STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A statue of Father Vincent R. Capodanno sculpted by the late artist and philanthropist Gregory Perillo has been installed and will be unveiled on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 2 p.m.
The work of art will be located at the intersection of Seaview Avenue and Capodanno Boulevard in Ocean Breeze.
Parking is available at Lot 6 on Capodanno Boulevard for the rain or shine outdoor event.
Borough President Vito Fossella will be a guest speaker. (Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)Jason Paderon
Among the elected officials will be Borough President Vito Fossella, who will serve as a guest speaker. Rev. Jack Soler, pastor of St. Michael-St. Clement R.C. Church, will bestow a blessing upon the statue.
Tony Leto’s keychains and jewelry raised funds for the statue. (Staten Island Advance/SILive.com/Carol Ann Benanti)Staten Island Advance
The statue was made possible through non-stop fundraising. Tony Leto, a Vietnam veteran who handcrafts keychains and assorted jewelry — the proceeds of which were donated to the cause — will offer opening remarks and acknowledge individuals, groups and businesses who contributed to the project.
Members of the Staten Island Board of Realtors will also be on hand, as well as those who worked at the site constructing the fence, pavers, flag, landscaping, granite base and ultimately the statue.
Special thanks is offered to Brian Hall of Hall Monuments, Kenneth and Christopher Cavendish of Sledgehammer Excavating and Landscaping, Mike Pugliese, Sal Basso, George Brown, Paul, Paul Tout and Larry Daly of Daly Fence for the new fence.
Also to be acknowledged is Bill Maky of Bedi Makky Art Foundry in Brooklyn, who together with his three sons, William, Steven, and Peter, are continuing the work his late dad did at the foundry.
Jimmy Haynes, Rosemarie Leto and John Nappi. (Staten Island Advance/SILive.com/Carol Ann Benanti)Staten Island Advance
It is the only foundry in America that uses the “French Sand” method — the same sand used on the Iwo Jima Statues in Washington D.C. in 1954 and the Wall Street Bull in 1989, notes James Haynes, executive director of the United States Veteran’s Organization, Inc., (USIVO) the conduit of 16 veteran’s organization on Staten Island that sponsor the annual Memorial Day Parade.
Maky worked on other Gregory Perillo statues on Staten Island, the Lt. Nick Lia statue at Wagner College, The Bronco on Capodanno Boulevard in front of the stables, the 9/11 statue near the Hampton Inn, and the statue of the Little Leaguer at South Shore Little League.
Leto, who also assisted Maky on the Capodanno statue, firing the arms and legs, also distributed Vietnam ribbon colored poppies to those who donated to the statue project.
Having fundraised for more than 10 years in order that the statue come to fruition, Leto could be seen at Great Kills Beach parking lot every Sunday morning, outside supermarkets on sunny days, at every car show in the tri-state area seeking donations.
USIVO also hosted three dinner/dance fundraiser where profits were also donated to the cause.
The corner where the statue is located is the property of the South Beach Psychiatric Center and under the New York State Office of Mental Health, Benjamin Rosen, chief of staff.
Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and her staff were influential in having the statue project come to fruition, with special thanks to staffer Paul Metrecano.
Haynes seven grandchildren will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
A little about Father Capodanno
Born on Feb. 13, 1929, and the youngest of nine children, Father Capodanno was ordained a priest on June 14, 1958.
He was a U.S. Navy chaplain who was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War.
The Elm Park native participated in seven combat operations before he lost his life at the age of 38 on Sept. 4, 1967, while administering last rites to mortally wounded Marines.
Father Capodanno, also known as “the grunt padre,” was shot 27 times in the back, neck and head on the battlefield in Que Son Valley when he refused to seek cover during Operation Swift. He was with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, during the search-and-destroy mission.
Despite his own injuries, the chaplain prayed with a young Marine he spotted lying mortally wounded in an open field, and fell by his side.
Although he was wearing a collar and was already injured — his hand nearly severed and his face wounded — he continued on his mission to console and administer last rites.
For his courage, fearlessness and heroism, an active effort to have him proclaimed a saint is under way. He’s already been declared a Servant of God, the first step on the path that leads to sainthood.
A Catholic priest and U.S. Navy chaplain, Father Capodanno received the Medal of Honor for his valor to the Marine Corps during some of the most harrowing battles of the Vietnam war.
On July 4, 1974, Seaside Boulevard was renamed for the Staten Island priest, whose family hailed from Mariners Harbor and Elm Park.
The path to sainthood
Per a recent story in the Father Vincent Capodanno Guild newsletter, a miracle has now been attributed to Father Vincent, after a year-long investigation.
The miracle was brought to the Diocese of Palm Beach’s attention in August 2018, with information detailing the healing of a woman who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and had fought a long battle with the disease since the mid-2000s.
The woman had adopted a strong devotion to Father Capodanno.
After hearing of the priest’s story, the woman prayed for his intercession in healing throughout her illness.
In 2017, her latest MRI showed that the lesions in her brain were gone. She attributes the miraculous healing to the intercession of Father Capodanno.
Should Father Capodanno be deemed worthy to carry on with canonization by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, he will next be beatified and then declared a saint
Background on the statue
The late Gregory Perillo — a respected American Western artist and philanthropist, took on the project of creating a statue of Father Vincent Capodanno.
However, he needed the permission of Father’s Capodanno’s brother, Jim.
Haynes accompanied Perillo to Jim’s Eltingville home and also met and his wife, Lydia Capodanno.
“They were so sweet and thrilled to have this honor for Jim’s brother,” Haynes recounts.
Jim and Lydia “adopted” us and even lived with us for 17 days after Superstorm Sandy bringing Father Vincent’s chalice and the Medal of Honor with them.
“And they loved seeing motorcycles going down Capodanno Boulevard as they made their way every Sunday to Mass at the Capodanno Chapel at Fort Wadsworth,” he added.
Tony Leto rides a Harley and is a member of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club and he hosted a Bike Blessing that year and continued every year until 2024 raising money for the statue.
“He had lots of help at those Bike Blessings from his good friends in Rolling Thunder. And Pete Shiro of P&T Auto paid for lunch every year,” Haynes continued.