Servant of God Joseph Verbis Lafleur: Difference between revisions

'''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>