Thursday, 4/11/13
Sunday’s paper told
us that today President Obama is awarding the Congressional Medal of Honor to
Father Emil Capaun, a Kansas priest killed in the Korean War. I never knew him or
anyone who did know him, but in September 1953 I took part in the dedication of
a chapel erected in honor of Father Capaun and four other priest chaplains
killed in that war. I was a
seminary classmate of Father Ted Brunnert, who was the brother of one of the
five.
As well, as a
Columban Father, I had met six missionary priests killed by the Commies. Then, two
of our priests who were with our GIs on a notorious death march were sent back
through Siberia after three winters in a prison camp. One of them, Msgr. Tom
Quinlan was my bishop for eleven years; while the other, the Aussie priest,
Phil Crosbie, was my neighboring pastor for those eleven years. I heard from
Phil much of what Father Capaun must have gone through as a prisoner.
Phil was building a
chapel twenty-five miles over the mountains west of me, and one night I found
Phil on my doorstep, trying to pull his boots off. He had walked over to show
the people that a five mile walk was no excuse for missing Mass.
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