Behind every saint or person being considered for sainthood is a story of struggle, hardship and, in many cases, martyrdom. The path to sainthood also involves a dedicated investigation to compile information on a person’s life, which includes verifying two miracles and showing proof of heroic virtue. 

On Sept. 22, St. Jude Regional Catholic School in Rockville, Maryland, held its annual outdoor Mass to honor Father Emil Kapaun, a Korean War chaplain who is being considered for sainthood. During the Mass, the hood of an Army Jeep served as the altar, mirroring how Father Kapaun celebrated Mass for soldiers in battle.

In 1944, Father Kapaun from Pilsen, Kansas, joined the U.S. Army Chaplains Corps. After his first post at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, he was sent to Burma, what is now known as Myanmar, and India. According to the Father Kapaun Guild, run by the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, Father Kapaun was “often traveling thousands of miles by Jeep over mountains and through jungles to visit the troops in forward positions.”

While Father Kapaun was in Japan, North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950. Father Kapaun’s unit was part of the first wave of troops sent to assist South Korea. Known for his bravery in serving troops on the front line, the chaplain was taken prisoner while ministering to wounded soldiers during a battle. While in a prison camp, Father Kapaun, who was simply called “padre” by fellow soldiers, helped care for fellow prisoners both physically and spiritually. After more than six months at the camp, Father Kapaun died of pneumonia on May 23, 1951. Those who survived the camp have said Father Kapaun lifted their spirits and was the reason they made it out. 

He was declared a Servant of God by Pope John Paul II in 1993. In 2013, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Father Kapaun a Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Battle of Unsan during the Korean War. 

The Mass began with a procession of students from St. John’s College High School Color Guard.

Father Paul Lee, the pastor of the Shrine of St. Jude who was born in Korea, celebrated the Mass. Concelebrants included Father Juan Pablo Noboa, Father Robert Kosty, and Father Daniel Lorimer from Wichita, Kansas, a former U.S. Army chaplain who served in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar, gave the homily during the outdoor Mass.

“I was inspired by this man who had entered into the darkness of the war, and he did so to bring life, hope, and joy. But most of all, he inspired the men in the POW camp with him. So much so that that particular camp where Father Kapaun was, their death rate didn’t match any of the other [camps] around them,” Father Lorimer said. 

During his fourth year as a priest, Father Lorimer was inspired by Father Kapaun's biography and decided to serve in the Army following his footsteps. 

Father Lorimer noted that in 2017, Pope Francis decided that sainthood could also be merited by people who demonstrated Christ's message to the apostles in the upper room, “There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friend.” (John 15:13)

The Kansas priest encouraged students to be inspired by the story of Father Kapaun and to pray for his cause for sainthood. 

As the celebrants and altar servers processed, the St. Jude student choir sang “America the Beautiful.” 

Following Communion, military personnel were given a special blessing.

Father Lorimer told the Catholic Standard that those studying Father Kapaun’s cause for sainthood are investigating whether he can be considered as a martyr.

“The problem with that is, where he died, no one saw the death because he was basically laid in a 10-by-10 room and was left to die,” Lorimer said. 

When discussing what Father Kapaun could potentially be the patron saint of, Father Lorimer said military chaplains would be “the most obvious.”

“He’s one of the few military chaplains that has gained the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor for the Army and the other armed forces is like their Hall of Fame. Being a saint is kind of like the Catholic Hall of Fame if you will,” Father Lorimer said. 

Military chaplains will remain essential as the nature of warfare evolves, the priest said.

“Everything’s on the screen, but it’s still happening. Even though they’re here, they’re experiencing the depths of what they see on those screens. They end up dealing with a lot, even in what some people consider the virtual world. It’s real…They don’t feel as separate from it as you would think they would. I think that that’s a big deal. The role of the chaplain is to make sure that those who are in the services have an opportunity to celebrate their faith,” Father Lorimer said.

The priest added that, while he was a war chaplain, he learned from Father Kapaun’s example not to take fear with him.

“When you read [Father Kapaun’s] biography, you’re just amazed with the idea that he is not afraid of death. If you’re going to go anywhere, in a war zone, you do not want to take with you that fear,” Father Lorimer said. “I think a lot of chaplains have that where their relationship with their Lord is secure, and that encourages them to say, ‘Okay, if I’ve got to be there, I’m not the only one there. There are other soldiers there. So I want to be with them when everything goes down.’”