COLUMBIA FALLS — Parishioners and community members are invited to join new pastor Fr. Brad Morin and St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Calais as they journey to Columbia Falls on Friday, Aug. 20, to pay tribute to Fr. Emil Kapaun and soldiers honored at a new memorial.
In May, the memorial in Columbia Falls, located about 60 miles east of Bangor, was unveiled to offer a tribute to the soldiers lost while taking part in a secret, Vietnam-era mission on Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, which disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. There were 93 U.S. soldiers on board, 11 crew members and three South Vietnamese soldiers.
The Department of Defense has said those on the flight couldn’t have their names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial because they weren’t in a combat zone when they went missing. Morrill Worcester, founder of Wreaths Across America, decided to build the monument on his land in Columbia Falls after talking with family members of the deceased to offer closure as well as an assurance that the people on board would not be forgotten.
Participants in the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish trip will also learn about Fr. Emil Kapaun, an Army chaplain who died in a prisoner-of-war camp during the Korean War. Earlier this year, his remains were identified by a U.S. government forensics team. Fr. Kapaun, who is a candidate for sainthood, was known for risking his life on the battlefield during the Korean War to minister to the troops on the front lines. In a 2013 White House ceremony, he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions on the battlefield. At the memorial in Columbia Falls, all Medal of Honor winners have a tree with their name on dog tags, including Fr. Kapaun.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha parishioner Dolly Sullivan will talk about the life of Fr. Kapaun, and Fr. Morin will discuss the pathway to sainthood. On July 30, Fr. Morin became pastor of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish (Immaculate Conception Church, Calais; St. Anne Church, Perry; St. Ann Church, Indian Township; St. James the Greater Church, Baileyville; St. John the Evangelist Church, Pembroke; and St. Joseph Church, Eastport) after serving at Good Shepherd Parish in Saco.
Those interested in attending on Aug. 20 can meet at Immaculate Conception Church, located on 31 Calais Avenue in Calais, at 9 a.m. to travel to the memorial or simply meet the group in Columbia Falls.
For more information, including a detailed schedule, contact Marc Podschlne at 207-454-0680, extension 5, or marc.podschlne@portlanddiocese.org.