During the Korean War (1950-1953) Capt. Leonard LaRue was 36 years old, and his ship was a freight ship named SS Meredith Victory. His job was to supply armaments and ammunition to the bigger ships. Around 200,000 American soldiers and Korean refugees were in danger at one point and needed urgent evacuation. When Capt. LaRue saw the amazing crowd crying for help, he unloaded all the armaments he had on his ship, and he was able to put on board 14,000 people, all crammed into every tiny space available. Not one soul was lost that day. Moreover 5 babies were born on the trip to safety. This humanitarian gesture was called ‘The Miracle of Christmas 1950’ as it happened on December 23, 1950. Four years after the war ended, Leonard LaRue, inspired by some monks he met during the war, entered the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter’s in Newton, New Jersey. He took the name of Marinus, in honor of the Blessed Mother.
In the monastery, he did menial work, washed clothes, run errands and helped the poor. Surprisingly none of the monks knew what he had done during the Korean War, until they discovered his heroism during the naval campaign in Korea. He died n 2001, and in 2019, his cause for beatification was started.
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