The Soldier-Priest of Louisiana
For Lt. Col Francis Lowe, this was no ordinary Mass.
In the pulpit of St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, Lowe, a priest and Air Force chaplain, celebrated the life of a man he'd never met, but who would affect his life, his family and the lives of multitudes across more than 70 years.
Father Verbis Lafleur, a native of Opelousas, died about 66 years ago, a Japanese prisoner of war. Lafleur died in the hull of a "hell ship" stuffed with 750 of his fellow POWs. He'd volunteered to go with the men to serve in a forced detail to build an airstrip for his captors, because the men needed a chaplain....
Read entire article at Daily World (LA)
In the pulpit of St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, Lowe, a priest and Air Force chaplain, celebrated the life of a man he'd never met, but who would affect his life, his family and the lives of multitudes across more than 70 years.
Father Verbis Lafleur, a native of Opelousas, died about 66 years ago, a Japanese prisoner of war. Lafleur died in the hull of a "hell ship" stuffed with 750 of his fellow POWs. He'd volunteered to go with the men to serve in a forced detail to build an airstrip for his captors, because the men needed a chaplain....