A Catholic priest and chaplain for the United States Marine Corps, whose lifeless body was discovered riddled with bullets and shrapnel on a field in Vietnam, may one day be canonized as the first American-born saint of Italian descent.  On May 19, 2006, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, the current Archbishop of Baltimore who was then the head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, issued an official decree proclaiming Father Vincent Capodanno a “Servant of God” and initiating the cause for his beatification and canonization.  A look at Father Capodanno’s life as a missionary to the Far East and later as a servant to those who serve in the military reveals him as a man of heroic virtue who, during this time of war, has become a model of inspiration for our fine men and women who put their lives on the line daily to protect our great country. 

FAMILY LIFE 

(Vincent Capodanno at age eight kidding around with family members – photo courtesy of www.vincentcapodanno.org) 

Father Capodanno, a proud American who bled red, white and blue, was the descendant of two families with roots on Italy’s west coast.  Vincent was born on February 13, 1929 as the tenth and youngest child of Vincent Capodanno, Sr. and Rachel (nee Basile).  In 1901, at the tender age of 16, the elder Vincent left the town of Gaeta, which is located at the southernmost point of the region of Lazio.  Gaeta’s claim to fame in the Catholic world is that Pope Pius IX, while living there in exile during 1848 and 1849, penned the encyclical “Ineffabilis Deus”, which declared the dogma of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception.  He made his way to New York City amid the throngs of Italian immigrants that were pouring into the Big Apple through Ellis Island.  Rachel was born in New York to parents who had emigrated from the town of Sorrento in the region of Campania.  Vincent Sr. and Rachel were married in 1907 at Sacred Heart Church in Brooklyn at the ages of 22 and 18, respectively, and eventually settled in Staten Island. 

Vincent Sr. and Rachel worked hard to support their large family.  Vincent Sr. rose at 3:00 each morning to visit the market.  There, he purchased produce that would be delivered by horse and wagon to their small vegetable store that Rachel looked after during the day.  Next, Vincent Sr. set out for the shipyards of New York Harbor to begin his work as a ship caulker, a skill he honed during his early teen years on the Italian shoreline.   

On little Vincent’s tenth birthday, he encountered one of the first and most bitter crosses he would bear in his life.  On a cold winter’s night, the Capodanno family awaited Vincent Sr.’s return from the shipyards in anticipation of a birthday celebration for the young boy.  As time slipped by, Rachel realized that something was terribly wrong.  They soon received the heartrending news that Vincent Sr. had died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 54.  Young Vincent’s future birthdays, normally occasions of great joy for children his age, would be clouded by the memory of his father’s untimely death.  Yet, Vincent Jr. would absorb many valuable lessons precisely because of this tragedy, as he witnessed his older siblings pull together to help their mother run the store and care for the younger children of the family.  While he showed no signs of being a future candidate for the priesthood, Vincent enjoyed being part of a family that was jovial, close-knit, and devout in their practice of the Catholic faith.     

CALLED TO SERVE JESUS CHRIST AS A PRIEST 

While attending Fordham University, Vincent Jr. surprised his family with shocking news – he felt he was being called by God to serve Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church not only as a priest, but as a foreign missionary in the Orient.  His mother and siblings may have digested the announcement much easier had it been made by his older brother Philip, a former altar boy who once expressed interest in the priesthood.  They later came to realize that Vincent had lived most of his life with a poker face.  He had not revealed that this desire had been tugging at his heart since grade school, a fact that he divulged to fellow Fordham student and future priest William Richter.  During his first year at the university, Vincent had become entranced by “The Field Afar”, a publication of Maryknoll, The Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America.  He couldn’t get enough of the stories of courage and love exhibited by the American priests who left behind the world they knew to minister to the multitudes that were hungry for the Catholic faith in countries like China, where it was not uncommon for a missionary to be imprisoned, tortured, or even martyred.  Rather than shrinking in fear from possible persecution, Vincent felt drawn to proclaim the Gospel in a far-off land where the locals had been deprived of God’s Word and the Sacraments.     

