On Sunday, September 1 at 1:30pm (ET), and again on Wednesday, September 4 at 4:00pm (ET), EWTN will air the 90-minute docudrama, Called and Chosen: Father Vincent R. Capodanno, about the U.S. Navy chaplain’s extraordinary life and death serving U.S. Marines in combat.
Elligible donors may receive a copy of the Called and Chosen documentary on DVD’s. For every $20 donated, donors are qualified to receive one DVD. All proceeds benefit Father Capodanno’s Cause for Canonization.
The Story of a Missionary Turned Navy Lieutenant
This 90-minute film explores the life of the Maryknoll missionary-turned-Navy-lieutenant who died of gunshots at the age of 38 in Vietnam’s Quế Sơn Valley, administering the sacraments to embattled U.S. Marines and pulling the wounded to safety. Father Capodanno, a native of Staten Island, NY, received the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1969. The Catholic Church declared him a Servant of God in 2006 and the Holy See’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints is now considering his Cause for Canonization.
Called and Chosen was filmed in New York and California under the direction of Mr. James C. Kelty and features interviews with some of those who served alongside Father Capodanno, as well as, reenactments of his war service including the battle that ended his life. EWTN premiered the film late last August to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the priest-hero’s Sept. 4, 1967 death.
An Award Winning Documentary
In 2018, Called and Chosen received a prestigious Gabriel Award at the annual Catholic Media Conference. The Gabriel Awards are presented each year for films or programs that uplift and nourish the human spirit, affirm the dignity of human persons, and uphold universally recognized human values such as community, creativity, tolerance, justice, compassion, and the dedication to excellence.