Malliotakis, Officials Join Family To Highlight Father Vincent Capodanno’s Life & Path to Sainthood

Image September 9, 2026 Press Release (STATEN ISLAND, NY) — Today, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) held a press conference to highlight the extraordinary courage, faith, and selflessness of Father Vincent Capodanno, a U.S. Navy priest who sacrificed his life serving wounded Marines during the Vietnam War and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism. Joined by Father Capodanno’s family, elected officials, and veterans, Congresswoman Malliotakis highlighted why his life and sacrifice are deserving of sainthood and called on the community and fellow Americans to show their support. “Twenty years ago, in May 2006, Father Capodanno was declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church, a distinction that opened his cause for sainthood. Here in our community, his name and sacrifice have been honored and remembered for generations. But there is an extraordinary life of faith and service behind that Medal of Honor that deserves to be known far beyond our shores,” said Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis. “All the medals that Father Vincent got prior to his death, we never knew. He hid them in an attic. He was an extremely humble man,” said Al Lambert, Father Capodanno’s cousin. “Father Capodanno’s life and sacrifice, his being, is inextricably woven into the soul of Staten Island, and I believe the soul of America,” said State Senator Andrew Lanza. “The most important thing he demonstrates for our next generation is leadership through service. True leadership by service is putting others above yourself, and that’s exactly what Father Capodanno did,” said State Representative Michael Reilly. Watch Remarks HERE .