Vincent entered the Maryknoll seminary in 1950 at the age of 21, a late vocation for that era.  In our day, seminaries are filled with older men who enjoyed successful careers in the secular world before they were finally able to hear and respond to God’s call.  After years of intense study and prayer, Vincent was ordained a Maryknoll priest in 1958.  Vincent received a book from one of his superiors called “Radiating Christ: An Appeal to Militant Catholics”, which was written by French priest Raoul Plus, SJ.  This volume, which was a call to die to oneself to serve Our Lord, would inspire the newly-ordained clergyman to live as a type of Christ for others.       

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH 

For Father Vincent, entering the Maryknolls was a direct response to Jesus’ great commission given to His Apostles just before His ascension into Heaven: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” [1]  This call was not meant solely for the men who were a part of Jesus’ three-year ministry leading up to His passion, death and resurrection.  Father Capodanno sensed that Christ was speaking to his heart and wanted him to minister to the needs of men and women a world away, who were like sheep without a shepherd.    

Father Vincent gladly accepted his first assignment to Miaoli, a mountainous region along Taiwan’s west coast.  Taiwan’s Catholic population exploded during the decade after the Communists seized power in mainland China in 1949.  Rather than abandon their faith to satisfy the atheist government, many of these valiant sons and daughters of the Church chose to become refugees in search of religious freedom, with a good number of them escaping to Taiwan.  Father Vincent worked among the Hakka Chinese, many of whom had disbursed from central China to the south of the country and to neighboring lands.  The Hakka are known for their distinctive language, which is extremely different from Cantonese and has proven very difficult to understand.   

Consider the sacrifices made by Father Vincent as he settled in among the Hakka.  Capodanno, a man once referred to as a “pretty boy” for his well-groomed appearance and his obsession with neatness, adapted to life in the rugged mountains.  He would also be required to master the Hakka language, a tall task for a young man who had struggled academically for decades, from grade school through the seminary.  Father Vincent pressed on, determined to overcome all obstacles in order to accomplish God’s plan for him.  Among the Hakka, a people he came to love dearly, Father Vincent served as a parish priest and as a teacher of the faith at a school, all the while grappling with the language.   

After six years laboring in the Taiwanese mountains, Father Vincent was dispatched to Hong Kong to teach English to high school students.  His request to remain among the Hakka was denied.  Capodanno felt as if his superiors had laid a heavy cross upon his shoulders.  Did anybody realize the time and effort Father Vincent had invested in the Hakka language?  Couldn’t they see how he had managed to not only tolerate, but to love ministering in this remote outpost, far from the civilized world?  Moving to Hong Kong meant that Father Vincent would be thrust into a huge, modern city and would be required to learn Cantonese.  In perfect obedience, Father Vincent accepted his orders and began his assignment in Hong Kong.  Unable to make a smooth transition, Father Vincent began praying for direction in his life.  It was then that the Holy Spirit led him to seek work elsewhere.
 

SERVING GOD AND UNCLE SAM 

(Father Vincent being sworn in as a Navy Lieutenant of the Chaplain Corps on December 28, 1965 by Commander E. M. Tollgaard in Honolulu, Hawaii – photo courtesy of www.vincentcapodanno.org) 

“Father Vincent embodied the American spirit.  He grew up during one of our nation’s most patriotic eras, regularly absorbing broadcasts of America’s Bishop Fulton J. Sheen and welcoming home World War II veterans with grand parades and much fanfare.”[2]  With the United States engaged in a conflict in Vietnam that was proving deadly to many thousands of soldiers, Father Vincent knew there was a dire need for spiritual shepherds to walk among these young men to provide guidance and to remind them that, even in the midst of a devastating war, God is with us through His son Jesus.  Capodanno had a tremendous amount of respect for the men and women serving in the armed forces, since all three of his older brothers – Jim, Albert and Philip – had seen action in World War II.  Father Vincent successfully petitioned his bishop and the Pentagon to become a military chaplain, a move that would allow him to remain a Maryknoll priest.  After completing training and classes at the United States Marine Corps’ Camp Pendleton in Southern California, Father Vincent reported to the 1^st Battalion, 7^th Marines, arriving in Vietnam during Holy Week of 1966.  He would toil among this group of men for a full year before becoming a chaplain at a U.S. Naval hospital as he waited for a response to his appeal for extended military service.   In June 1967, Father Vincent happily received orders to report to the 3^rd Battalion, 5^th Marines.   

