March 2024 - Chairman’s Corner
Friends – As I write this note, Lent is drawing to a close while Good Friday and Easter are right around the corner. Even the weather here in Northern Virginia is rejoicing with an early Spring. It seems that creation is joyfully crying out in celebration of our Lord’s upcoming Resurrection but…Lent is not over yet. I keep thinking about how Father Vincent freely gave his life for “his” men. His gift was a dim but true reflection of our Lord’s gift to each of us from the Cross. Both our Lord and Father Vincent were driven by the same motivation – a love of souls that surpassed any instinct for personal preservation. I ran across a quote from John Cardinal O’Connor that captures this idea much better than I can, “….Christ died to pay for our salvation….Christ suffered and died because of the dazzling value of each individual soul. Had only you been alive in all this world, He would have come and suffered and died for you.” I feel strongly that we can say the same thing about Father Vincent – Father would have suffered and died even if there had been only one man on the battlefield.
God bless, Steve Stanley
Status of our Cause: Recall that our next step is to submit answers to the questions posed by the theological consultants from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome. To do this work, Archbishop Broglio assembled a new Historical Commission and they have been hard at work collecting new testimony and documents that are responsive to the questions. Great news: They have completed their work and submitted their answers. Now we just need to complete the administrative work – things like oaths, depositions and other validating documents and submit the whole package to Rome. This is exacting work and must be completed properly but the end is near.
Supporter Stories:
Bob had a devotion to Father Vincent for several years and kept Father’s prayer card in his car. One morning after Mass, he and several friends gathered for coffee and had the opportunity to honor and pray for Father Vincent’s intercession. Then he headed off to work. A few hours later, Bob was in a terrible car accident. A car pulled out from a side road and clipped the back of his car while he was going about 55 mph causing his car to roll over multiple times. Miraculously, an EMT was getting off work and was right there to help Bob escape through the passenger side window that had been shattered. Surprisingly, he had no internal injuries or broken bones. Below is a photograph of his vehicle, and as you can see, Father Vincent “left his calling card” on the driver’s side window. It was Bob’s prayer card which somehow made its way there during the accident and was firmly lodged inside the window. This is one of those “favors granted” that we will never be able to prove as a miracle, but we know that our Grunt Padre was there.
Thank you, Father Vincent, for keeping Bob safe.
Supporter Stories (Continued):
This is taken from a Facebook post by the spouse of a wounded Marine in Vietnam: On 28 January 1967, her husband was wounded on the battlefield and remained there for nine hours. Numerous Marines attempted to help him but were shot while trying. He was finally rescued and placed on “the last helicopter which had been loaded with dead Marines.” Her husband remembers seeing Father Vincent that day and, “….we believe the reason he is here today is because of The Grunt Padre and the Lord. He has been through a lot but has had a guardian Angel all his life and has been blessed!”
A supporter who had just received some of our prayer cards was meeting some friends at a restaurant. As they waited in line to order, a stranger tapped him on the shoulder and said, "When were you there (referring to Vietnam)?" They conversed for a moment, and our supporter said, "I have something for you, but since we are in South Carolina, you're probably not Catholic" then handed him the Father Capodanno Prayer Card. The stranger looked at it a few moments and said, “I am a Catholic, but I haven't been to Mass in many years. I guess it's time for me to go back." Our supporter told him, "That's what Padre wants for you."
Spreading the word about Father Vincent
On 20 February, Steve Stanley presented at the United States Naval Academy Catholic Midshipmen Club to well over 50 midshipmen. Steve reported that the midshipmen were very engaged in the presentation and asked insightful questions. He also reported that he took away more than he gave - why? Because these midshipmen were inspirational in the practice of their Catholic faith. They represent a vibrant and growing love of our Church that is the absolute antithesis of what we so often hear in the news.
Do you want a presentation about Father Capodanno and his life of heroic virtue? We try to provide the presentation in person, however, sometimes we don’t have a presenter available in your area. To overcome this challenge, we can provide the presentation, live, on-line via ZOOM. If you are interested, we would be happy to work with you. Please send us a request through the website or reach out directly to Don Campbell, donald.b.campbell.jr@gmail.com
Quick News:
Recently, Archbishop Broglio established the Saint John XXIII Foundation to “….establish, receive, and maintain a fund or funds for the pastoral support of Catholics in the Armed Forces….” One of the funds that the foundation has established is the Father Vincent R. Capodanno, LT (CHC) USNR Endowed CoSponsored Scholarship. This fund will provide the monies necessary to support our cosponsored seminarians – who better to be the fund’s namesake?
Free Gift Reminder:
Lithographs of Father Capodanno's portrait in the (9x12") size are available for a minimum donation of $40, and if you would like two lithographs, they are available for a total donation of $70. For a donation of $100, three prints will be available to you. The lithographs are professionally printed and a beautiful representation of Father Capodanno for you to treasure. They also make wonderful gifts for your recipients to enjoy!
Called and Chosen, the award-winning DVD about Father Capodanno is available for a minimum donation of $20. To spread the story of Father Capodanno's virtuous and heroic life even further, we offer five DVD’s for a minimum donation of $80.
To make your donations, please go to www.capodanno.org and please let us know the quantity of the gifts you would like.
So how else can you help? – Simple ways
1. Pray that our reenergized Cause will move forward quickly.
2. Forward or share this newsletter with your family and friends. It’s easy – Thank You.
3. Pray for Father Capodanno’s intercession. This is how miracles start.
4. “Like” and “follow” the Capodanno Guild on Facebook and Instagram.
5. Tell your pastor about the Cause and ask to host a group presentation at your church, women’s group, Knights of Columbus Council, veteran’s group, etc. Happy to support – just connect us.
***For assistance with any of these, please go to our website www.capodannoguild.org/ or email Mary Preece at mpreece@milarch.org