Sailing to Sainthood

CLIFTON  From his heroic efforts as the former captain of a U.S. Merchant Marine cargo freighter that saved thousands of Korean refugees to the quiet moments of prayer at a Benedictine abbey in Newton, the life of Brother Marinus LaRue is now being examined by a diocesan Tribunal panel as part of his cause for sainthood.

Bishop Serratelli had opened Brother Marinus’ cause for sainthood in the Diocese of Paterson on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. That day, the Bishop signed and sealed a decree that opened “the informative process for beatification and canonization” to “study the heroic virtues and reputation of the holiness of the Servant of God, Brother Marinus” — the first of the four-step process that ends in sainthood.

In this step in the sainthood process, three priests in the diocesan Tribunal formally started gathering evidence on the life of Brother Marinus on Aug. 12. Serving on the Tribunal’s panel for Brother Marinus’ cause are: Msgr. Edward Kurtyka, judicial vicar and pastor of St. Paul Parish in Prospect Park, as episcopal delegate; Msgr. Joseph Anginoli, adjutant judicial vicar and pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Mendham, as promoter of justice; and Father John Hanley, auditor in the Tribunal office, as notary. Postu­lator is Father Pawel Tomczyk.

As Capt. Leonard LaRue on the S.S. Meredith Victory in early December 1950, his mission was to deliver supplies to anti-communist forces in Korea, which included a stop in Hungnam, now part of North Korea. In the midst of the heavy fighting on land, he volunteered the ship to participate in a rescue operation to assist the refugees who were stranded there. To accomplish this, the crew had to dump much of its cargo of weapons and supplies. On Dec. 23, they boarded the 14,000 refugees who were forced to stand shoulder­-to-shoulder in the hold and on the deck of the unarmed ship. This all happened under the threat that stray artillery could hit the passengers or the 300 tons of fuel on board and cause mass casualties according to recollections by Admiral J. Robert Lunney, who served on the ship under Capt. LaRue.

As the last vessel to leave port during the evacuation mission, the S.S. Meredith Victory set sail on Dec. 23. The passengers on deck were subjected to freezing temperatures. The vessel steamed to the City of Pusan, which was overcrowded with refugees and U.N. forces. Once he received food and supplies for the refugees, Capt. LaRue pointed the ship to Goeje Island, 38 miles southwest of Pusan, where the ship arrived on Christmas Day. The crew unloaded the passengers — which now included five babies born in transit — by amphibious landing craft because the island had no pier. The heroic voyage is considered the greatest rescue mission by a single ship, Admiral Lunney said.

Four years after that historic moment, Capt. LaRue entered the Benedictine order at St. Paul’s Abbey in Newton to pursue a life of prayer, professing monastic vows and the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Although he had a storied career at sea, his religious name — Marinus — was taken in honor of the Blessed Mother.

Dr. Mary Mazzarella, diocesan consultant for the Office of Respect Life, is serving as a consultant for the sainthood cause. “We are currently in the phase in which we have to prove that Brother Marinus, Servant of God, lived a life of heroic virtue and was very holy,” she said. “In order to gather the facts and information, the Tribunal meets with witnesses who knew Brother Marinus and collect any pertinent information about him.”

On Aug. 12, Admiral Lunney came to the Diocesan Pastoral Center here as the first witness where he spoke to the Bishop and the Tribunal answering the questions presented by the Tribunal. Admiral Lunney kept in touch with his former captain and made several visits to St. Paul’s Abbey through the years to see him.

After his closed-door meeting with the Tribunal, Admiral Lunney, who is 91, looked through photographs of that “miracle” voyage on the S.S. Meredith Victory and memories from St. Paul’s Abbey with Bishop Serratelli.

Bishop asked Adm. Lunney, “Why did he choose the Benedictines?”

“During his travels to South America, he got to know a member of the Benedictine order and Brother Marinus never forgot what this priest said to him, ‘Your vocation is with the Church, think about it. The sea is not the life for you.’ The seed was planted,” the admiral said.

Two more witnesses who were present on the ship will also speak before the Tri­bunal panel along with Benedictine monks who served and lived with Brother Marinus at St. Paul’s Abbey.

The life of Brother Marinus is especially known in South Korea. The parents of current president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, were on the famed ship. A Catholic, Moon Jae-in attributes Brother Marinus with saving his parents’ lives. He was born two years after the rescue mission.

To further promote the beatification and canonization of Brother Marinus, the faithful are invited to pray for his cause. Follow­ing the process of investigation and gathering evidence on Brother Marinus’ life and deeds, the Bishop will ask the Congregation for Causes of Saints at the Vatican to review the evidence that he lived a life of heroic virtue. If the congregation approves the cause, it is then sent to Pope Francis who decides whether the person can be called Venerable. Next, a miracle would need to be attributed to Brother Marinus to reach the third step - beatification. If a miracle is attributed to the intercession of Brother Marinus, he will then be considered a Blessed. A second miracle is required for canonization and for Brother Marinus to officially be named a saint.

Dr. Mazzarella said, “It’s a long process, which takes years and years, but I think it’s important that the Church does a thorough investigation on those who would be considered saints. Brother Marinus’ life definitely seems to be one of heroic virtue.”