Cause of Father Kapaun, War Hero, Heads to Rome

WICHITA, Kan. (CNA) — U.S. Army chaplain Father Emil Kapaun’s cause for beatification is headed to Rome, an event the Diocese of Wichita, Kan., celebrated with a July 1 Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Father John Hotze, episcopal delegate for the office of Father Kapaun’s beatification and canonization, said the event marks the culmination of years of work and also celebrates the “gift” of Father Kapaun.

“The fact that we, unlike any other diocese in the United States, in the world, have been blessed by the example of this saintly man, Father Emil Kapaun, boggles my mind,” he said in a June 30 statement. “How can we do anything less than give praise to God for this gift and strive to follow the example of Father Kapaun’s selfless giving?”...