Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio Celebrates Annual Memorial Mass for Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, Servant of God

Says Vietnam hero chaplain’s example “begins with dethroning King me and seeing Christ in my neighbor”

Archbishop Timothy Broglio preaches the homily at the Memorial Mass for Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, Servant of God, in Washington, DC, on Sept. 7, 2021. The Mass was televised live on EWTN and CatholicTV.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Vietnam War hero and Servant of God Father Vincent R. Capodanno, M.M. (1929-1967), left the world an example of how to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ—one that if put into practice could “renew the face of the earth.” That message was delivered Tuesday evening by His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, USA.

Archbishop Broglio preached the homily at the live televised annual Memorial Mass for Father Capodanno of Staten Island, NY, a Maryknoll Catholic priest, U.S. Navy chaplain, and posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor, in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. More than 350 participated, including members of Father Capodanno’s family, some with whom he served, and a group of Midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy.

The Mass is celebrated annually around the anniversary of Father Capodanno’s death—this year marks the 54th—from multiple gunshots. Father Capodanno died at the age of 38 on Sept. 4, 1967, as he scrambled to aid outnumbered U.S. Marines under ambush in Vietnam’s Quế Sơn Valley while they carried out “Operation Swift” against the North Vietnamese Army. The Holy’s See’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints is now considering Father Capodanno’s Cause for Canonization.

Archbishop Broglio preached in part:

“If you reread the citation granting Father Capodanno the Medal of Honor, it mentions his administration of the last rites to the dying, giving medical aid to the wounded, while being wounded himself.  He died rushing to the aid of a wounded corpsman.  He ignored self in order to serve others.  If each one of us took that lesson home this evening and put it into practice, we could renew our families and communities. Spreading the message of Father Capodanno begins with dethroning king me and seeing Christ in my neighbor.

“…. We can do nothing for Father Capodanno, but we can learn from his example and teach others to do likewise.  If we cooperate with divine grace, the Holy Spirit will renew the face of the earth.”

Tuesday was the first time in two years the Father Capodanno Memorial Mass has been celebrated at its usual location at the Basilica. Last year, due to social distancing mandates imposed by the District of Columbia, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Archbishop Broglio celebrated the Mass in the small, main chapel of the Edwin Cardinal O’Brien Pastoral Center, home base of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).

The Holy See has recognized the AMS as the competent diocese of jurisdiction for pursuing Father Capodanno’s Cause for Canonization. Dozens of Catholic U.S. Military chaplains and AMS clergy concelebrated the Mass, including Auxiliary Bishops F. Richard Spencer and Joseph L. Coffey; Monsignor Jeffrey G. Laible, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia; Father Mark Rutherford, J.C.L., Judicial Vicar; Father Robert R. Cannon, J.C.L., Chancellor; Father S. Matthew Gray, Director of Vocations; Msgr. Frank Pugliese, Episcopal Delegate for the Cause; and Father Daniel L. Mode, author of The Grunt Padre (CMJ Marian), a celebrated biography of Father Capodanno.

The Father Capodanno Guild has been established by Archbishop Broglio to promote awareness of the Servant of God and to raise funds in support of his Cause. The Catholic Church requires at least a miracle attributed to a sainthood candidate in order for the candidate to be beatified. So far the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has documented at least one possible miracle in the case of Father Capodanno. Anyone with information on Father Capodanno, including accounts of favors received through intercessory prayer, is asked to contact the Guild at capodannoguild.org or Ms. Mary Preece at mpreece@milarch.org.

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