Servant of God Joseph Verbis Lafleur: Difference between revisions

|NotableAddress1=St. Joseph's Minor Seminary, St. Benedict, Louisiana, United States (Minor seminary training)

|NotableAddress2=Notre Dame Major Seminary, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States (Major seminary training)

|NotableAddress3=St. Mary Magdalen Church, Abbeville, Louisiana, United States (First parish assignment)

|NotableAddress4=Clark Field, Philippines (Military chaplain service)

'''Joseph Verbis Lafleur''' ({{Birth date and age|1912|1|24|df=yes}} – September 7, 1944) was an American [[Roman Catholic]] [[priest]] and [[United States Army|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 Cross]]es, two [[Purple Heart]]s, 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>

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>

In 1941, Lafleur joined the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] Air Corps as a [[chaplain]], motivated by a desire to serve soldiers facing the looming threat of [[World War II]].<ref name="catholic365" /> Assigned to the 19th Bombardment Group at Clark Field in the [[Philippines]], he provided spiritual and practical support, administering [[sacraments]] and tending to the wounded during the Japanese attack on December 8, 1941.<ref name="wikipedia" /> His later years as a POW saw him ministering tirelessly, building a chapel and sacrificing personal resources to aid fellow prisoners.<ref name="catholic365" />

As a POW from May 1942 to September 1944, Lafleur’s vocation shone through his selfless acts, including building a chapel named St. Peter in Chains, celebrating daily [[Mass]], and advocating for prisoners’ needs, often enduring beatings for his efforts.<ref name="catholic365" /> His ministry converted nearly 200 service members to [[Catholicism]], demonstrating his spiritual influence.<ref name="frverbislafleur" /> His ultimate act of charity—helping others escape the sinking SS Shinyo Maru at the cost of his life—embodied the [[Christianity|Christian]] ideal of self-sacrifice.<ref name="cmohs" />

* [https://www.amazon.com/But-He-Dies-Not-Sacrifice/dp/B0047T7U9S ''