Fr. Kapaun Is Finally Home
A Hero’s Homecoming. Following the identification of Father Kapaun’s remains in Hawaii in March of 2021, the Kapaun family and the Diocese of Wichita brought Father Kapaun’s remains back to Wichita in September 2021. See the details below, including a dynamic homecoming video from Spirit Juice Studios!
Father Kapaun’s Homecoming
Remains of Father Emil Kapaun Identified
In March 2021, the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that the remains of Father Emil Kapaun had been identified. It is the DPAA’s job to identify and return fallen soldiers to their families.
In 1954, the year after fighting in the Korean War stopped, over 4,000 sets of remains were returned to US custody in an exchange the US Army called “Operation Glory.” Most were identified at the time, but approximately 850 sets of remains proved difficult and were buried as “Korean War Unknowns” in the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawai’i.
Over the past decade, the DPAA has been hard at work trying to identify these remains and have found great success, pushing the boundaries of DNA forensics. Along with a DNA match, scientists were able to confirm the height and age of Father Kapaun’s remains, as well as make matches using dental records and collar bone x-rays.
Seventy years after his death, Father Kapaun’s casket was handed over to his family and arrived in Wichita for a long-overdue Mass of Christian Burial. Thousands came to pay their respects and offer their prayers for his cause for sainthood.
The Journey Home
Departing Hawaii
Following a send-off Mass at the Cathedral in Honolulu, Father Kapaun’s remains were transported from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii on a flight that landed at Eisenhower airport in Wichita on Saturday, September 25, 2021.
Return to Pilsen
Father Kapaun’s remains were first taken to his home parish of St. John Nepomucene in Pilsen for a private homecoming and observance for the parish community.
Wichita | Rite of Christian Burial
From Pilsen, Father Kapaun’s remains were transported back to Wichita. A rosary and vigil was held at Hartman Arena, followed by the funeral attended by 5,500 faithful on September 29, 2021. After this, a military procession in downtown Wichita took him to his resting place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where the faithful can visit to receive inspiration and ask for prayers.
