The cause for sainthood for Maryknoll Father Vincent Capodanno, a U.S. Navy chaplain killed ministering to wounded Marines on a Vietnam War battlefield, has moved slightly forward, say those advocating canonization for the man they called the “grunt padre.”
On the 55th anniversary of his death in Vietnam, Maryknoll Father Vincent Capodanno was remembered at a Mass celebrated in his hometown in a chapel that bears his name.
Members of the Father Capodanno Guild recently were startled by a recommendation from Theological Consultants for a “suspension” of the chaplain’s cause for sainthood. The consultants said more information is needed to support the new “offering of life” path to sainthood established in 2017 by Pope Francis.
For the way he lived, and the way he died, there are those who believe that Father Vincent Capodanno deserves to be beatified and ultimately canonized as a saint.
Father Donelson Thevenin considers himself lucky to have had a wide range of experiences — from ministering to parishioners at churches to counseling sailors aboard battleships as a U.S. Navy chaplain.
The father-daughter reunion at a Catholic school in suburban Chicago was weeks in the making. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Konrad Otachel recently made a surprise visit to St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic School in Palatine to see his daughter, Naomi, a kindergartner.
The commander of U.S. Navy Region Southwest in San Diego announced late Sept. 8 that for at least the next year, she was reversing her earlier decision to end Catholic services on three Navy bases.
The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend was an emotional one for Father Mark Bristol as he was sworn in as the U.S. Navy’s newest chaplain.
When U.S. Navy ships entered New York Harbor through the Narrows on the morning of May 22 to start the annual weeklong Fleet Week, students from Fontbonne Hall Academy, Bay Ridge, lined the Brooklyn shore at the Fort Hamilton Army base to show their appreciation.
