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Servant of God Joseph Verbis Lafleur: Difference between revisions
Servant of God Joseph Verbis Lafleur (view source)
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'''Joseph Verbis Lafleur''' ({{Birth date and age|1912|1|24|df=yes}} – September 7, 1944) was an American [[Roman Catholic]] [[priest]] and | '''Joseph Verbis Lafleur''' ({{Birth date and age|1912|1|24|df=yes}} – September 7, 1944) was an American [[Roman Catholic]] [[priest]] and U.S. Army [[chaplain]] who served heroically during World War II. A native of [[Ville Platte]], [[Louisiana]], he is remembered for his selfless acts as a prisoner of war (POW) under the Japanese, ultimately sacrificing his life to save others aboard the sinking SS Shinyo Maru in the [[South China Sea]], near [[Mindanao]], [[Philippines]].<ref name="cmohs">{{Cite web |title=Joseph Verbis Lafleur |url=https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/joseph-verbis-lafleur |publisher=Congressional Medal of Honor Society |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> Lafleur was posthumously awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses, two Purple Hearts, and a Bronze Star for his valor.<ref name="milarch2017">{{Cite web |title=World War Two Chaplain Hero Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur Receives Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart |url=https://www.milarch.org/world-war-two-chaplain-hero-father-joseph-verbis-lafleur-receives-distinguished-service-cross-and-purple-heart/ |publisher=Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA |date=2017-10-21 |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> Declared a [[Saints|Servant of God]] on September 5, 2020, by [[Bishop]] J. Douglas Deshotel of the [[Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana]], his cause for [[canonization]] is advancing, supported by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2021.<ref name="usccb2021">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Bishops Conduct Canonical Consultation on Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God Joseph Verbis Lafleur |url=https://www.usccb.org/news/2021/usshepherding his flock, and he will not abandon them. He would continue to minister to his men, offering confessions and last rites, often under intense enemy fire. His ultimate sacrifice came on September 7, 1944, when he gave up his chance to escape the sinking SS Shinyo Maru to help other prisoners, resulting in his death.<ref name="cmohs" /> His legacy endures through annual memorial [[Masses]] on September 7 and a monument at St. Landry Catholic Church in [[Opelousas, Louisiana|Opelousas]], [[Louisiana]], dedicated in 2007.<ref name="stlandry">{{Cite web |title=Lieutenant Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur |url=https://www.stlandrycatholicchurch.com/lieutenant-father-lafleur.html |publisher=St. Landry Catholic Church |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> | ||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
===Birth=== | ===Birth=== | ||
Joseph Verbis Lafleur was born on January 24, 1912, in [[Ville Platte]], [[Louisiana]], to Agatha Dupre and Valentine Lafleur, the fourth of seven children in a devout | Joseph Verbis Lafleur was born on January 24, 1912, in [[Ville Platte]], [[Louisiana]], to Agatha Dupre and Valentine Lafleur, the fourth of seven children in a devout Roman Catholic Cajun family.<ref name="frverbislafleur">{{Cite web |title=Biography |url=https://www.frverbislafleur.com/biography |publisher=Fr. Verbis Lafleur Official Website |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> Raised in a rural, French-speaking community, young Joseph, known as “Joe,” expressed a desire to become a [[priest]] at age seven, serving as an altar boy at Sacred Heart Church in the [[Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana|Diocese]].<ref name="catholic365">{{Cite web |title=Joseph Verbis LaFleur: The Priest Who Laid Down His Life For His Friends |url=https://www.catholic365.com/article/2607/joseph-verbis-lafleur-the-priest-who-laid-down-his-life-for-his-friends.html |publisher=Catholic365 |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> His early life was marked by hardship after his father abandoned the family, leaving Agatha to support her children through odd jobs and gardening.<ref name="wikipedia">{{Cite web |title=Joseph Verbis Lafleur |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Verbis_Lafleur |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> | ||