Father Vincent became a father figure to many of the Marines who had left the comforts of home for the first time and were frightened by the battles that lied ahead.  Capodanno was an excellent listener to his spiritual sons, a gift he acquired while attempting to grasp the Hakka language.  The men felt they could go to him with any doubts, fears, or prayer needs.  As any good father who showers his son with a healthy balance of affection and discipline in preparation to face the demands of the world, Father Vincent had a knack for being able to instill in his Marines a love of God and fellow man, as well as motivation to march into battle to defend one’s country.  His philosophy on war could be summed up by the words of G.K. Chesterton: “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” [3] 

The following testimony of USMC Major E.F. Fitzgerald in a recommendation for Capodanno to receive the Bronze Star in May 1967 provides a glimpse into this Servant of God’s selfless actions: “(Father Vincent) sought out that unit which was most likely to encounter the heaviest contact. He would then go with that unit and continually circulate along the route…During breaks, never resting, he moved among the men… (He) was observed running across exposed paddies and areas to be at the side of a Marine.  With no apparent regard for his personal safety, thinking only of the wounded or dead Marine, he carried his inspiration and prayer to those who needed his help…On one occasion I witnessed Father Capodanno remove his rain suit and give it to a wounded Marine.  For the remainder of the (combat) operation he was without suitable rain clothing…He had the confidence and deep respect of the men and healed the scars which the loss of a friend frequently caused in those who survive.” [4] 

Father Vincent never forgot that his true calling was as a missionary to take the light of Jesus Christ to the people of the Far East.  His love for the Vietnamese men and women among whom his men walked was obvious to all.  Captain Raymond Leidich stated, “I recall his compassion not only for my Marines and corpsmen, but also for the Vietnamese citizens whose villages we visited…He treated the villagers with compassion and comforted them on every opportunity.” [5]  J.D. Shannon, a Presbyterian minister and lieutenant noted, “Vince loved the Vietnamese people.  In fact, he loved all people.  But he had very definite opinions about how Americans should deal with the Vietnamese.  Vince wanted to be certain they were shown respect and honor, and that the Vietnamese would not simply be prize winners in a hastily rigged U.S. giveaway program.” [6]   

Far from the action while on a temporary leave, Father Vincent came face-to-face with the anti-war movement in the United States while attending a party in his honor at the home of his sister Pauline.  Fellow priests were loosely tossing around negative comments about the United States and the members of its armed forces for the country’s involvement in Vietnam, which prompted Capodanno to pull his brother Jim aside.  Father Vincent told Jim that these men were naïve and should have kept their opinions to themselves without having sufficient information to make such harsh judgments in the presence of a man who witnessed many of our fine troops spill their blood in defense of the country.  Any sore feelings were quickly replaced by a longing to return to his boys to be at their sides as they engaged in combat.   

NO GREATER LOVE 

The defining moment of Father Vincent’s life came on September 4, 1967, the day on which he would imitate Our Lord by laying down his life for his friends.  The U.S. had just begun Operation Swift, a search and destroy mission in the Que Sun Valley.  Before dawn, the 1^st Battalion, 5^th Marines ran into major trouble when they encountered a North Vietnamese unit consisting of approximately 2,500 men.  Within a couple hours, 26 Marines had been killed.  They were outnumbered and unorganized, leading them to request assistance from the 3^rd Battalion, 5^th Marines.  After participating in a briefing at the 3^rd Battalion’s combat operations center, Father Vincent insisted on advancing into battle with his Marines.  Always seeking to go above and beyond the call of duty, Capodanno was literally walking into the fire.   

