Father Emil Kapaun given one of our country's highest honors

Father Emil Kapaun has been awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama for his selfless sacrifice during the Korean War.

The priest risked his life, time and again, for our POW's held captive by the Chinese and Korean governments. He held regular Mass, even when threatened with his own death. He carried wounded soldiers on his back during forced marches, because those soldiers would have been murdered if they couldn't move. He gave his own rations to other soldiers.

Father Kapaun died on May 23, 1951, of pneumonia and dysentery. His nephew accepted the Medal of Honor in his place. God Bless Father Emil Kapaun.

The new Pope

I am truly excited about the future of Christianity with the election of the newest Pope, Francis I. Everything I read about this man is grand. A truly humble man, he refused to live in the mansion available to him in Argentina. He lived in a small apartment. Cooked his own meals. Road the bus to the slums to visit with the poor and forgotten. According to an article in our local paper, the Argentinian poor have a nickname for this holy man of God. El Chabon, ( the Dude).

Now, I realize that Pope Francis I is just a man. And after the media infatuation has ended, I'm sure I'll read all sorts of less-than-kind things about him.

However, I choose to believe that, like his namesake Saint Francis of Assisi, God has called this man to rebuild his Church.