{"id":70686,"date":"2025-12-15T01:11:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T01:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/70686\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T01:11:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T01:11:09","slug":"father-capodanno-statue-unveiled-on-staten-islands-seaview-avenue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/70686\/","title":{"rendered":"Father Capodanno statue unveiled on Staten Island’s Seaview Avenue"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A Staten Island war hero was officially immortalized with a statue on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The memorial, standing eight-feet-tall, for Rev. Vincent R. Capodanno was unveiled near the intersection of Seaview Avenue and the eponymous Father Capodanno Boulevard.<\/p>\n

The crowd braved cold temperatures and recently fallen snow in Ocean Breeze to pack the intersection at Seaview and the boulevard named for the Elm Park native.<\/p>\n

After an opening prayer led by Rev. Michael Cichon, pastor of the Church of St. Christopher and St. Margaret Mary, event organizers introduced Anthony \u201cTony\u201d Leto, a driving force in getting the statue<\/a> and Vietnam veteran himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last 11 years, I had 10 bike blessings every year. More and more motorcycles joined our police escorted runs across Staten Island,\u201d Leto said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sold keychains and raffles. I gave out poppies and those who made donations. That is how I raised the funds for this statue,\u201d he continued. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for those who helped me along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several of Staten Island elected officials, many of whom helped bring the statue to fruition, were on hand for Sunday\u2019s unveiling and acknowledged the work that Leto had done over the last decade.<\/p>\n

\"nwsAnthony \u201cTony\u201d Leto (at podium) addresses the gathered crowd at the Rev. Vincent R. Capodanno statue unveiling on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in Ocean Breeze.(Advance\/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)<\/p>\n

\u201cService, commitment and leadership, that\u2019s what putting the uniform on is about,\u201d said Assemblymember Michael Reilly.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday represents that for Tony Leto,\u201d the South Shore Republican continued. \u201cService, commitment and leadership. Because of him, the legacy will move on. We will never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the speakers acknowledged the legacy of Father Capodanno, both as a Staten Islander and as an inspiration to the borough\u2019s community of veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we are here to recognize Father Capodanno, an extraordinary veteran, whose courage and service continue to inspire our community,\u201d said State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, a Democrat representing the Island\u2019s North Shore.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis statue stands as a tribute, not only to him but to all veterans who have sacrificed for our freedoms,\u201d she said, before also acknowledging Paul Matrecano from her office, who helped secure the site for the statue.<\/p>\n

Others in attendance spoke of when they first learned about Father Capodanno, and of those who were pushing to maintain the legacy of \u201cthe grunt padre.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a young boy, I got to know who Father Capodanno was because they changed this name from Seaside Boulevard to Father Capodanno Boulevard, you got to know what this hero was all about,\u201d said Borough President Vito Fossella.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to know Jim Capodanno and put two and two together,\u201d Fossella continued, referring to Father Capodanno\u2019s brother. \u201cJim, like so many others here, kept Father Capodanno\u2019s legacy alive and they remind us every moment what it really means to sacrifice for freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officials who spoke at the unveiling said Father Capodanno\u2019s sacrifice sacrifice and legacy were emblematic of the ideals of the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn September 4, 1967, when the grunt padre ran across his field, ministering to his brothers who were laying there wounded and close to death, he didn\u2019t ask, \u2018are they Jews or Catholics or Muslims,\u2019\u201d said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018they are Americans,\u2019 and he went and gave them their rights and he gave his life doing it,\u201d McMahon continued. \u201cWe enjoy the freedoms of democracy today because of those who gave that sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, after a blessing by Rev. Jack Soler from the Parish of St. Clement & St. Michael in Mariners Harbor, the statue and engraved stone base were officially unveiled to the cheering crowd.<\/p>\n

\"nwsThe statue for Rev. Vincent R. Capodanno, which was unveiled on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in Ocean Breeze.(Advance\/SILive.com | Mike Matteo)<\/p>\n

The bronze effigy features Father Capodanno dressed in fatigues. In one hand he holds a rosary. With the other, he\u2019s comforting a small child.<\/p>\n

The base of the statue chronicles the life of the Staten Island-born priest and Medal of Honor recipient. The memorial also pays tributes to his family and to the many Staten Islanders who made the monument possible.<\/p>\n

The eight-foot tall sculpture was inspired by Father Capodanno\u2019s late brother, Jim. It was designed by the late artist and philanthropist Gregory Perillo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Father Capodanno, U.S. Navy chaplain<\/p>\n

Born on Feb. 13, 1929 as the youngest of nine children, Father Capodanno was ordained a priest on June 14, 1958.<\/p>\n

A U.S. Navy chaplain, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Operation Swift during the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n

\"MassRev. Vincent R. CapodannoStaten Island Advance<\/p>\n

Father Capodanno was alongside the men of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines when he ultimately lost his life during a search-and-destroy mission. Despite being unarmed, he was shot 27 times on the battlefield in Que Son Valley while running to the aid of a wounded corpsman and the Marine he was assisting.<\/p>\n

Even though Father Capodanno had sustained his own serious injuries, the chaplain spent the last moments of his life administering medical and spiritual care.<\/p>\n

\"FatherLt. Vincent R. Capodanno leads his men in prayer in Vietnam was killed in 1967 while giving rites to wounded Marines.Advance File Photo<\/p>\n

Because of his courage, fearlessness and heroism, an active effort is underway to have him proclaimed a saint. He\u2019s already been declared a Servant of God, the first step on the path that leads to sainthood.<\/p>\n

The former Seaside Boulevard was renamed to Father Capodanno Boulevard in memory of the Staten Island priest on July 4, 1974.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Father Capodanno was honored at a traditional Latin Mass<\/a> at St. Michael\u2019s Church in Mariners Harbor.<\/p>\n

The Mass at St. Michael\u2019s, the church where Father Capodanno was baptized, was held on Thursday, Sept. 4, to commemorate the anniversary of his death in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

During the ceremony, the original baptismal font where Father Capodanno was baptized on April 28, 1929, was dedicated and marked with a commemorative metal plate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A Staten Island war hero was officially immortalized with a statue on Sunday afternoon.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-70686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}