Father Emil Kapaun will be laid to rest Wednesday, and one of the people chronicling his story through photos and videos for the better part of two decades will be on hand for those activities.
Emporian Marvin Tajchman has been an advocate for sainthood for Kapaun for years. Both are from Pilsen, nearly 60 miles west of Emporia in Marion County, and Tajchman says the Kapaun connection runs deep for his family.
Kapaun’s Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 am Wednesday at Hartman Arena. His remains will then go to Wichita’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for full military honors. Tajchman, who has photographed and created videos of different aspects of Kapaun’s life and legacy, says he will bring a camera and collect more photos Wednesday.
Kapaun has through the first phase of Catholic sainthood as he was named a Servant of God in 1993. Beatification and canonization are the next steps in the process.
Father Kapaun’s remains were positively identified in early March through the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the same agency that announced the positive ID for Emporia Marine Glenn White this past summer. Kapaun had served in World War II and returned to active duty in the Army for the Korean War. Part of his unit was trapped after coming under heavy fire from the Chinese in November 1950. Kapaun stayed with the wounded, was captured and eventually died in May 1951. Kapaun’s remains were returned to US custody but were declared non-recoverable for decades before a set of remains were disinterred and researched starting in 2019. He received the Medal of Honor in 2013.
