Heroic Catholic Chaplains

For nearly 200 years—standing alongside our heroic military men and women—have been heroic Catholic priests risking their lives to carry wounded soldiers to safety and to console, anoint, and absolve the dying. Heroic Catholic Chaplains spotlights the stories of these courageous, selfless, holy priests who volunteered to bring the Mass and the sacraments to American troops, while also offering them their friendship and spiritual counsel.

In this book, you’ll encounter…

• Father William Corby, who left his post at Notre Dame to serve the Irish Brigade during all four years of the Civil War
• Father Francis Duffy, a World War I chaplain whose story became the subject of a Hollywood movie
• Father Aloysius Schmitt, who, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, saved the lives of a dozen men before losing his own
• Monsignor James O’Neill, who composed the famous “Weather Prayer” for General Patton, an incident that would be immortalized in film, if not entirely accurately
• Father Emil Kapaun, who, during months in a North Korean prison camp, worked tirelessly to save the lives and the souls of his fellow POWs (the process that could lead to Father Kapaun being declared a saint is underway)
• Father Vincent Capodanno, who was killed by the Viet Cong as he ran to help a wounded corpsman

Heroic Catholic Chaplains brings to the fore the stories of remarkable priests, most of whom have been overlooked by both military and Catholic historians. Their sacrifice and courage are difficult to imagine. They served so that our servicemen and women would not be without comfort, or without a friend, or be deprived of the Mass and the sacraments—so they would not fall into despair. These chaplains deserve to be remembered, their stories told, and their memories honored.