The Cause for
Servant of God
Brother Marinus, O.S.B.
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Volume 3, #12 December 22, 2021 |
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51 years ago today, Captain La Rue and his crew began loading refugees for
the Christmas Miracle
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Today, 51 years ago, December 22, 1950, Captain La Rue and his crew on the SS Meredith Victory entered Hungnam Harbor, and tied up along the outboard side of the Norcuba, which was along the dock.
At 9:30 P.M., the first refugees made their way across the deck of the Norcuba, and on to the Meredith Victory. By 10:30 A.M. on December 23rd, all 14,000 refugees were onboard, and the Meredith Victory headed out to sea.
(Note: I mistakenly say "December 21st," in the video. The loading of refugees began on December 22.)
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New Jersey Monthly Features Brother Marinus |
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New Jersey Monk, a Revered War Hero, Is Candidate for Sainthood
Before joining St. Paul’s Abbey in Newton, the late Brother Marinus La Rue rescued thousands of refugees. Now, he's being considered for canonization.
For decades, at a Catholic monastery tucked into the hilly northwest corner of New Jersey, the first monk to arise each day was Brother Marinus La Rue. He walked the dark and silent halls with a handbell, rousing his fellow monks for morning prayer in the chapel, the start of another day whose rhythms and rituals have changed little in the 1,500 years since the founding of the Benedictine order.
“He rang with such vigor that he kept breaking them,” recalls Father Justin Dzikowicz, the former abbot of St. Paul’s Abbey in Newton, who finally ordered a sturdier bell from a company that made them for handbell choirs. “I wanted something professionally made that wouldn’t break....”
Blessings,
Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L.
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20th Anniversary Remembrance of
the death of Servant of God Brother Marinus
Video
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A special message from the St. Paul's Abbey's Abbot |
Dear Fr. Sinclair and the members of the guild.
Thank you, Fr. Sinclair, for organizing today’s virtual meeting. It’s important that we keep the momentum for the cause of Br. Marinus going and it’s small activities like this that really help. Unfortunately I couldn’t attend today’s meeting. I am very sorry and felt sad.
I thank to Father and the Apostolate of the Sea. I also would like to thank everyone who took part in the special event for Br. Marinus that we had here at St. Paul’s Abbey last August. It was a wonderful event and it was terrific to see everyone. It meant a lot to me and the brothers here at the monastery. Br. Marinus is a great example to us of monastic fidelity, and as a community mostly of Korean ethnicity, a hero of our people and a special figure in our history. It truly warms our hearts to have people recognize our confrere, Br. Marinus, and make such efforts for his cause.
As I had mentioned in that August meeting, we here at St. Paul’s Abbey pray for the cause of Br. Marinus every day at complines. I do hope that all of you will join us in this prayer and encourage others to do so as well. In prayer, we recognize that it is God’s work in us, and that we are seeking God’s will as we share the story of Br. Marinus with the world.
Once again, thank you for all your efforts. It’s truly awesome to think that one of our own, by his heroic actions inspired of faith and charity, gave life and hope to so many. Br. Marinus has touched our lives and inspired us. Let us pray that with our cooperation with God’s grace that Br. Marinus’ story will continue to inspire and encourage many in the Church and the wider world. Thank you.
In the Love of Jesus Christ,
Fr. Samuel Kim, OSB
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Bishop Kevin Sweeney, the diocesan bishop of Paterson, New Jersey, appeared on Catholic New Headlines of the Diocese of Brooklyn to speak about the cause of Servant of God Brother Marinus. |
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On Wednesday, August 11, Gene Wilhelm talked with Fr. Sinclair Oubre about two American Catholics with a military background who are on the path to sainthood. He is the postulator for the cause of Brother Marinus, born Leonard LaRue, who was a Korean War hero who rescued over 14,000 Korean civilians from communist rule during Christmastime 1950–51. This incredible feat has been described by Richard Goldstein of the New York Times as the "largest humanitarian rescue operation by a single ship in human history."
Our guest also spoke for a few minutes about the life and the path to canonization of Fr. Emil Kapaun, a Korean War soldier and chaplain who sacrificed his life in order to save the lives of many men in his prison camp. Fr. Oubre is the Pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Community in Orange, Texas. Enjoy this journey into a fascinating corner of the American Catholic story! And remember when choosing between the values of heaven and the values of earth, always round up!
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Meet Father LaFleur and Brother Marinus
by Brian Fraga
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Brother Marinus
As a Benedectine monk, Brother Marinus never once in 50 years spoke about his exploits during the Korean War that saved 14,000 Korean refugees.
“He never talked about what he did. Anybody who lived with him will tell you that. And he didn’t want to talk about it,” said Benedictine Father Joel Macul, who lived with Brother Marinus at St. Paul’s Benedictine Abbey in Newton, New Jersey.
“If you asked him about it, he would simply say, ‘Well, you weren’t there so you wouldn’t understand.’ That was the end of the conversation. But that’s not unusual for anybody who has had any experience or trauma of war. People don’t talk about it, except to other guys who were there,” Father Macul told Our Sunday Visitor.
