Catholic Americans have loved and had special devotion to favorite saints from among the thousands who have been officially canonized by the Church. Very few of those saints have been USA born and raised.
Speaking as an American Catholic, this Year of the Priest is a meaningful time to focus on the American Catholic priests whose causes for canonization have been submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. There have been, and still are, countless holy American Catholic priests, unsung heroes, who quietly and faithfully serve without expectation of special honors. However, the possible canonization of American priests can only be a source of encouragement and joy to them.
Servant of God Fr. Emil Kapaun, born and raised in Kansas, served as a U.S. Army Chaplain during the Korean War. Those who served with him have testified to his heroism under fire and as a prisoner of war in a North Korean prison camp. He died at age 35 from starvation and pneumonia, but not before he had saved many lives and ministered to the sick and wounded.
Lord Jesus, in the midst of the folly of war,
Your servant, Chaplain Emil Kapaun
spent himself in total service to You
on the battlefields and in the prison camps of Korea,
until his death at the hands of his captors.
We now ask You, Lord Jesus, if it be Your will,
to make known to all the world
the holiness of Chaplain Kapaun
and the glory of his complete sacrifice for You
by signs of miracles and peace.
In Your name, Lord, we ask,
for You are the source of peace,
the strength of our service to others,
and our final hope.
Amen.
Canonization Cause Website
40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 14: The Tide is Turning
Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests, and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests. Amen.
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