Equal Time, or something

Fr. Corapi's response to the press release issued on Tuesday by SOLT.

After this I'm prompted to suspend judgment concerning the charges. It seems like a question of whose word do you accept (and why?). Pray for all involved.

Update regarding Fr. Corapi

EWTN
Patheos
Jimmy Akin

Let us pray for him. I can see a time when his name will no longer be mentioned in [Catholic] polite society.

We can't look up to many priests and religious because of their failings... but as lay people should we be looking to them as models for the lay vocation? (As opposed to general models of sanctity.) What are lay people to do? They could look to Dorothy Day, Peter Maurin, or Catherine Doherty of Madonna House. Too ascetic? Too celibate? What can we do to embrace simplicity and build up our local communities?

"You gotta wait until they're dead..." An application of Aristotle's dictum about happiness applied to the supernatural and judging their personal holiness?

Who should be giving inspired preaching and leadership to the faithful? Our bishops and their collaborators the diocesan priests. They may not have the gift, as Fr. Corapi supposedly did, but they could ask for it. There is much they could do to improve their homilies, making them more immersed in doctrine, the Fathers, etc. Perhaps the homily itself needs to be revisited. At least it is arguable that the preaching codified by Trent was effective.



Links:
Dorothy Day Library on the Web
Peter Maurin, Saint and Scholar of the Catholic Worker by Mark and Louise Zwick
Peter Maurin’s Personalist Gift to the Catholic Worker

Edit.
Abyssus Abyssum Invocat: MY FINAL COMMENT (HOPEFULLY) ON THE CASE OF FATHER JOHN CORAPI

SOLT's Superior Speaks

I feel a bit bad about posting all these updates, since it might be better to just let it go, but here is the latest from the National Catholic Register:

SOLT's Superior Speaks
Father Gerard Sheehan issues a statement regarding the case of Father John Corapi.

by FATHER GERARD SHEEHAN, SOLT

Edit. Bishop Gracida, A FEW THOUGHTS ON FATHER CORAPI’S ANNOUNCEMENT YESTERDAY

Jimmy Akin tries to put the pieces together

New Information on the Fr. Corapi Situation

(His previous post, from Saturday.)

NCR update on Fr. Corapi

Father Corapi’s Bombshell (via JC)

!!!

My mother and some of her friends, including Mrs. W who passed away earlier this year, are fans. They will be saddened to hear the news.

"Father Sheehan said that SOLT would issue a statement shortly."

Edit. An announcment from EWTN:

EWTN was deeply saddened by the news that Father John Corapi has announced his decision to resign from active priestly ministry and religious life. Unfortunately, his decision makes it impossible for the Network to return his programming to the airwaves. We urge our EWTN Family to continue to pray for him, for all priests and for the unity of the Church.

Fr. Z: About Fr. John Corapi with observations about our times

Well, it's too late for me to heed Father's advice. And I have some additional thoughts from me: Fr. Corapi may be thinking that he doing the work of God and helping others. I do not think that it is a question of making a living for himself, since despite his suspension, he is being supported by his religious community? Or am I wrong about that, and he is without any means of support? Would his vows prevent him from taking a "normal" job? And is he truly in a canonical limbo without any redress under canonical law?

I don't think Fr. Corapi or anyone associated with him will be reading this. I hope, though, he will reconsider his decision, as it seems to be a cause for scandal.

The Curt Jester

Fr. Corapi's announcement

I've written very little about the accusations against Fr. Corapi at this point -- if you want you can find the info online. Fr. Corapi has released a statement as to his plans for the future.




The announcement on the blog.

Many who have benefited from his preaching are shocked and saddened by what is going on. Some have expressed dismay and disappointment, either with the bishop or with Fr. Corapi (sometimes it isn't clear). My own thoughts -- I find his decision to become an underground minister baffling. It is understandable that he cannot exercise public duties as a priest because of his suspension. But it would seem that no one is so important that God cannot do without him. If Fr. Corapi is a victim of injustice, cannot he appeal it to Rome? If that is not fruitful, or if he has no other course of action to take with respect to the Church, then maybe he is being called to suffer as a victim of injustice. Wouldn't this be the opportunity for him to just be a hermit? (I thought he had professed this desire often.)

God's saving action is greater than one man (or ego). Can it truly be the case that God wants someone to operate outside the bounds of the Church? Should not a minister always be under ecclesial authority, no matter how unjust a bishop is acting, and if he is unjustly deprived of his office should he not resign him to the fact? It seems to me that this is the preferred course of action for the saints of the Church?

