Tuesday July 16th, 2024 @ Noon St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church
This coming Tuesday, July 16th, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, is the anniversary of the death of Fr. Herman Felhoelter, OFM in 1950 during the Korean War. He was a parishioner of St. Martin of Tours Parish, now the Shrine of St. Martin of Tours. He was ordained for the Franciscans and served as a military chaplain in both World War II and the Korean War.
During the Korean War in the Battle for Taejon, when the order was given to retreat due to the overwhelming number of North Korean troops, Fr. Felhoelter chose to remain with the thirty wounded US troops. He prayed with the troops and administered the Last Rites. As he was praying over a soldier, he was shot in the head and back. All thirty of the troops were massacred. This became known as the Chaplain-Medic Massacre. Fr. Felhoelter was the first chaplain killed in the Korean War. He is buried in the clergy section of St. Michael Cemetery.
Please read the Kentucky Historical Marker at the corner of Shelby and Gray Streets for more details.
Fr. Felhoelter will be remembered at the Noon Mass on Tuesday, July 16th, praying for the repose of his soul and asking his intercession upon the Shrine of St. Martin of Tours. Following the Mass, there will be a short driving pilgrimage to St. Michael Cemetery for a brief prayer service at his grave site.
You can read more about Fr. Felhoelter’s life here https://thecatholicpost.com/2020/07/02/letters-from-army-chaplain-killed-in-korea-reveal-a-life-of-heroic-service/
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