Help Us Preserve the Latimer Lutheran Church

This building has a fascinating history. It was initially a WWII Military Chapel built and located at the Herington Army Air Field Base in 1942, making it one of Kansas's few remaining Military Chapels from that era. After the war, it was used as a place of worship for the Zion Lutheran Church congregation in Latimer, KS, for 72 years until it closed its doors in 2021. Father Emil Kapaun, a Roman Catholic priest from Pilsen, Kansas, served as a Military Chaplain at this building during WWII. Father Kapaun was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously by President Obama in 2013 for his brave actions during the Korean War. In 1993, Pope John Paul II declared Father Kapaun a Servant of God, the first step towards canonization and Sainthood.

On February 24, 2025, Pope Francis declared Father Emil Kapaun 'Venerable' recognizing his heroic virtue-a key step on his path to sainthood. A U.S. Army chaplain during the Korean War, Father Kapaun is honored for his extraordinary faith and service while held as a prisoner of war. Father Kapaun died at a prisoner-of-war camp in Pyoktong, North Korea on May 23, 1951. He is buried in Wichita, Kansas at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.