Father Vincent R. Capodanno Assembly 3167 of the Knights of Columbus honored two of their deceased members by presenting Mass kits in each of their names to be used by priests serving in Uganda.
Presented in memory of Sir Knight Stephen Reed and Sir Knight Ernest A. DeFrank, Jr., by Robert P. Hawley, Faithful Navigator of Assembly 3167, the kits were gifted to Father Bernard Wamayose, A.J., pastor of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Harrisburg and a member of the Apostles of Jesus. Father Wamayose will facilitate delivery of the kits to two priests of his congregation serving in Uganda – Father Raphael Owori and Father Bernard Bubolo.
The presentation was made during a ceremony prior to the Assembly’s meeting at St. Matthew Parish in Dauphin on Dec. 7.
Each Mass kit, valued at several hundred dollars, includes a stole, paten, chalice, candles, pyx, oil vials, crucifix and altar linens.
During the same ceremony, the Assembly presented newly-ordained Father William Barbee with a Sick Call Set for use in his ministry to the sick. Father Barbee is a former Army chaplain, and was ordained on Oct. 24 of this year. He currently serves at St. Theresa Parish in New Cumberland.
The Capodanno Assembly presented the kits as a tribute to Servant of God, Father Vincent Capodanno (1929-1967). The Maryknoll Missionary carried kits as he celebrated Mass in remote regions during his ministry.
Known among Marines as the “Grunt Padre,” Father Capodanno served as a military chaplain in the United States Navy and often attended to the wounded in battle. He died due to injury from machine gun bullets on Sept. 4, 1967, while administering Last Rites to the Marines of his battalion.
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
