Holy hordes descended on downtown Wichita this afternoon as a military procession carried the remains of Medal of Honor winner, and future official saint of the Catholic Church, Father Emil Kapaun to his final resting place. Father Kapaun's procession included full military honors. Father Kapaun's flag-draped coffin was carried into his final resting place which is Wichita's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  Below, Fr. Kapaun's coffin disappears into the Cathedral. The interment ceremony was for Fr. Kapaun's family and fellow prisoners of war (now in their 90's). He will be placed in a tomb inside the Cathedral. Anyone can worship and offer prayers for his intercession with God starting tomorrow. Of course, the Cathedral is open to all. If you didn't get to watch the funeral, it can be viewed here . It begins with the only known recording of his voice and a commemorative history of his life. Another outstanding story is here .  But, if you do nothing ...

Pope Francis : Saints are witnesses whom we venerate and who in thousands of different ways bring us to Jesus Christ, the only Lord and Mediator between God and humanity. They remind us that holiness can blossom even in our lives, however weak and marked by sin. Father Emil Kapaun showing the pipe that had been shot out of his mouth during combat in Korea Today is the funeral of Chaplain Father Emil Kapaun. It will be broadcast live on ETWN at 11:30am Eastern (10:30am Central), on PBS for western Kansas (unfortunately, not Wichita), and on the Diocese of Wichita's YouTube Page . Fr. Kapaun is the most decorated chaplain in the history of the United States' military services; including the Medal of Honor, which is our nation's highest military award. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception The funeral Mass will be celebrated at Wichita's Hartman Arena because five thousand people are expected. Father will then be carried by military caission from Veteran's Memorial P...

This is a day I never thought would occur: Medal of Honor recipient and (almost certainly) future saint of the Catholic Church, Chaplain Father Emil Kapaun is back home in Kansas. He arrived at Wichita's Eisenhower National Airport about 12:25pm.  There will be a number of Catholic Masses celebrated as well as other prayer services before his interment. Father Kapaun's tomb being prepared Fr. Kapaun will be laid to rest in Wichita's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  If you are not familiar with the story of Father Kapaun, he was an Army chaplain during the Korean War. His platoon was the first to be overrun. He stayed behind to minister to his men and performed amazing acts of heroism as a prisoner of war. He was tortured and died in Korea and, it was believed, buried in a mass grave. I believe the discovery and identification of his remains was nothing less than a miracle. My three children attended Kapaun High School in Wichita and they have published a succinct s...

Father Emil Kapaun was a hero of the Korean War (Medal of Honor, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart). Fr. Kapaun was an Army chaplain who not only was highly respected by his troops, he performed heroically -- saving his men -- after being captured by the North Koreans. His story is here . That story includes his period as a parish priest in Pilsen, Kansas, just north of Wichita and part of the Diocese of Wichita. An excerpt of his story is below: Bishop Carroll received Chaplain Kapaun’s last report and letter along with a package of Korean War mementos in October of 1950. There was lit- tle hint of what was to come: after weeks of making great progress, many of the U.S. soldiers thought the war would be over by Christmas. However, just as they had the North Korean Army on the run and almost defeated, the Chinese decided to enter the war. Father Kapaun and the men of the 8th Cavalry Regiment were the first to encounter the Chinese. On the night of November 1, 1950, while prote...

Father Emil Kapaun, from a small town north of Wichita, was a hero of the Korean War. His actions, which resulted in the saving of American soldiers' lives and the conversion to Christianity of some of his North Korean guards is believed to be on his way to sainthood. All three of my children went to Kapaun High School in Wichita.  This is wonderful news. For Fr. Kapaun's family, I'm glad they can hold a proper burial. The Vatican has been rumored to want a better account of Fr. Kapaun's cause of death before he would be proclaimed a saint. It is possible his remains may shed some clues.  UPDATE: More information, here . UPDATE II: Wichita's KAKE-TV found a 1955 report it did from his home town of Pilsen just four years after the great man's death. It includes a recording of one of Fr. Kapaun's sermons. I had never heard his voice before.