Fundraising Begins for Kapaun Statue at State Capitol

Although Sunflower State lawmakers voted unanimously last year to adorn the interior of the Kansas Capitol building with a statue of Venerable Emil Kapaun, some steps remain between intention and reality. Or to put it another way, life-size bronze statutes do not sculpt themselves.

Nor do they fund themselves, observes Fr. Kapaun Guild Coordinator Scott Carter.

“We need to raise about $250,000,” he said. “We are soliciting donations from people across the state, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Anyone interested in honoring one of our state’s heroes can contribute through kapaunmemorial.com, where they can also learn more about the project and about Fr. Kapaun. They can also send donations to the Fr. Kapaun Guild, but those must be earmarked for the Chaplain Kapaun Memorial Fund.

The proposed design for the memorial statue will feature Chaplain Kapaun in Army fatigues and equipped with an army belt, canteen, and military helmet. Moreover the iconic cross on that helmet will not be the only sign that the statute depicts a chaplain, Carter notes.

“A stole will mark his priestly identity and his hand will be raised in blessing,” he said.

Carter indicates that the statute’s stone base will come from a factory located on the old army base in Herington, where Fr. Kapaun first served as an auxiliary chaplain to bomber crews that were deploying during World War II.

The statute will be a project of the Lundeen brothers from Loveland, Colorado, who also have crafted other statutes that are on display in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

“We were amazed at the talent of so many artists that reached out, but the Loveland brothers’ work was probably the most realistic bronze statutes I have ever seen,” Carter said. “They had not previously heard Fr. Kapaun’s story, but they have created some other military works and are very excited about this project.”

Placing Fr. Kapaun’s statute in the Capitol rotunda will further broaden the number of people exposed to the story of a man who may one day be canonized as a saint, Carter pointed out. “To be able to hold him up as an example of courage, selflessness, sacrifice, and love for his fellow man to our whole state is a great opportunity,” he said. “It goes beyond just Kansans, too. Our Capitol is one of the most beautiful of all the 50 states and people visit it for that reason. It’s wonderful to think they will have that opportunity to learn about Fr. Kapaun too.”

Donations to the Kapaun Memorial can be made at www.kapaunmemorial.com or mailed to:
Chaplain Kapaun Memorial Fund
424 N Broadway St.
Wichita, KS 67202