WASHINGTON, DC — Vietnam War hero, the Servant of God Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, CHC, LT, USN (1929-1967), gave his life to bring Christ to brave U.S. Marines in combat: “Father Capodanno on the battlefield knew that he brought something no one else could bring. He brought the sacraments, the life-giving presence of Jesus Christ, to those both in extreme danger or at the point of death.”
His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, preached those words Thursday night, Sept. 4, to a packed congregation in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. “His was a fidelity to a unique presence,” Archbishop Broglio preached. “As we say, he operated in persona Christi. He brought Jesus Christ to those in peril. There is no other explanation for his presence on that final battlefield of his existence. It was not the gesture of a cowboy for a rodeo. It was an act of love, based on the promises he made at ordination.”
Archbishop Broglio was the principal celebrant at the live-televised annual Memorial Mass for Father Capodanno of Staten Island, NY, a Maryknoll missionary, U.S. Navy chaplain, and posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor, whose Cause for Sainthood has been advanced. An overflow congregation of more than 500 faithful participated in the Mass, which is celebrated annually around the anniversary of Father Capodanno’s death—this year marks the 58th. Father Capodanno died on a Vietnam battlefield of multiple gunshots as he scrambled, unarmed, to minister to outnumbered U.S. Marines under ambush in Vietnam’s Quế Sơn Valley while they carried out “Operation Swift” against the North Vietnamese Army. The priest hero was 38 when he breathed his last.
“Tonight was very, very moving,” said Mr. Joseph Frank Simpson, who served with Father Capodanno in the Marine Corps. “I felt as though the Archbishop knew Father Capodanno with his description of him.”
In his homily, Archbishop Broglio reflected on how the Servant of God, known as “the grunt padre” for his abiding concern for the rank and file under his pastoral care, stands as an example to all U.S. Military chaplains. “As a fellow chaplain wrote about him,” the Archbishop preached, “following Father Capodanno was like attending a class on what a good chaplain should do. He knew every man by his name, and all knew him. He never said much, but people remembered what he said. He was with his Marines in the field, in the club, in the mess hall. I don’t think he ever intended to leave them.”
Archbishop Broglio was joined at the altar by Auxiliary Bishops F. Richard Spencer, Neal J. Buckon, Joseph L. Coffey, Gregg M. Caggianelli, and other priests of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), including Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia Monsignor Anthony R. Frontiero, S.T.D., Judicial Vicar Father Mark Rutherford, J.C.L., and Vocation Director Father Paul-Anthony Halladay, CH (MAJ), USA (Ret.). The concelebrants included dozens of active-duty chaplains and other priests in service to the military who were gathered in Washington last week for a biennial convocation exploring the “vocation within a vocation” they all share. The Reverend Mr. Brendon Schneibel and the Reverend Mr. Christopher Wild, both Co-Sponsored Seminarians, served as Deacons of the Mass. Rear Admiral Carey H. Cash, USMC, Chaplain of the Marine Corps, was among senior military officers in the pews, both on active duty and retired. Also participating were more than five dozen midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy, including the members who raised their voices in sacred song.
Extolling Father Capodanno’s ever-faithful discipleship, Archbishop Broglio noted his death was a “witness to the truth of the dignity of the human person. He was able to see Christ in those who needed him. He inspires us, even if not facing enemy bullets, to be witnesses to the Faith. That inspires our care of the poor, our looking after others, and our welcome to strangers. In short, his is an invitation to soar in our response to the Lord who calls us to bring forth the best of ourselves.”
Watch video of the Mass on EWTN.
The Holy’s See’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints is in the process of considering Father Capodanno’s Cause for Canonization. The Father Capodanno Guild has been established by Archbishop Broglio to promote awareness of the Servant of God and to seek prayerful support for his Cause. The Catholic Church requires at least one miracle attributed to a sainthood candidate in order for the candidate to be beatified. 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.
Donations for the Cause are gratefully accepted at: donate.capodannoguild.org/page/83748/donate/1.