Fr. Capodanno / United States Navy
Archbishop Timothy Broglio will celebrate the annual Memorial Mass for Father Vincent Capodanno Sept. 4, honoring the U.S. Navy chaplain for his heroic service during the Vietnam War, whose cause for canonization is currently under review by the Vatican.
The liturgy is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET at the Crypt Church in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., according to a recent press release from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).
Fr. Capodanno, a Maryknoll missionary turned military chaplain, was killed in action in 1967 while ministering to Marines caught in an ambush in the Quế Sơn Valley, South Vietnam. He was 38.
His actions during that battle earned him the Medal of Honor posthumously, and in 2006, the Church formally recognized him as a “Servant of God,” initiating the process that could one day lead to sainthood.
Archbishop Broglio, who leads the AMS, has made the annual Mass a tradition to honor Fr. Capodanno’s legacy and spiritual witness. The date of the Mass coincides with the anniversary of the chaplain’s death, which occurred on Labor Day in 1967.
“All are invited to attend the Memorial Mass for Fr. Vincent Capodanno on the 58th anniversary of the day he shed blood on a killing field for those to whom he ministered in service to God and Country, living out the true meaning of Christ’s message in John 15:13 — ‘No greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,’” the release stated.
The release noted that EWTN will re-broadcast its film Called and Chosen during the same week. As CatholicVote previously reported, the docudrama traces Fr. Capodanno’s life, beginning with his upbringing in a large immigrant family on Staten Island, continuing through his missionary work in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and culminating in his service as a Navy chaplain in Vietnam.
The program is scheduled to air Sept. 2 at 10:30 a.m., Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., and Sept. 5 at 5:00 a.m. (ET)
