Fr. Kapaun Pilgrimage May 30-June 2

The 11th annual Father Kapaun Pilgrimage will be held from May 30 to June 2.

Participants will begin their trek after a 6 a.m. Mass Thursday, May 30, at Church of the Magdalen in Wichita. The walk ends with the 11 a.m. Father Kapaun Day Mass on Sunday, June 2, at St. John Nepomucene Church in Pilsen, Father Kapaun’s home parish.

Participants may walk the entire 60 miles or a portion of the pilgrimage. Support vehicles will carry camping and other gear for the pilgrims to the three pre-determined camping sites.

Three diocesan priests, Fathers Eric Weldon, David Lies, and Curtis Hecker will be making the pilgrimage. About 200 people make the pilgrimage each year.

“The Pilgrimage is a great opportunity to get outside of our normal routine and encounter God and Father Kapaun in a new way,” said Scott Carter, coordinator of the Father Kapaun Guild. “When we slow down and walk, we come to realize that our whole life is a journey to heaven, and that God and Father Kapaun are with us each step of the way. The pilgrimage opens us up to receive so many graces for our daily lives.”

Servant of God Emil Kapaun died in 1951 in a North Korean prisoner of war camp. His heroic actions in caring for his fellow prisoners resulted in a Medal of Honor awarded by President Barack Obama in 2013.

A cause for his canonization has begun and is under consideration by the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints. Click here for Pilgrimage details and registration.