Joseph Verbis LaFleur
American priest and US Army chaplain who died in the sinking of a Japanese prisoner-of-war ship
Who they were
Bishop J. An army chaplain captured in the Philippines, he shared his rations with fellow prisoners and died helping others escape the hold of the torpedoed prison ship Shinyo Maru in 1944.
The miracles
No miracle has been approved. The cause is at its first stage.
Why that counted as sanctity
Douglas Deshotel of Lafayette, Louisiana opened the cause of beatification of Fr Joseph Verbis LaFleur on 5 September 2020, declaring him a Servant of God.
The cause
Joseph Verbis LaFleur is named a Servant of God; the cause continues. Favours received, and offers of help, go to the postulation, the office that carries the cause forward: The cause of Joseph Verbis LaFleur.
- Cause for Canonization — Fr. Verbis Lafleur
- Canonization cause begins for southern Louisiana's Catholic heroes — Crux
Checked against the sources listed on 24 September 2026. Corrections welcome.