Above: Chaplain Captain Philip B. Edelen, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Raleigh, is pictured on the right.
The year 2024 is not only a centennial for the Diocese of Raleigh, but a time to remember faithful heroism. This is especially true as the 80th anniversary of the death of Chaplain Captain Philip B. Edelen in Normandy approaches.
Father Edelen was the first parishioner of Sacred Heart [then] Cathedral to be ordained a priest and the only priest from the Diocese of Raleigh to be killed during WWII. He died June 10, 1944.
In 2017, Rebecca Wicklin, then a student at Cardinal Gibbons High School, and Paul Gauthier, a Gibbons teacher at the time, participated in a program sponsored by National History Day to honor veterans who lost their lives in the Normandy invasion and were buried at the American Cemetery there.
Wicklin chose to honor Father Edelen and began a six-month research effort, culminating in a visit to Father Edelen's grave. Today, Wicklin serves in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant.
To learn more:
- A webpage dedicated to Capt. Edelen
- A slideshow accompanying his eulogy, written and read by Rebeca Wicklin
- Both priest and soldier - story and videos
