushed the communists north, the prisoners were forced to walk long distances to the next POW camp. When fellow soldiers could no longer walk, Father Kapaun naturally carried them on his back. When his own body gave out, he was carried to a starvation hut, telling his friends to keep on saying their prayers and telling his captors that he forgave them. You will agree, Father Kapaun accepted Christ’s invitation into the Paschal Mystery in a profound and corporal way.
The Christian virtue of hope is not merely a nice sentiment, a decoration: it is a strength and a defiance. G.K. Chesterton imparts in “The Everlasting Man,” “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all.” How often do we live with true hope, with Father Kapaun hope? Three of my brother seminarians and I are fortunate to share in his spiritual pedigree in Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, a community that formed Father Kapaun. His example serves as a daily reminder to put my worries into their proper context and to accept Christ’s strength to help me carry my burdens as Father Kapaun did. When I remember my years as a young soldier, I understand how inspiring the presence of a strong father figure can be, and I take comfort in believing that Venerable Emil Kapaun walks with me on the jagged trail to heaven.