SEOUL (UCAN): Father Emil Kapaun, an American priest who laid down his life as a military chaplain during the Korean War, was posthumously awarded the Order of Military Merit, South Korea’s highest military honour, in Seoul on July 27. Ray Kapaun, Father Kapaun’s nephew, accepted the award from the country’s president, Moon Jae-in, on behalf his uncle.
Father Kapaun, who was named a Servant of God in 1993 by Pope St. John Paul II—the first step on the road to canonisation—was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, on 9 June 1940. He served as a US Army chaplain in World War II and the Korean War and held the rank of captain.
Known, as the “Jesus of the Korean War,” Father Kapuan was honoured for his dedication to peace and freedom on the battlefields of Korea. His Order of Military Merit was presented on the 71st United Nations Forces Participation Day.
“Under the extreme situation of being wounded and taken prisoner, Father Kapaun showed bravery of protecting freedom, peace and his belief,” said Moon, according to a Korea Times story on the award presentation.
‘Also, he celebrated Mass to pray for the enemy, which was a true practice of love’
Moon Jae-in
“Also, he celebrated Mass to pray for the enemy, which was a true practice of love,” said Moon, who is Catholic. He added that the late priest’s life “will become a great spiritual legacy for not only the US and Korea but also for all of humanity.”
The record shows that the 35-year-old chaplain had the chance to fall back to safety during a battle between United States and Chinese forces, but chose to stay and was captured along with dozens of men.
Former prisoners of war said that during his captivity Father Kapaun defied the camp guards by praying with captive soldiers, sharing food rations with injured comrades and urging them to resist relentless interrogation. He died of starvation and pneumonia on 23 May 1951 in a prison in Pyoktong, North Korea.
In March, Father Kapaun’s remains were identified by the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency from among nearly 800 unknown soldiers buried around 1956 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
The transfer from North Korea was the result of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement.
His remains will be flown to Kansas after a Mass on September 23 in Honolulu’s Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. A vigil will be held on the evening of September 28 at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, just outside Wichita. A morning funeral Mass will be celebrated at the arena the next day. Father Kapaun’s remains will then be entombed in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita.
The Korea Times also reported that Moon said that Father Kapaun’s “sacrifice and commitment”—and that of the others he honoured the same day from 22 countries—”have become the pride of the Republic of Korea.”
In a 2013 White House ceremony, Father Kapaun was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honour, the United States’ highest military accolade, for his heroic actions on the battlefield.
