Mass at KMC follows in bootsteps of its namesake
Although it had been dark, dank, and a bit chilly 24 hours earlier, the weather cooperated at Wichita’s Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 8. And although the all-school outdoor Mass began under cloud cover, everything was dry and temperate on the school’s football practice field.
As those clouds began to dissipate, the early autumn sun cast gentle rays, similar in quality to the light that surrounded a Mass held in October 1950. Since the 2025 Mass already sought to evoke the one from 1950 by offering the Holy Sacrifice upon an altar that also was the hood of a 1946 Willys CJ2 Jeep, the sunlight was a nice touch, even if it fell outside the direct control of the Mass organizers.
Presiding over the Mass was KMC Chaplain Fr. Seth Arnold, who was assisted by his fellow chaplain Fr. James Billinger and Fr. Garett Burns, director of vocational promotion for the Diocese of Wichita. After Mass, Fr. Arnold said Fr. Kapaun – who advanced closer to recognized sainthood when he was deemed venerable last February – was a priest he sought to emulate.
“It was a beautiful experience to have that concrete and tangible reminder of the holiness of the priesthood that I live,” he said. “To be able to share that with the students was really exciting. I hope that they are able to recognize how special the opportunity is, and that holiness is attainable for all of us. I tell them all the time, ‘Saints can come from Wichita, Kansas,’ and Father Kapaun is our example of that.”
Scott Carter, coordinator for the Diocese of Wichita’s Office for the Beatification of Venerable Emil Kapaun, helped arrange the Mass, and cited remarks by KMC Principal Chris Bloomer to students that the Mass helped recreate history. “We don’t get too many chances to do that,” Carter said. “Oftentimes, attending Mass can seem so routine that an opportunity like this takes us out of the norm and helps us really appreciate what we have in such a unique and powerful way.”
“A very holy moment”
The Jeep Mass that Fr. Kapaun offered on that day in October 1950 was by no means uncharacteristic for a priest who often lacked a built-for-purpose altar, but not the desire to celebrate the divine liturgy. “He would celebrate Mass wherever he could,” Carter said. “A table would do, but often when he was traveling, it would be ammo crates, food ration boxes, or the hood of a Jeep. Sometimes he would say Mass on one side of a mountain as the other side was being hit with artillery shells.”
Carter went on to note that “Christ is the Good Shepherd who yearns for and seeks after us. That’s exactly what Kapaun did for his men. He had the heart of the Good Shepherd and followed his call to bring Christ to men on the battlefield. In some way, the image and this Mass remind us that we are all called to bring Christ to those lost, lonely, hurting or on the fringes of society.”
As for the lovely weather that contrasted so nicely with that of the previous day? “It was incredibly providential,” Fr. Arnold said. “As Bishop Gerber liked to say, whenever we see those rays of sunshine, it should remind us of the Holy Spirit.”
The same Jeep will again stand in for a more customary altar at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Pilsen, which Carter describes as a rare opportunity. “We would love to have as many people there as we can,” he said.
After Mass, the Pilsen Altar Society will provide lunch for a suggested donation of $10, though attendees are also welcome to pack their own picnic lunches. To help with meal planning, the altar society requests an RSVP for those who plan to eat that lunch.
In the event of inclement weather, organizers indicate, the Mass will be relocated indoors.
