Catholic Fire

 We salute you! Thank you for your service! 1. Happy Veteran's Day, U S A ! What is Veteran's Day? On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month of the year 1918, an armistice was signed, ending the "war to end all wars." November 11 was set aside as Armistice Day in the United States to remember the sacrifices that men and women made during the war in order to ensure a lasting peace. In 1938 Congress voted Armistice Day as a legal holiday, but World War II began the following year. Armistice Day was still observed after the end of the Second World War. In 1953 townspeople in Emporia, Kansas called the holiday Veterans' Day in gratitude to the veterans in their town. Soon after, Congress passed a bill renaming the national holiday to Veterans' Day. Today, we remember those who have served for our country in the armed forces in our prayers. 2. Today we honor a great soldier saint -- St. Martin of Tours , who was a soldier in ...

Thomas Peters, a blogging friend at American Papist and Catholic Vote, was involved in an accident yesterday evening and has sustained major injuries . He is awake, responsive, and in stable but critical condition. Family and friends are with him. Please pray for Thomas, and for his family, especially his parents at this time. I have been praying for his healing through the intercession of Venerable Fr. Emil Kapaun. Here is the prayer, if you would like to join me: Father Emil Kapaun gave glory to God by following his call to the priesthood and serving the people of Kansas and those in the military. Father Kapaun, I ask your intercession not only for these needs which I mention now -- the healing of Thomas Peters--but that I too may follow your example of service to God and my neighbor. For the gifts of courage in battle and perseverance of faith, we give you thanks O Lord. Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be. You can read about one of Fr. Kapa...

Emil Kapaun—priest, soldier and Korean War hero—is a rare man. He has been awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, and is also being considered by the Vatican for canonization as a saint. He is an inspirational figure, especially as we celebrate the Fortnight for Freedom. In honor of the Fortnight for Freedom,  I am giving away both the  book and the  DVD that chronicle his heroic life, "The Miracle of Father Kapaun," during the "Fortnight for Freedom" and leading up to Independence Day. You can enter to win either the DVD or the book. To qualify for the drawing, just send me an email with your full name and mailing address at jean.heimann(at)gmail(dot)com and you are entered! The deadline is July 4, 2013.

By Roy Wenzel and Travis Heying, released March 28, 2013, Ignatius Press, 160 pages. Hardcover or Kindle. Available from Ignatius Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, major book stores and Catholic book stores. Reviewed by Jean M. Heimann, M.A. in Theology, freelance writer, retired psychologist, and oblate with the Community of St. John. As a Catholic Kansan, I am very familiar with Venerable Fr. Emil Kapaun.  I have viewed Fr. Emil Kapaun’s documentary film, visited his parish church and museum, heard homilies centered on his virtues, and have read both newspaper and online accounts of his life.  Prior to reading The Miracle of Father Kapaun: Priest, Soldier, and Korean War Hero , I was not sure what else I could learn about the man whom I ask to intercede for me and my family daily. I knew that Fr. Kapaun was a military chaplain and a war hero who had recently been awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery during the Korean War. I also knew that he had been a prisoner ...