In December 1950, Brother Marinus was Capt. Leonard LaRue, the skipper of the 455-foot Meredith Victory, a freighter carrying military supplies to American servicemen in northeast Korea.
Three days before Christmas, Capt. LaRue, a Philadelphia native, came upon what he later likened to a scene out of Dante’s Inferno at the North Korean port city of Hungnam. There he saw thousands of Korean refugees retreating from a Chinese Communist onslaught at the Chosin Reservoir.....
NB: Servant of God Brother Marinus' story is in the second half of this article.
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National Catholic Register:
Heroic Mariner-Monk Sails for Sainthood: Servant of God Marinus LaRue
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Navy League's Weekly Report Highlights Cause!
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AMMV News Magazine Feature:
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It All Could Have Been So Different!
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Dear Guild Members and Friends of the Cause of Servant of God Brother Marinus,
My apologies for not sending out a newsletter for quite a while now. I will just say that things have been very busy on the parish and maritime ministry levels.
This has been a great day for the cause for Servant of God Brother Marinus. During today's session of our US Bishops Conference General Assembly, Bishop Sweeney of Paterson, New Jersey presented the cause of Servant of God Brother Marinus to the United States bishops for their endorsement. They voted 99% with no abstentions or negative votes to endorse our cause.
Blessings,
Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L., AFNI
Diocesan Director
Stella Maris - Diocese of Beaumont
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In this interview with Fr. Sinclair Oubre (Stella Maris - Diocese of Beaumont) and Doreen Badeaux (Apostleship of the Sea USA), Phil share the story of Captain Leonard La Rue and the crew of the SS Meredith Victory on the 70th anniversary of the initiation of the loading of 14,000 North Korean refugees at Hungnam, North Korea. |
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Please raise up in prayer, asking for the intercession of Servant of God Brother Marinus for the Episcopal Delegate for the Cause of Servant of God Brother Marinus. He recently suffered a heart attack and a stroke, and is in very serious condition.
Please raise up in prayer, asking for the intercession of the Chairman of the Historical Commission. He underwent heart surgery before Christmas, and is recovering well.
The prayer prayer for the intercessions of Servant of God Brother Marinus is at the bottom of this newsletter!
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Ned Forney with his wife Jodi are Americans living in Seoul, South Korea. Ned has done great work in chronicling the Korean War, and the great men and women who took part in it. You can read read Ned's writings by visiting his web page at: http://nedforney.com.
While taking the Seoul subway to the park, they came across the above poster.
To Ned's and Jodi's surprise Captain Leonard La Rue had been named Korean War Hero of the month of December. This is so appropriate on the 70th anniversary of the Christmas Miracle.
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New Biography of Captain Leonard LaRue/Brother Marinus published!"
The Mariner and the Monk: Captain LaRue, Brother Marinus, and the Rescue at Hungnam
by Phillip Lacovara
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The Mariner and the Monk tells the story of Captain Leonard La Rue, a brave officer in the Merchant Marine, a Benedictine monk, and the reason tens of thousands of Koreans are alive today and live in freedom. (from Amazon.com)
The book, at this writing, is available in Kindle format for $9.99. Later this week, printed editions will be available through Amazon.
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The SS Meredith Victory's near disasterous participation in the Inchon Landing Convoy: September 1950
Want to see more about the SS Meredith Victory? Watch our earlier MaritimeTV video presentation on the Meredith Victory's participation in General MacArthur's Inchon Landing.
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Prayer for the Cause of
Servant of God Brother Marinus
God, our Father, Creator of the seas, Protector of refugees, and all those in need,
You called Captain Leonard LaRue to recognize Your Son Jesus Christ in the faces of the Korean refugees, and led him as Brother Marinus to a life of prayer and service in the tradition of St. Benedict.
May his life be an inspiration to us, and lead us to greater confidence in Your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the people of the sea, welcoming those who are refugees from war, and deepening all the faithful in their prayer and work of service.
We humbly ask that You glorify Your servant Captain Leonard LaRue/Brother Marinus on earth according to the design of Your holy will, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ our Lord.
AMEN
Nihil Obstat: Rev. T. Kevin Corcoran
Censor Liborium Date: August 1, 2017
Imprimatur: + Arthur Serratelli
Bishop of Paterson Date: August 1, 2017
Decree Initiating Cause: + Arthur Serratelli
Bishop of Paterson Date: March 25, 2019
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I Want To Join
the Servant of God Brother Marinus Guild
You can help promote the Cause of Servant of God Bother Marinus by:
- Praying the prayer for Servant of God Brother Marinus each day
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Ask for the intercession of Servant of God Brother Marinus for temporal or physical needs that you or a loved one have. If you believe that your petition has been answered through the intercession of Brother Marinus, please notify us at the Cause for Servant of God Brother Marinus at [email protected].
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Make a tax deductible donation to the Apostleship of the Sea of the United States of America (the petitioning association of the Christian faithful) for $50.00 or more each year. Go to: https://aosusa.americommerce.com/general-donations-to-aos-usa-clone.aspx
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