Before leaving for the Korean War, Father Emil Kapaun visited his family in Kansas one last time, and he revealed something no one expected.
“He pulled my dad aside,” Ray Kapaun, Father Emil’s nephew, said in an exclusive interview with ChurchPOP editor Jacqueline Burkepile.
“And he said, ‘Well, I want to tell you something. You can’t say anything to Mom and Dad—I don’t want to upset them.’ And he’s like, ‘What are you talking about?’ And he goes, ‘Well,’ he goes, ‘I know I’m not coming back from this one.’”
Ray told this story in light of the recent video-on-demand release of "Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain's Journey," which discusses the life of Venerable Father Emil Kapaun.
Father Emil Kapaun was a Catholic priest, military chaplain, and United States Army captain who died in a prison camp of malnutrition and pneumonia. Pope Francis declared him "Venerable" just before his death this year.
Listen to the full interview with Ray Kapaun, Ven. Emil Kapaun's nephew, below:
Father Emil died in 1951, six years before Ray was born. For Ray, this moment he discussed always stood out to him. Ray said it wasn’t a statement of fear, but of quiet conviction.
“My dad got upset. He’s like, ‘Don’t be talking like that.’ And he’s like, ‘No,’ he said, ‘I’m not upset. I’m not telling you to be upset and worry about me.’ He said, ‘I just know—I’m not coming back from this one.’”
Ray believes this was a grace God gave his uncle before his death.
“I think God showed him and gave him that moment of, ‘You have nothing to fear. I’m protecting you,” he explained. “‘Your mission in life is to help others and to offer your life for others like Christ did.’”
Father Emil Kapaun, a Catholic priest and U.S. Army chaplain, sacrificed his life in a North Korean prisoner-of-war camp.
He cared for wounded soldiers, searched for food, offered hope to the hopeless, and led men spiritually. He was also known for saying Mass on the battlefield. Father Emil died from malnutrition and pneumonia while in captivity.
Even in those final moments, Father Emil remained faithful to the Gospel. One of the most powerful testimonies Ray shares is what his chaplain uncle said to the camp guard who led him to his death.
“Father Emil—you know, this guy who was sentenced to his death—Father Emil asked him to forgive him for any harm he may have done to him,” Ray recalled. “I mean, if that isn’t love for your fellow man, there’s no definition other.”
That same spirit makes Ray believe his uncle is truly a saint, whether it is official or not.
“I really see him as a saint,” he said. “We’re just waiting for a signature on a page, really. I mean, I’m not going to think of him any differently. He’s already a saint. He’s been there for a while.”
For Ray, sharing this moment offers not just a glimpse of Father Emil’s bravery, but his deep union with God’s will.
“He didn’t go in afraid,” Ray said. “It was always about others.”
And even though Father Emil knew he wouldn't return, Ray added, “I think that gave him the inspiration of: ‘I’m protected. Even if the worst happens to me and I die—I’m protected.’”