Honoring Fr. Kapaun and All Those Who Fight for Our Freedom During a Fortnight for Freedom and Independence Day

English: Roman Catholic Chaplain Emil J. Kapaun, United States Army (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Celebrate the heroes who bravely serve our country

ATLANTA, July 1, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Independence Day is a holiday that unites us as we celebrate our freedom and independence as "the land of the free and the home of the brave." It also is the final day of a "Fortnight for Freedom," a two-week period of prayer and action called by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to address many current challenges to religious liberty, including the HHS mandate and attempts to redefine marriage. It's a time to honor the men and women who have courageously fought, and continue to fight, for our religious freedom, as well, including the late military chaplain Fr. Emil Kapaun.
Kapaun posthumously received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama in April, nearly 60 years after he heroically gave his life as a POW in the Korean War. The Vatican is also considering him a possible candidate for Sainthood.
His life, service and hero's death is the subject of an incredible new book, THE MIRACLE OF FATHER KAPAUN, co-written by Roz Wenzl and Travis Heying, and published by Ignatius Press. One of the most remarkable aspects of his story surrounds the atypical movement of support for both his sainthood cause and his Medal of Honor award. The witnesses to both his sanctity and his bravery have come from non-Catholics, men of Jewish faith, Muslim faith and Protestant tradition, who served with Fr. Kapaun in battle or in the brutality of conditions where he drew his last breath - a prisoner of war camp.
Three blogs are conducting giveaways this week of THE MIRACLE OF FATHER KAPAUN in honor of Father Kapaun's heroic life:
CatholicMom.com
Brandon Vogt
Catholic Fire
We would never be able to celebrate Independence Day without the contributions of our military, past and present. Fr. Kapaun's story is timely for Independence Day, because we have relied upon the sacrifice, bravery and courage of heroes such as Fr. Kapaun to maintain our freedom and independence.
To schedule interviews with the authors, or to receive a review copy, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications.