NOTE: In our ongoing series called, “Veteran Stories,” this week we feature Father William Cappius, who was born in Westphalia, Germany, and emigrated to the U.S. He was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1913, and served during World War I in the American army.
Some stories are more difficult to piece together than others. Little is actually known about the army service of William Cappius during World War I, except that he served in an American uniform in the Great War. Like many German-American soldiers of the day, he had emigrated to the U.S. and ended up in uniform in a massive fight against his former native land.
Cappius was born on March 26, 1885 at Bochum, Westphalia, Germany. After completing eight years of grade school, he began classic studies for eight years, and completed two years of philosophy and four years of theology at the University of Freiburg, Switzerland. He was ordained into the Catholic priesthood in 1913. In the fall of that same year, Bishop Scannell of Omaha called Father Cappius for work in the U.S. in his diocese. He was first appointed as assistant pastor at St. Mary Magdalene parish in Omaha and then as assistant at a parish in Snyder. He was later appointed pastor of St. Joseph’s parish in Dodge, before coming to St. Rose in Crofton.
It was most likely during his time in Omaha or Snyder that he entered the military. Although we cannot know for sure, we can assume that he did basic training where most of the other Nebraska boys completed their training – at Camp Funston, Kansas. This camp, located on Fort Riley near Manhattan, was one of 16 training camps in the U.S. at the outbreak of World War I. This is also where the Spanish Flu most likely took hold in the country and spread out from there.
Again, there is no record of which unit Cappius served with. But, there are good records in existence of Catholic priests on the front lines in France during the war. It is likely that Cappius served with units much like those with which the Crofton doughboys served. Perhaps he even served in the same unit as one of the Crofton men in uniform at that time. By the end of the war, records show that over 1000 priests were serving as chaplains in the U.S. Army and Navy. An Army chaplain could expect to celebrate Mass for the troops on a makeshift altar in the field on the hood or tailgate of a vehicle, a makeshift desk or table in the woods, or on a tree stump. Confessions may have been heard with troops, using a tree as a confessional.
Some of the most harrowing stories of chaplains come from the bloody days of battle when a dying soldier might call for a priest or chaplain to pray with them, or to administer Last Rites. Just as difficult for chaplains during the war was the pestilence of the day in the form of the Spanish Flu, which took hundreds of thousands of young soldiers over that same period. Priests dealt with death in every turn, whether it was on the battlefield or in the hospitals.
After the war, Father Cappius served at Dodge until 1932. It was in the early days of the Great Depression and drought of the “Dirty Thirties” that Father Cappius was moved to St. Rose parish in Crofton. Although farmers and local businesses were struggling greatly, and families were moving en masse out of the area because of the financial and weather troubles of the day, Father used his organizational skills, thrift and financial management to keep St. Rose School operating and to even pay off some of the parish’s remaining debts during this horrific time. Parish records from archives show that parishioners actually gave more of their incomes during these difficult times to the church, understanding the importance of their contributions. Teaching religion in the school and passing on the faith to young students at St. Rose was always a prime goal for Father Cappius.
Cappius is credited with starting the “God’s Acre” program at St. Rose, offering the opportunity for farmers to give proceeds from an acre of crops – the “first fruits” of their labors – to the church, to help keep the school going and to start a building fund for the growing parish.
On Jan. 8, 1945, Father Cappius passed away suddenly at the age of 59. His funeral Mass was held on Jan. 11, with Msgr. E.B. Hunkeler as the celebrant. He was interred at St. Rose cemetery, and his gravestone is a large tablet stone at the very center of the east section of the cemetery, across from another St. Rose pastor, Msgr. Bernard Westerman.
CONTACT US: If you or your parents, grandparents or other relatives from Crofton, living or deceased, served in the armed forces, we would like to tell your story in the Journal as part of this series. If you have a story to tell or digital photos to share, email bowview@gpcom.net with a subject line notation of “Veteran Stories” to let us know the details.