Heroic Army Chaplain Takes a Major Step Toward Canonization [Fr. Emil Kapaun]

National Catholic Register ^ | 11/11/2015 | Joseph Pronechen

[BlessedBeGod]

...the cause for canonization of Father Emil Kapaun, an Army chaplain who died in a prisoner-of-war camp during the Korean War, has taken a major step forward.

Bishop [Carl] Kemme and priests from the diocese [of Wichita, KS] personally delivered the nearly 1,100-page report on Father Kapaun's life, officially called a positio, to Cardinal Angelo Amato, the prefect of the [Congregation for the Causes of Saints]. This step had been in the making since 1993, when the Vatican named Father Kapaun (pronounced Ka-PON), who was a priest of the Wichita Diocese, a "Servant of God."

In a letter Bishop Kemme presented to Cardinal Amato, he wrote, "Since the day his fellow prisoners of war in the Korean conflict were liberated after their long and cruel incarceration, during which Father Kapaun was instrumental in providing to his fellow soldiers unparalleled pastoral care, word of his saintly virtue has been spreading and continues to our day..."

Father Kapaun not only disregarded heavy gunfire on the battlefield to tend to the injured and save the wounded, but he volunteered to stay with the men when their capture by the Chinese Communists was about to happen...

While the positio can lead to Father Kapaun being named "Venerable," it can also means he can be beatified and declared "Blessed." The reason is that the diocese is investigating some alleged miracles.

"We have two cases," Father Hotze noted. Both came to light in previous years. One involved a 12-year-old girl who was near death; the other was a severely injured college track athlete -- doctors expected him to die. Both recovered rapidly after prayers seeking the intercession of Father Kapaun. Doctors said both recoveries were medically unexplainable...

8th Calvary Regiment
Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
Bronze Star

[BlessedBeGod]

There's quite a long article at the link. It's a shame it had to be excerpted because there's so much more information.

For those who aren't aware, being declared "Venerable" is the second step out of four in the process of becoming a saint, and being declared "Blessed" is the third. Since the process can get hung up (permanently) at any step, there is no guarantee that someone going through it will reach the fourth step of sainthood. BTW, Mother Teresa has been at step #3 since 2003.

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

He should have been played by Spencer Tracy ....