STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Wednesday marked 57 years since Father Vincent Capodanno died in action while ministering to wounded Marines on the battlefield during the Vietnam War.
Born on Feb. 13, 1929, and ordained a priest on June 14, 1958, the Elm Park native participated in seven combat operations before dying at the age of 38 on Sept. 4, 1967.
Also known as “the grunt padre,” Father Capodanno was shot 27 times in the back, neck and head on the battlefield in Que Son Valley when he refused to seek cover during the battle known as Operation Swift. Despite his own injuries, the chaplain prayed with a young Marine he saw lying mortally wounded in an open field and fell by his side as he was ministering last rites.
Father Capodanno, who was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Navy Bronze Star Medal, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star, and three Purple Hearts for his bravery and sacrifice, was officially proclaimed a Servant of God, the initial step to sainthood by the Catholic Church, in May of 2006.
However, in 2022, the Advance/SILive.com reported that an advisory panel of theological consultants tasked with judging possible saints recommended suspending the cause for Father Capodanno’s sainthood.
“With ongoing military actions in the world today, raising someone from the military for veneration may not be appropriate for our Church,” one consultant wrote to Dr. Nicola Gori, the postulator of Father Capodanno’s cause.
That concern was one of several reasons given for the suspension of Father Capodanno’s sainthood efforts, including his care in maintaining his own appearance — something his supporters have chalked up to the cultural expectations of his Italian-American…
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