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CV NEWS FEED // The Saint John XXIII Foundation, a Catholic military support organization, this week announced a new scholarship for seminarians preparing to be military chaplains.
The Father Vincent R. Capodanno Co-Sponsored Seminarian Endowed Scholarship is named after a Navy chaplain and missionary who was killed in action during the Vietnam War.
“In addition to posthumously receiving the Medal of Honor in 1969, Lieutenant Capodanno’s legacy and sacrifice has been honored through several chapels, scholarships, schools, and organizations,” reads an email news release from the Saint John XXIII Foundation, which added that Chaplain Capodanno’s cause for sainthood is ongoing.
Married couple Douglas Oldmixon and Jo-Dee Benson are the lead donors for the scholarship. According to the news release, Oldmixon served three combat tours before retiring from the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel. Benson is the former vice president and chief culture officer for Cirrus Logic. They have also been active members in their local Texas parish, working with the Knights of Columbus.
“We see this step as a natural continuation of the support provided from 2016 to 2020 by the Texas Women’s Project to the [Archdiocese for Military Services] Co-Sponsored Seminarian scholarship program,” Benson stated.
“Our goal was to focus attention on the need for Catholic priests to serve as military chaplains and we received a tremendously positive response,” she added.
The Saint John XXIII Foundation was started in 2022 and has since received over $1 million in donations to go toward ministries, scholarships, projects, and programs supporting active-duty military Catholics and Catholic veterans.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for Military Services is set to be formally recognized as the founding patron of the Saint John XXIII Foundation.
Along with his efforts to create the Foundation, the Archbishop has worked to promote the Catholic Church’s pro-life values in the military, having spoken out against new pro-abortion policies in the Department of Veterans Affairs. In January, he also led pro-life cadets in the March for Life.
Archbishop Broglio has also led various spiritual and formational retreats for chaplains, and for seminarians discerning serving as chaplains in the military.
The news release noted that Oldmixon and Benson “(urge) all Catholics with a connection to the military to consider a gift to the Father Capodanno Endowed Scholarship to support future Catholic Chaplains inspired by Father Capodanno’s example of love and courage.”
The need for military chaplains, Benson said, “is even more pressing today and we are privileged to continue our efforts through this new scholarship in honor of Father Capodanno.”
Oldmixon reaffirmed the example of holiness and bravery set by Fr. Capodanno, making him a fitting namesake for the scholarship.
“Father Capodanno is a model of the selfless dedication and loving care a military chaplain offers to service members in the most extreme circumstances – even to the point of the ultimate sacrifice – an imitation of Jesus Christ,” Oldmixon stated:
We’ve personally experienced the importance of this vocation and the challenges of a shortage of Catholic chaplains, and we pray for Father Capodanno’s intercession to inspire more men to accept the call to this special ministry.
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