Baffling. Let us pray for him.

Sarge and your target-rich environment...

Since You Asked - Preview - Dating

The American Papist: Video: Fr. Corapi on Notre Dame Scandal

An interview with Fr. Corapi

at the National Catholic Register; interview by Anthony Flott. (via Mark Shea)

At about this time last year, you revealed that you had a parathyroid tumor. How was that treated, and how is your health now?

I probably went to physicians in my area 11 times for different physicals. They did all kinds of tests. They kept diagnosing pneumonia, virus this and that, and I just didn’t get better. So I went to the Mayo Clinic and had exhaustive testing, and they did diagnose a parathyroid tumor.

As it turns out, it seems that was false. What it ended up being, of all things … [was] two things: chronic sleep deprivation and acute vitamin D deficiency — which, by the way, is an epidemic in northern climates. Most physicians still don’t know about it and still don’t routinely test for it. You wouldn’t believe how sick it can make you. The normal way to get it is sunlight. UVB rays stimulate your skin to synthesize what they call vitamin D.

Living in a northern climate, we have hardly any sun for six months. I have to take supplements, which they gave me in massive doses, and got my levels up. I’ve got the sleep deprivation pretty well under control, which made me feel incredibly better within about a month.



Did you learn anything new about suffering through this sickness?

Yes. I can still hear my grandmother’s voice saying, “Offer it up, Johnny.” And that was kind of standard teaching in those days.

The teaching hasn’t changed, but I think in many cases it hasn’t been presented to succeeding generations, and it really is at the very heart of the faith. …

One of the things I learned was my incredible weakness. I’ve always told people this: Don’t think I’m any better at this than you are. I may know the theology and I desire to be pleasing to God … but it’s not easy. It’s much easier to talk about it, but when you’re in the midst of it — when your spouse dies, when a child dies, when you get cancer, when you lose your job in the worst economy in memory, when financial difficulties close in on you — it’s easy for preachers to talk, but it’s another thing to live through the pain of the moment.



In August you will be preaching in Buffalo with what you say is one of your most powerful presentations ever on the person and power of the Holy Spirit. What makes it so powerful?

Especially in these times, I felt that people not only need education in the faith — we’ve always tried to do that — but they also need inspiration.

I find that there is a lot of — I don’t want to call it quite hopelessness — but there’s a lot of distress out there around our country and around the world.

The remedy is the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit we have been given is no cowardly Spirit. He’s the Lord and giver of life. What I want to do is take a synthesis of the Church teaching on the third person of the blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit; I want to incorporate that into the present moment.

It’s going to be very, very relevant. It’s going to concern things that are going on today in our country. I’m going to incorporate some of the Church’s social teachings into this conference, especially components of it that deal with economic things, the danger of socialism. … I’m really looking forward to being with the people again. I’ve missed them.



I’ve heard you say that when you first were ordained many fellow priests told you that you couldn’t preach the way you do, “hitting people between the eyes with the word of God.” Yet, you pack auditoriums and receive mailbags full of letters. Why has your bare-bones, hard-hitting way been so successful?

From before I was ordained, I knew I was called to preach. My superiors confirmed that. It’s basically the only thing I’ve ever done. … If I wanted to tone it down, dull the edge of the sword, I couldn’t if I wanted to.

From the very beginning, in general, I’ve had a great, great reception and response from the good Catholic people. I know there are some who, of course, are on the other side of things, and they hate me as much as the good folks love me. I’ve never been so conscious of being loved or hated as since I’ve been a priest.

You know, I think that’s what the truth does. If you present the truth clearly, unambiguously, it will elicit radical responses one way or the other.

A great passage from the Gospels is where Jesus said, “You think I’ve come to bring peace? I have not come to bring peace, but division that will separate a house of five, three against two and two against three.” People will probably scratch their heads reading that, but it’s the truth. What does it mean? What brings division? Truth. …

Those who are ill disposed, those who are confirmed in sin, they react negatively. They’ll behave violently. Those who are well-disposed will react positively. And so that’s why it elicits such strong emotions. I’ve had death threats multiple times over the years — many times.

People can’t understand: “Why do you have security at events?” Well, the FBI told me I better take it seriously, because they do. And it’s because of the truth.

(source of image)

Fr. Corapi's website. For more information about his talk in Buffalo on August 15. He is a favorite of my mother and her friends, and they are planning to attend.

Fr. Corapi's Conversion Story - Condensed Version



Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT)
SOLT Ministries