The family’s move to [[Opelousas, Louisiana|Opelousas]], [[Louisiana]], in the early 1920s exposed Joseph to a vibrant [[Parish]] community at St. Landry Catholic Church, where [[Pastor]] A.B. Colliard recognized his potential and encouraged his vocation.<ref name="dailyworld">{{Cite web |title=Opelousas, Louisiana, history: Who was Joseph Verbis Lafleur? |url=https://www.dailyworld.com/story/news/local/2020/01/31/opelousas-louisiana-history-who-was-joseph-verbis-lafleur/4616728002/ |publisher=Daily World |date=2020-01-31 |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> Growing up during | The family’s move to [[Opelousas, Louisiana|Opelousas]], [[Louisiana]], in the early 1920s exposed Joseph to a vibrant [[Parish]] community at St. Landry Catholic Church, where [[Pastor]] A.B. Colliard recognized his potential and encouraged his vocation.<ref name="dailyworld">{{Cite web |title=Opelousas, Louisiana, history: Who was Joseph Verbis Lafleur? |url=https://www.dailyworld.com/story/news/local/2020/01/31/opelousas-louisiana-history-who-was-joseph-verbis-lafleur/4616728002/ |publisher=Daily World |date=2020-01-31 |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> Growing up during World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic, Lafleur’s faith was shaped by themes of sacrifice and resilience, reinforced by the cultural and spiritual richness of Cajun [[Louisiana]].<ref name="homeofheroes">{{Cite web |title=Joseph Verbis Lafleur |url=https://homeofheroes.com/heroes-stories/world-war-ii/joseph-verbis-lafleur/ |publisher=Home of Heroes |date=2021-10-07 |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> | ||
===Early Life=== | ===Early Life=== | ||
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Joseph Verbis Lafleur met his end through martyrdom on September 7, 1944, aboard the SS Shinyo Maru, a Japanese POW ship in the [[South China Sea]], near [[Mindanao]], [[Philippines]].<ref name="cmohs" /> As the ship, unmarked as a POW vessel, was torpedoed by the USS Paddle, Lafleur refused to climb the ladder to safety, instead assisting fellow prisoners to escape under Japanese gunfire.<ref name="wikipedia" /> Survivors recall him pushing men to the deck, saving at least 83 lives before the ship sank, claiming his life among over 700 others.<ref name="frverbislafleur" /> His body was lost at sea.<ref name="findagrave">{{Cite web |title=Rev Joseph Verbis Lafleur (1912-1944) |url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182683051/joseph-verbis-lafleur |publisher=Find a Grave |date=2017-08-22 |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> | Joseph Verbis Lafleur met his end through martyrdom on September 7, 1944, aboard the SS Shinyo Maru, a Japanese POW ship in the [[South China Sea]], near [[Mindanao]], [[Philippines]].<ref name="cmohs" /> As the ship, unmarked as a POW vessel, was torpedoed by the USS Paddle, Lafleur refused to climb the ladder to safety, instead assisting fellow prisoners to escape under Japanese gunfire.<ref name="wikipedia" /> Survivors recall him pushing men to the deck, saving at least 83 lives before the ship sank, claiming his life among over 700 others.<ref name="frverbislafleur" /> His body was lost at sea.<ref name="findagrave">{{Cite web |title=Rev Joseph Verbis Lafleur (1912-1944) |url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182683051/joseph-verbis-lafleur |publisher=Find a Grave |date=2017-08-22 |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> | ||
Lafleur’s heroism earned him posthumous honors, including a second | Lafleur’s heroism earned him posthumous honors, including a second Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart in 2017, adding to earlier awards from 1942.<ref name="milarch2017" /> His mother, Agatha, reportedly sensed his death when a pine tree she planted in 1927 died the same day.<ref name="thedialog">{{Cite web |title=Bishop OK sainthood causes for Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur, Leonard LaRue |url=https://thedialog.org/featured/bishop-ok-sainthood-causes-for-father-joseph-verbis-lafleur-leonard-larue/ |publisher=The Dialog |date=2021-06-17 |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref> A monument at St. Landry Catholic Church in [[Opelousas, Louisiana|Opelousas]], dedicated in 2007, commemorates his sacrifice.<ref name="stlandry" /> | ||
==Significant events== | ==Significant events== | ||
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* Awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross]] and [[Purple Heart]] in 1942 for heroism during the Japanese attack on Clark Field.<ref name="cmohs" /> | * Awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross]] and [[Purple Heart]] in 1942 for heroism during the Japanese attack on Clark Field.<ref name="cmohs" /> | ||
* Built St. Peter in Chains chapel as a POW, ministering to prisoners from 1942 to 1944.<ref name="catholic365" /> | * Built St. Peter in Chains chapel as a POW, ministering to prisoners from 1942 to 1944.<ref name="catholic365" /> | ||
* Posthumously awarded a second | * Posthumously awarded a second Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, and Bronze Star in 2017 for actions aboard the SS Shinyo Maru.<ref name="milarch2017" /> | ||
* Declared a [[ | * Declared a [[Servant of God]] on September 5, 2020, by [[Bishop]] J. Douglas Deshotel, opening his cause for [[canonization]].<ref name="usccb2021" /> | ||
==Parishes== | ==Parishes== | ||