As Father Vincent and his company of Marines crossed a small hill en route to the village of Chau Lam, they were exposed as easy targets for the North Vietnamese.  Shortly thereafter, Father Vincent began moving among the injured and dead to administer the Last Rites and to assist wounded Marines.  Unconcerned for his own safety, Capodanno took a bullet through his right hand, which was nearly severed.  Refusing to be evacuated, he continued his works of mercy among his fallen companions until a couple of hours later, when a mortar wound left Father Vincent’s left arm in shreds.  Capodanno received speedy medical treatment, but he would not allow himself to be transported to safety.  Supporting one arm with the other, Father Vincent returned to the scene of the action.   

The end of Father Vincent’s earthly life came when he rushed to the side of a Marine who had been shot in the leg a short distance from a machine gun position of the enemy.  Shielding the young man as he assessed the status of his injury, Father Vincent was hit with 27 bullets.  Capodanno, the chaplain who always remained serene under fire in order to calm the Marines around him, had given his life out of love for them.  Father Vincent had taken to heart Our Lord’s words, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down his life for his friends.” [7] 

NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN 

(Statue honoring Father Capodanno's service at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island New York. The inscription reads "In memory of Father Vincent Capodanno, Medal of Honor, Viet Nam 1967. Erected by S. I. Marine Corps League and its benefactors 1977." – photo courtesy of www.vincentcapodanno.org) 

Father Vincent was willing to put his life on the line because he possessed strong faith in the fact that, for those who die in God’s grace, death is only the beginning of a life of eternal bliss in the Father’s house.  While he left those he loved behind, these beneficiaries of Capodanno’s friendship and spiritual guidance were about to make known to the world the heroic virtue that this “grunt padre”, as he was lovingly called, had displayed during his nine years as a priest.  On January 7, 1969, Father Vincent was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest form of recognition that the United States bestows on an individual for valor in action against an enemy.  He was only the third chaplain in history to receive this award.  From there, the list goes on and on.  Listed below are a number of tributes that have been paid to Father Vincent Capodanno:  

-          Posthumously received the Bronze Star, which is awarded for exceptional or meritorious achievement or service not involving participation in aerial flight.

-          Posthumously received the Purple Heart, which is “awarded to members of the armed forces of the U.S. who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action.” [8]

-          Received the National Defense Service Medal, which was issued to members of the United States Navy for honorable active service.

-          Posthumously received the Vietnam Service Medal, which was established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1965 for all members of the armed forces who served in Vietnam. 

-          Received the South Vietnamese Gallantry Cross, one of the highest awards issued by the South Vietnamese Government for gallantry under fire.  This particular honor was awarded to Father Vincent during his life, on October 17, 1966, with an inscription that read: “Lieutenant Capodanno is an excellent Chaplain. During the operation FRESNO, he disregarded all difficulties to go to the front line in order to console, excite the spirit and increase the combat morale of all operational units. He shared a remarkable merit in the triumph". [9]

-          The United States Navy christened a ship the USS Capodanno, FF 1093, which was commissioned on September 17, 1973 and became the first Naval ship to receive a papal blessing when John Paul II did so at a port on the coast of Naples on July 4, 1981.

-          In 1975, a bill was passed to rename a three-mile stretch of Seaside Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in Father Vincent’s hometown of Staten Island, “Fr. Capodanno Boulevard”.  An eight-foot high monument in his honor stands at the corner of Fr. Capodanno Boulevard and Sand Lane.

-          Shortly after his death, a chapel made of thatched palms and bamboo that Father Vincent helped to build in Vietnam’s Que Son Valley was renamed “Capodanno Chapel”.

-          In November of 1969, a hall which serves as quarters for 80 Naval officers at the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard was dedicated to Father Vincent.

-          The Maryknolls named a chapel that was completed in 1993 in the mountains of Taiwan after Father Vincent.

-          A Naval clinic in Gaeta, Italy, the town in which Capodanno’s father was born, was named after him.  Additionally, a large statue of Father Vincent adorns the town’s piazza. 

