Captain Father Lawrence Edward Lynch, A Soldier's Story
Captain Father Lawrence Edward Lynch, A Soldier's Story
Captain Father Lawrence Edward Lynch was born on October 17, 1906, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended local schools before entering the seminary at Redemptorist Preparatory Academy in August 1919. Drawn early to religious life, he took formal vows with the Redemptorist Order on August 2, 1927, and was ordained a priest in 1932 at Mount St. Alphonsus in New York City.
Father Lynch served his early years of priesthood in the New York Diocese. In September 1941, as the United States moved inexorably toward war, he volunteered for military service, enlisting in the U.S. Army as a chaplain, choosing to follow soldiers into uncertainty rather than remain safely at home.
He was initially assigned to the 8th Infantry Regiment at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, before transferring to the 7th Armored Division. In December 1943, Captain Father Lynch deployed to the Pacific Theater and was assigned to Headquarters Service Command in New Caledonia.
While stationed in New Caledonia, Father Lynch’s ministry expanded well beyond routine duties. He coordinated assignments for other priest-chaplains, established a radio broadcast known as The Catholic Hour, and promoted devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help through the widespread distribution of prayer cards. He was also rumored, fondly, to have organized a poker club, using his winnings to support a nearby leper colony. Known as an excellent poker player, Father Lynch is believed to have made substantial contributions to the colony through those games.
The soldiers under his care affectionately called him “Father Cyclone,” a nickname reflecting his energy, presence, and unwavering commitment to those around him.
In February 1945, Captain Father Lynch requested a transfer to the 165th Infantry Regiment, part of the famed “Fighting 69th” New York National Guard unit. Assigned to frontline operations, he landed on the island of Okinawa during one of the fiercest campaigns of the Pacific War.
He was cited multiple times for gallantry during the late April offensive. On April 25, 1945, Captain Father Lawrence Edward Lynch was killed by an exploding shell while administering Last Rites to a mortally wounded soldier. He died as he lived, present, unarmed, and steadfast among those he served.
Originally buried on Okinawa, Father Lynch was later repatriated. He now rests in the Redemptorist Cemetery at Mount St. Alphonsus in New York.
Father Cyclone, pray for us.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
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