The remains of a Kansas priest who died during the Korean War have been returned to his family, and a burial mass has been scheduled for September 29th in Park City.
Father Emil Kapaun died in a prisoner of war camp in Korea in 1951. He was a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Wichita and he served as a U.S. Army chaplain. His remains were identified earlier this year.
The remains were turned over to members of Kapaun’s family during a ceremony Tuesday at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in Honolulu, Hawaii. The family was accompanied by an entourage from the Catholic Diocese of Wichita.
The remains will be returned to Pilsen, Kansas, which is Kapaun’s hometown. They will then be taken to Wichita where a vigil and funeral mass are scheduled for September 28th and 29th.
Kansas Senator Jerry Moran, who announced in March that Father Kapaun’s remains had been identified, will be attending the burial Mass at 10:30 a.m. at the Hartman Arena in Park City.
