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  • This course regularly costs $157.
  • A $20 Early Enrollment Discount will be applied if you purchase this course before April 15th, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST.
  • This course has 19 seats remaining.

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Course name
Faith in the Fight: Catholic Chaplains in the U.S. Military
Live course taught by Susan Sucher for Summer 2025 High School Church History
Summary

Catholic Chaplains have been examples of heroic virtue in every American conflict since the Civil War. Can you imagine entering a battlefield with only a Rosary as a weapon? Military chaplains heroically serve our country and their fellow soldiers. Come take a fast-paced trip through military history as we explore the lives and service of men like Fr. William Corby, Fr. Peter Whelan, Fr. Emil Kaupan, Fr. Vincent Capodanno, Fr. Tim Vakoc, and other heroic men, who, like the Good Shepherd, were willing to lay down their lives for their sheep.

 

Course description: Students will study the lives, vocation, and military role of several U.S. Military chaplains. Through this study, they will learn more about the role of the priesthood in the lives of the faithful, the history of the wars in which these men served, and the stories of the vocations of these heroic men.

 

Instructor: Mrs. Susan Sucher

Total classes

8

Class dates

Monday through Thursday, August 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, and 14, 2025.

Starting time

1:00 PM Eastern (Noon Central; 11:00 Mountain; 10:00 Pacific)

Duration

50 minutes

Prerequisites

None

Suggested grade level

8th – 12th grade

Suggested credit

¾ semester Religion or History

Outline

Course outline:

Class 1: Introduction to the chaplaincy, history and current times

Class 2: Fr. Peter Whelan, Civil War

Class 3: Fr. William Corby, Civil War

Class 4: Fr. James Sheeran, Civil War

Class 5: Fr. Frank Duffy, World War II

Class 6: Fr. Emil Kapaun, Korean War

Class 7: Fr. Vincent Capodanno, Vietnam War

Class 8: Fr. Tim Vakoc and the future of the chaplaincy

Materials

  • Course materials and readings will be supplied free by the instructor.

Homework

Pre-class quiz, daily reading, and optional 5-paragraph theme on the role of the chaplain. Students should plan to spend about 30 minutes on the quiz and reading in preparation for each class. Expect to spend about 2 hours on the optional theme.

Fees

For all 8 classes: $137 if you register on or before April 15, $157 if you register after April 15. (Registration closes one week before the first day of class. After that date, registrations are not guaranteed. There is a $25 surcharge for late enrollments after the course is closed.

Course name
Faith in the Fight: Catholic Chaplains in the U.S. Military
Instructor
Susan Sucher
Semester
Summer 2025
Category
History ➤ Church History
Grade levels
High School
Monitor
Dawn Porten
Start time
August 4th, 2025 at 1:00 PM ET
Course type
Live
Price
$157
Seats available
20 seats available
Seats remaining
19 seats remaining
Relative due dates
Relative due dates are disabled for this course.

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Susan Sucher
mrs.sucher.hsc@gmail.com

Susan Sucher is homeschooling mother of nine and a wife to Greg. After earning a B.A. in mathematics from Carthage College, she worked as an actuary for several years. Staying home with her children for the following twenty years afforded her plenty of opportunities to travel and learn with her growing family, which she has greatly treasured.

She and her husband, Greg, live in Eldersburg, MD and are members of St. Timothy’s Ordinariate Parish in Sykesville, MD. She is currently writing a book about Chaplains in the U.S. Military. She is an avid Chestertonian and founder of her local Chesterton Society.

Susan currently blogs at https://returntosanity.substack.com/

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Dawn Porten

Meet Dawn Porten, a monitor for Homeschool Connections. She is married and the mother of four children. She currently resides in Arizona raising her family, homeschooling and appreciating desert living. She serves her church community as a lector and volunteers with various organizations within her fields of study. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, exploring outdoors, baking gluten free tasty treats, and cooking nutritious meals. She is so grateful to be part of the HSC community.