A CHAPLAIN’S DETERMINATION TO HONOR HIS PREDECESSOR 

The story of Father Vincent’s sacrifice is known today by many people because of the efforts of Father Daniel Mode, a priest of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, who has been accepted for career duty as a chaplain in the United States Navy.  While studying for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Father Mode became aware of a street, a chapel and a ship that had been named after Father Vincent Capodanno.  Having grown up with a father who made his career in the Navy, Father Mode felt naturally inclined to begin research on the life of Father Vincent.  This led to Father Mode building relationships with members of Capodanno’s family and with Marines who were present on the battlefield the day that the good priest offered his life.  Father Mode authored the book “The Grunt Padre” on the life of Father Vincent, and founded The Capodanno Foundation to advance his cause for canonization.  He has since handed this duty on to Judy McCloskey, a devout Catholic woman whose father and husband are veterans.  Father Mode served as a Naval chaplain in Afghanistan for 22 months, a time he found to be the most fulfilling of his priesthood and in which he has benefited from the intercession of Father Vincent.  He is now deployed aboard an aircraft carrier, having petitioned his bishop to serve not just as a reservist, as he did in Afghanistan, but as a full-fledged career Naval chaplain. 

STATUS OF THE CAUSE FOR CANONIZATION 

As mentioned previously, the bishop for the Archdiocese for the Military Services granted permission in 2006 to open an investigation into Father Vincent’s life.  At this time, the tribunal bears the responsibility of gathering as much information as possible on the life of Father Vincent to present to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Cause of Saints.  Testimonies can be submitted online at www.VincentCapodanno.org.  Capodanno, currently referred to by the Church as a “Servant of God”, will receive the title of “Venerable” if and when the Congregation finds that he led a life of heroic virtue.  From there, since Father Vincent is not technically a martyr because he was not killed specifically for his faith, a miracle attributed to his intercession will need to be investigated and recognized by the Vatican in order for him to be “beatified”.  The final step in the path to sainthood comes with the recognition of a second miracle, which leads to canonization.   

According to Judy McCloskey, many favors have been granted to those who have sought Father Vincent’s intercession.  One of the most impressive stories involves a young lieutenant with the New York Police Department, whose young son was diagnosed with a terminal blood disease.  Weighed down by the seemingly imminent death of a beloved child, coupled with the fact that he recently lost several fellow police officers and dear friends in the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, a friend handed this man “The Grunt Padre”.  After reading about the life of Father Vincent, the lieutenant took his son to visit Capodanno’s gravesite in Staten Island.  Placing the boy on the tombstone, the hopeful father prayed to God through the intercession of his newfound patron.  Within four days, at a routine doctor’s visit to examine the status of the boy’s disease, doctors were astounded to find that there was absolutely no trace of the terminal blood disease!  While the boy’s parents are certain that the hand of God healed their son, the Church prudently takes its time to review any and all possibilities that a cure may be attributable to medical treatment and/or natural causes.   

The thought of Father Vincent Capodanno being canonized will fill many with pride.  Catholics, Italians, Americans of Italian descent, and Americans of all backgrounds, especially veterans, will find in Father Vincent a dear friend in a “high place” with whom they can offer their prayers to Christ.  Even as the Catholic world awaits the results of the Vatican’s investigation and the possible recognition of miracles, all can be inspired by the bravery and faithfulness of Father Vincent – the pride of Gaeta, Sorrento, Staten Island and the United States of America! 

SOURCES: 

1. Interview with Judy McCloskey, the founder of CatholicMil, an organization that serves as the petitioner for the cause of canonization for Father Vincent Capodanno.  To visit CatholicMil's website, go to http://www.catholicmil.org/.  Judy is the daughter of Frank Nicita, a U.S. veteran of World War II who was involved in the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp.  His photos of this historic mission deeply moved Judy and led her to eventually devote herself to the evangelization and spiritual care of Catholics in the military.

2. The Official Website for the Cause of Canonization for Father Vincent Capodanno - http://www.vincentcapodanno.org/