Captain Emil J. Kapaun
Kapaun, from Marion County, Kansas, was a priest of the Diocese of Wichita who served as an Army Chaplain during WWII and the Korean War, and was taken as a Prisoner of War in 1951. He continued to minister to Americans as a POW before passing away on May 23, 1951 in a Chinese prisoner camp. He is considered a Kansas and American hero.
“Father Emil Kapaun was a man of God who served Jesus and his country honorably. Today, the House passed my resolution to rename the Herrington, KS post office after him.”
H.R. 2044 passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and will be sent to the U.S. Senate for final passage.
Father Emil Kapaun was a man of God who served Jesus and his country honorably. Today, the House passed my resolution to rename the Herrington, KS post office after him.
Looking forward to its swift passage in the Senate, commemorating the life of a great Kansan & American hero. pic.twitter.com/3PnLtcCXaE
— Tracey Mann (@RepMann) October 20, 2021
Kapaun was awarded the Medal of Honor. In 1993, the Catholic church named him a “Servant of God,” which began the lengthy process of canonization.
Funeral services for Rev. Emil Kapaun were held last month, decades after the priest from Pilsen, Kansas, died while ministering to fellow prisoners of war. He was interred at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita. Kapuan’s remains were identified in March and returned to his Kansas family Sept. 21.
The Roman Catholic Church is considering Kapaun for sainthood.