Scott Carter is our guest on this episode. He is the coordinator of the office for the Beatification of Venerable Fr. Emil Kapaun. Fr. Kapaun is one of the newest deceased persons to be declared Venerable by the late Pope Francis in February 2025, which is a step closer to being declared a saint in the Catholic Church. Fr. Kapaun is best known for his faith-filled and heroic participation in the Korean war. Scott tells us about the young Emil’s penchant for being an outdoorsman at a young age and his love for sports while he was in the seminary. Fr. Kapaun was ordained on June 9, 1949, and was assigned to a parish in Kansas.

Fr. Kapaun’s real calling was to minister to and serve soldiers in the war. He served as a chaplain in World War II and returned to the States when the war ended. In 1949 the Army put out a letter requesting chaplains for the Korean War and Fr. Kapaun told his bishop that he wanted to go. Scott says that Fr. Kapaun had a missionary spirit. There is an iconic picture of Fr. Kapaun celebrating Mass on the hood of a jeep. While in the Korean War, Fr. Kapaun was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and the Medal of Honor for saving a soldier about to be shot. Eventually Fr. Kapaun was captured and sent to a prison camp.

While in the prison camp, Fr. Kapaun did everything he could to help his fellow prisoners maintain their dignity while encouraging those that wanted to give up. While his captors took Fr. Kapaun to his death, he asked forgiveness for any wrong he might have done to any one of them. Throughout his life and at the hour of his death, Fr. Kapaun put his faith into action. Miraculously, Fr. Kapaun’s remains were found many years after his death in Korea and were returned to Kansas where he is buried at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita. Scott ends the podcast by recalling a reflection given by Fr. Kapaun on the radio in Tokyo in April of 1950 on the Beatitude found in Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers…”

Scott asks anyone who is praying for the intercession of Fr. Kapaun to contact him at the website listed below.

For more information about Fr. Kapaun and/or to contact Scott: Venerable Emil J. Kapaun | Official Home Page

For information about the process of sainthood in the Catholic Church: Saints | USCCB

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