As our world today witnesses so much conflict, violence, death and bloodshed, Catholic Extension Society proudly lifts up the stories, wisdom and faith of battle-tested Catholic leaders from Catholic Extension Society communities.
Our three-part video series “Faith in Times of War and Conflict: Stories of Battle-Tested Catholics” depicts the troubles they have endured.
The second video in our series features Deacon Enrique Padilla, the wounded warrior who became a faithful soldier for Christ after narrowly escaping death in Vietnam.
Courageous is just one way to describe war veteran Deacon Padilla. He put his life on the line during the Vietnam War and came out of it a lone survivor, nearly dying at the hands of the North Vietnamese Army.
The war embedded scars beyond those left behind by the bullets that took away his mobility. Padilla’s trauma also challenged him in the form of anger for the longest time.
His life turned around when he decided to fulfill his battlefield promise dedicating his life to the Catholic Church.
Watch Deacon Padilla tell his story in the video below.
One day while in combat Deacon Padilla and his platoon encountered and entered a still-standing church in a burned-down village in Vietnam. While sifting through the rubble, he saw a statue of Our Lady of La Vang, a Marian apparition that appeared in Vietnam during a time when Catholics were persecuted in the country. He was in awe of her perfection—there was not a scratch on her.
The church was attacked, and he took her.
As he escaped carrying Our Lady of La Vang, he fell into a punji trap. This trap is full of poisoned bamboo stakes and means certain death for its victims. But he fell on top of the statue, which shattered into pieces. Miraculously, he was unharmed.
Holding what remained of Our Lady of La Vang, he made a vow:
If I make it back alive, no matter how I am, whether I sit with no legs, no arms, the rest of my life I’ll serve you, your son and His Church forever.”
Deacon Padilla fought on in the war until his platoon fell under a sudden massive attack from the North Vietnamese Army. He was the only survivor. However, the 10 bullets and massive amounts of shrapnel put him in the hospital for five years and bound him to a wheelchair.
The grim scenes in the war hospital and death of his men angered him for years, and was destructive to his life and family.
He could only let go of his pain and anger when he remembered his battlefield promise to serve Our Lady.
She saved my life. I felt like I was clothed with her.”
Since 1972 Deacon Padilla has walked alongside veterans and many others who have faced adversity through his work serving the Church. His ministry provides healing among faith communities in the American southwest supported by Catholic Extension Society. He is a shining example of a life changed by faith.
He tells people not to give up, and to bring Jesus and Our Mother into their hearts.
Deacon Padilla’s story of faith reminds us that even in humanity’s darkest hours, there is hope. A hope which emanates from a God that never abandons us.
Our next video will be released later this summer.
