From the back of the book- Part biography of a wartime adventurer, part detective story, and part faith journey, this intriguing book from a New York Times journalist and bestselling author takes us inside the modern-day making of a saint.
The Saint Makers chronicles the unlikely alliance between Father Hotze and Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, a country priest and a cosmopolitan Italian canon lawyer, as the two piece together the life of a long dead Korean War hero and military chaplain and fashion it into a case for eternal divinity. Joe Drape offers a front row seat to the Catholic Church's saint-making machinery—which, in many ways, has changed little in two thousand years-and examines how, or if, faith and science can co-exist.
This rich and unique narrative leads from the plains of Kansas to the opulent halls of the Vatican, through brutal Korean War prison camps, and into the stories of two individuals, Avery Gerleman and Chase Kear, whose lives were threatened by illness and injury and whose family and friends prayed to Father Kapaun, sparking miraculous recoveries in the heart of America. Gerleman is now a nurse, and Kear works as a mechanic in the aerospace industry. Both remain devoted to Father Kapaun, whose opportunity for sainthood relies in their belief and medical charts. At a time when the church has faced severe scandal and damage, and the world is at the mercy of a pandemic, this is an uplifting story about a priest who continues to an example of goodness and faith.
Ultimately, The Saint Makers is the story of a journey of faith—for two priests separated by seventy years, for the two young athletes who were miraculously brought back to life with (or without) the intercession of the divine, as well as for readers—and the author—trying to understand and accept what makes a person truly worthy of the Congregation of Saints in the eyes of the Catholic Church.
Review- An interesting and moving account of a man’s life and what his legacy is. Father Kapaun was a man of faith from a very young age and when he became an army chaplain, he found his calling. He died doing the Korean war, the men he served starting to pray to him for guidance and influence. Then some miracles happened when people prayed to Father Kapaun, so the Vatican started investigating to see if they had a new saint on their hands. This was an interesting look into the life of a brave man of faith and how new saints are made by the Vatican. The writing style is engaging, the story is interesting and Father Kapaun was a moving figure. I learned about how saints are made, how Father Kapaun is being considered for sainthood, and why it takes so long for a saint to be recognized. An interesting book if you want to know more about how saints are made or to learn about a moving man of faith.
I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
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