Armed with Faith: The Life of Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM

“Chaplain (Lt.) Vincent R. Capodanno, 37, of New York City, wears no physical weapon of war. HIS ARMAMENT is faith – a basic, necessary and treasured attribute to the men around him.”

In the midst of the bloodshed and political rancor of the Vietnam War, the example of Servant of God, Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM (1929-1967), stands out, for he was motivated neither by politics, nor by personal ambition, nor by military necessity. His was the dedication of Christ’s priest to the Roman Catholic Church and to others, whether as a Maryknoll missionary in the mountains of Taiwan, as a high school teacher in Hong Kong, or as a chaplain in the United States armed forces to men on the battlefield, dying to self to bring Christ to his Marines. In their fear, despair and loneliness in the military camps, and in the mud and filth of the battlefield front lines, Father Capodanno was there, even to the point of perfectly imitating Christ by his personal self-sacrifice to save a man in the heat of battle in Vietnam on September 4, 1967. This is his story.

“No one could risk his life and ultimately be killed to meet the spiritual needs of the Marines if he or she did not believe in the promise of the Kingdom. Father Capodanno brought those unique gifts of the sacraments under fire, because his first concern was to dwell in the house of God forever. You and I want his life and death known, because we believe his example will invite others to stay awake, prepare for the day of the Lord, and be men and women for others. The celebration of the greatness of a figure gone before us is implicitly an invitation to imitate the virtues of that individual. Father Capodanno teaches us the value of commitment and belief. He invites us to give our all in the pursuit of our vocation which is the path the Lord has set for us to share in the joy of His Kingdom.”

-- His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, on the 50th anniversary of the death of Father Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, September 5, 2017