WHAT: A Memorial Mass for Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, United States Navy Chaplain and Vietnam War hero, on the 46th anniversary of his death on a battlefield in Vietnam. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, will be the main celebrant and homilist.
WHERE: The Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, Washington, D.C. 20017.
WHEN: 6:30 p.m.on Wednesday, September 4, 2013.
BACKGROUND: This annual Mass is celebrated for the repose of Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, a Catholic Military Chaplain and U.S. Navy Lieutenant who was killed in Vietnam on September 4, 1967 as he gave physical and spiritual assistance to wounded and dying Marines of the 1st Marine Division during battle with the North Vietnamese Army. Father Capodanno posthumously received the Medal of Honor, and in May 2006 the Catholic Church authorized the official beginning of his Cause for Sainthood and thus recognizing him as a Servant of God.
The Mass is open to the public.
Military members are encouraged to wear the uniform of the day and civilians, business attire
Media coverage is welcomed.
The AMS was created as an independent archdiocese by Pope John Paul II in 1985 as the only Catholic jurisdiction responsible for endorsing and granting faculties for priests to serve as chaplains in the U.S. military and VA Medical Centers.
AMS-endorsed chaplains serve at more than 220 U.S. military installations in 29 countries, making the AMS the nation’s only global archdiocese. AMS-endorsed chaplains also serve at 153 VA Medical Centers throughout the U.S.
The AMS service population also includes American Catholic civilians working for the federal government in 134 countries, but currently, due to limited resources, the AMS cannot adequately serve this population.
Worldwide, an estimated 1.8 million Catholics depend on the AMS to meet their spiritual and sacramental needs.
For more information on the Archdiocese for the Military Services, visit www.milarch.org, the only official Web site for Catholics in the military and for the Cause of Father Vincent Capodanno, MM.
