Seventy years after he died as a prisoner of war in the Korean conflict, the remains of a heroic priest, Fr. Emil Kapaun, have been found! Fr. Kapaun was born and raised right here in Kansas and is now being considered for canonization as a saint.
According to the Manhattan Mercury, Father Kapaun was a Kansas-born priest who served the US Army as a chaplain in WWII and the Korean war:
Father Kapaun was born in 1916 in Pilsen, a small farming community in Marion County. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1940 at what is now Newman University. A mural honoring Kapaun adorns the school’s chapel.
He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2013 for his actions at the Battle of Unsan on Nov. 1-2, 1950.
Father Kapaun was named a “Servant of God” by the Vatican as an initial step in the cause for sainthood. Read more about Fr. Kapaun on the Wichita Diocese website.