No Greater Love
No Greater Love.
Before entering Seminary, I had to return to Illinois. Admittedly, most people who move away from Illinois don’t realize the roads out are almost all two-way roads. I was living in Kansas, working in Missouri but really my work territory was bounded by our nation’s coastlines. As a Catholic and Kansas resident, I quickly became deeply interested in the life and witness of a man I never met. He was born and raised near Pilsen, Kansas. On first glance, there is more to Marblehead, Illinois than Pilsen. The most prominent building in Pilsen is the church, St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church, a brick church erected by Czech immigrants in the heart of the Kansas plains. This man spoke Czech and, as a boy, would walk a few miles into town to serve Mass.
Eventually he discerned that God desired him to be a priest and the young man followed the call. First, he went to Conception Seminary in northwestern Missouri and then on to Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis for his theology studies. He returned to Kansas where the then-Bishop of Wichita ordained him in 1940 and, in an unusual assignment, assigned him back to his home parish in Pilsen because there was a need for a priest who spoke Czech to minister there. Not far from Pilsen is an old army air base at Herrington, Kansas. He became an auxiliary chaplain to assist at the base there while still at Pilsen.
In 1944, he joined the US Army Chaplain Corps and became a chaplain in the Pacific Theatre of WWII. After serving in Burma (modern Myanmar) and India in WWII, he returned to Kansas.
A few years later, he resumed his army chaplaincy in the Korean Conflict. The following is from the US Army with his name taken out (for dramatic effect to keep you reading): “In 1950 (he) served as a chaplain with the 1st Cavalry Division in Japan and Korea before he was taken prisoner on November 2, 1950, during the Battle of Unsan. During the fight, which started on November 1, 1950, (he) moved repeatedly under enemy direct fire to rescue wounded from a no-man’s land outside the battalion’s perimeter. He also negotiated with the enemy for the safety of wounded Americans, physically intervened to stop an execution, and rejected multiple opportunities for escape and instead volunteered to stay and care for wounded. On August 2, 1950 (he) was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroism in action near Kumchon, where he rescued a wounded soldier despite intense enemy fire.
On November 1, 1950, Communist forces surround (the) Chaplain’s outfit near Unsan. (He) was captured by the North Korean army and its Chinese allies. (He) escaped when his captors were shot by allied Soldiers. But on November 2, 1950 (he) was captured a second time when he volunteered to stay behind with the wounded. Marched to POW camp, he continued to conduct ministry inside the POW camps.
(He) spent the next seven months in the Sambukol and Pyoktong prison camps, in what is now (North Korea). With disregard for his own safety and comfort, (he) tended to the sick and wounded, scoured for food, built fires against guards’ commands, and fashioned iron sheet vessels to launder the clothing of the wounded and purify drinking water. He also led prayers and spiritual services for the POWs, at the risk of punishment.
For his outspoken resistance, (he) was feared by the guards and revered by his fellow POWs. Upon return, Pyoktong prison survivors told stories of (his) courage, compassion, and spirit. They credited him with saving their lives, and hundreds more, before eventually succumbing to his own wounds and prison maltreatment. (He) died in Pyoktong on May 23, 1951.”
He could do all this because he had a relationship with Jesus Christ where Christ was welcomed into his heart to be his other self.
Today, he is given a special title, “Servant of God,” and there is a very active cause for his canonization. Today we hear in the readings that there can be no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend. Does Jesus’ love live in you? What does it look like to lay down your life daily? Ask for Servant of God Emil Kapaun to show you the source of love he was in communion with.
I have a mini-“graduation” this coming Saturday, May 11 , marking the completion of Pre-Theology and my Philosophy studies. (I still have four years of theology ahead). Please pray for me. Pray for my brother seminarians. Also, pray that the young men and women in our parish respond to God’s will for their lives as a priest or religious.strive for His glory and my sanctification.
In Christ,
Thomas Marten, Seminarian
Kenrick-Glennon Seminary
5200 Glennon Drive
St. Louis, MO 63119