Airing precedes September 4 Memorial Mass in Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
WASHINGTON, D.C.—With a memorial Mass scheduled September 4 for United States Navy Chaplain and Vietnam War hero Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, EWTN will air a one-hour documentary on the life and death of the Maryknoll missionary who died in battle serving U.S. Marines.
The Grunt Padre in Vietnam will air three (3) times over the course of the next week on EWTN in North America, as follows:
Thursday, August 29, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Saturday, August 31, 5:00 a.m. (ET)
Wednesday, September 4, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Father Capodanno, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant, was killed September 4, 1967 in Vietnam’sQue Son Valley as he gave physical and spiritual assistance to wounded and dying Marines of the 1st Marine Division in a battle with the North Vietnamese Army. Father Capodanno posthumously received the Medal of Honor, and in May 2006 the Catholic Church officially proclaimed him a Servant of God formally initiating his Cause for Beatification.
The Grunt Padre in Vietnam, hosted by the late Archbishop Philip Hannan of New Orleans, is a touching documentary about Father Capodanno, who sacrificed his life for the Marines he served. Veterans recount their personal memories and stories. The documentary is based on the book, The Grunt Padre by Father Daniel L. Mode.
The Memorial Mass for Father Capodanno will be celebrated at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, September 4 in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, Washington, D.C. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, will be the main celebrant and homilist.
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.
EWTN will broadcast the Mass live at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 4 with a repeat showing to follow at midnight. The live EWTN broadcast will also be accessible anywhere in the world on the AMS app, AMS Catholic Faith Deployed, at the time of the Mass.
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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 priests 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.
