Reflections on Fr. Emil Kapaun, Servant of God

Two weeks ago, on September 29, 2021, I had the absolute privilege to attend the funeral Mass of Servant of God, Fr. Emil Kapaun, a priest from our Wichita diocese. 
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(For those of you that do not know Fr. Kapaun, you need to. 
Fr. Kapaun’s Story from Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Catholic High School Site.
Fr. Kapaun’s Story from Catholic Diocese of Wichita website.)

​I actually didn’t think about attending until a good friend of mine more or less told me I was going. I love friends like that. 

Being at that funeral Mass was something that I will never ever forget.

It was actually more of an experience than anything else. And I found that I actually couldn’t speak about it for a couple of days. Every time I tried, I just cried. It was big and beautiful and transformative. 

Many people have written about Fr. Kapaun and that is as it should be. But I thought I would add my perspective: I am a mom of eight in the Wichita diocese. I love my life. I love my people. And I want them to live with heroic virtue. Without even thinking, I more or less equate heroic virtue with The Avengers. 

And I guess what struck me the most about Fr. Kapaun’s story is that he was raised in Pilsen, Kansas. His family were Bohemian settlers. 

I know all about that. My ancestors were Czechoslovakian settlers. Hard-working, God-fearing people. 

Emil Kapaun was one of us! Isn’t that almost MORE inspiring than if he had been born with a ton of special gifts? I mean, what this priest did was simply live out his vocation. Now, of course, his circumstances as a chaplain in a concentration camp were not normal. Yet. He did not do big things. Not really. He did many, many little things with great love, courage and devotion. And that is what I find most inspiring about the life of Fr. Kapaun. He laughed with his men and spent time tending to them. He lifted their spirits. He gave them hope. And coffee.  
 
The Funeral Mass was absolutely gorgeous. As the days have gone by, these are the things I am still thinking about:

• There were like a million priests that processed into the Mass. It was stunning to witness. (My daughter Malaysia told me that was the most impressive part to her. She had never seen such a river of priests.) I loved watching them because I love love love our priests and how they give of themselves on a daily basis to we, the people. ​

• Watching the Honor Guard carry the remains of Fr. Kapaun was absolutely breathtaking. Their reverence brought incredible dignity to the entire procession.

• The music was otherworldly. I literally felt like I was in the heavenly realm. (The choir consisted of military choirs, adult choirs here in Wichita as well as choir members from the two Catholic High Schools in town, Bishop Carroll and Kapaun Mt. Carmel.) When “I am the Bread of Life” was sung, I just sat in my seat and praised GOD that this man, who had given of himself in such a hidden way, was being honored and revered...and that he had indeed been raised up in glory...and he was being praised in song by students from a school named after him!
• I am still thinking about Bishop Kemme homily; he shared how it felt to be able to be part of the group that was invited to Hawaii to receive Fr. Kapaun’s remains. When Bishop Kemme placed his hand on Fr. Emil’s skull, he was overwhelmed at the thought of our faces and how they bring such emotion and joy to others. He reflected specifically on the face of Fr. Kapaun, and how that face brought calmness and consolation to those he was surrounded by, giving uncommon courage and confidence. “I thought of his eyes, eyes that saw human suffering in front of him, unimaginable suffering, but eyes that were able to see beyond the dirt and the grime, the lice and the disease, eyes that were able to see through all of that, to the person that needed him at that very moment. Those who were so very blessed to look into his eyes, I am confident, saw a reflection of Jesus, to whom Fr. Emil had dedicated his life and ministry.” That is such a powerful message. 
• Ray Kapaun gave his heart to all of us as he spoke about what it has felt like to finally get the remains of his uncle back home. I loved every word he said and then he shared this poignant point, “The last song we are going to do today is ‘America the Beautiful’ and I think that is the most appropriate song that could be sung. In a prison camp in North Korea, on an Easter service, a chaplain, who, at that point, was probably barely able to stand on his own, knew that the time left in this world wasn’t very long, but knew he would still give everything he had to save his fellow soldiers, to save his fellow man. And after the service was over, this chaplain knew the one song that would bring his soldiers together, no matter what faith or belief they had. No matter what, he knew they could stand behind that song. And with one voice, he began singing that song. And soon, as that happened, another voice picked it up. And another soldier picked it up. And another. And pretty soon, all across the entire camp, up and down that valley, everyone was singing ‘America the Beautiful.’ And that’s a perfect example of what Fr. Emil was. Of how he lived his life. And a perfect example of how one person can make a difference.” Ray Kapaun then extolled us to sing that song as loudly as we could at the end of Mass, remembering exactly what that song stands for.
• Reverend Matthew Pawlikowski, a military chaplain, told Fr. Kapaun’s story in vivid, compelling detail. I could give you a slice of it, but I encourage you to listen to his thoughts here. 

The recessional procession was gorgeous, as the Honor Guard carefully carried Fr. Kapaun, followed by the clergy, while the faithful sang with one voice: America the Beautiful. I was with my family, surrounded by good friends and total strangers, all singing our hearts out. 

It’s a moment that is still changing me. 

And friends, this is what I have been thinking about the most: Father Emil Kapaun lived in a concentration camp. Yet he was free. 

He was surrounded by death. Yet he spoke life. 

And friends, that is our call, too. Our world is in turmoil right now. There is division. Strive. Anxiety. Stress.  

May we learn from Fr. Kapaun, a Kansas farm boy. The world doesn’t need a superhero. It just needs you, living with your eyes on Christ, giving hope to those around you. 

You, yes you, are known and seen. And needed. 

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P.S. If you are a mother in the Wichita area and if you like to think deeply about topics that matter, then come, come: MOTHER RETREAT

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