Father Kapaun's Cause for Beatification opens Sunday at Pilsen
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
The parking lot was full and overflowing Sunday at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Pilsen as parishioners from Holy Family Parish and visitors from throughout the Wichita Diocese converged to inaugurate the official opening of the "Cause" for the beatification and canonization of Father Emil Joseph Kapaun.
An estimated 700 people filled the church sanctuary and church basement. A large screen was set up in the basement to allow all to observe the service.
Just prior to the ceremony, at least 35 members of the Fourth Degree of the Kansas Knights of Columbus escorted Bishop Michael O. Jackels of the Wichita Diocese and Bishop Rourke, retired military bishop of New Jersey, into the sanctuary.
The bishop opened the service. He extolled the virtues of Father Kapaun, comparing him to the apostles Peter and Paul.
"Father Kapaun changed the world with his hope-inspired behavior," Jackels said, referring to his service to fellow soldiers in a North Korean prisoner of war camp, where he died.
"It is our hope that people's lives will be changed [by the beautification of Father Kapaun], and by their change, the world will change for the better," he said.
The bishop introduced Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, a postulator (lawyer) from Rome, who is charged with the task of gathering and organizing all the necessary material to present to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican.
In preparation for communion, the church choir sang a traditional Korean melody, "Sing to the Lord." The Alex Stuchlik Band accompanied the choir and congregation in singing polka hymns as communion was served.
The service ended with the singing of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."
The process
After the celebration, all the people involved in working for the Cause took an oath of office. According to Rose Mary Neuwirth, a clerk for the Cause, each one signed an official pledge and was given a personal seal with which to stamp all documents. The papers were notarized and sent to Rome.
Those taking the oath of office included several priests from the Diocese of Wichita and clerks Neuwirth and Carole Sklenar, both of Pilsen, and Ann Maley and Rebecca Hotze of Wichita. The clerks will assist in typing, copying, and filing all documents of the Cause.
Although preliminaries were conducted in the past regarding Father Kapaun, the process begins anew in an official capacity. A historical commission of three priests will gather information on the life of Father Kapaun and interview people who knew him. A two-member theological commission will review all material written by the revered priest to ensure all writings are doctrinally sound.
Neuwirth said there will be an official closing at the end of the process. She noted it is an historical event which may never happen again in Kansas. She added that, for a priest to be canonized, he must have performed miracles, and four such events in the life of Father Kapaun currently are being investigated.
Reports of Sunday's event were widespread in the news media, and Gene Winkler of G&J Video of Marion was on hand to videotape the momentous service.
