Fr John Corapi has Announced in a Video Message that he is Leaving the Priesthood

[Kat_L]

Father Corapi’s suffering was such a gift.
God bless us all!

I buried a baby boy, 2 years, 7 months and 1 day old after a tragic accident at home. The suffering is unbearable. His death was not and will never be a ‘gift’.

You can’t say that the pain another person suffers is a gift from God that should be accepted with open arms. You don’t know that to be true. Maybe God will bring good from what happened to Fr Corapi but to insinuate that this is some painful gift to be embraced is awful.

 

[sedonaman]

Anyone familiar with Fr. Corapi’s life story can’t deny he is under the special protection of God. … And you don’t mess with people like that.

 

[Orogeny]

Anyone familiar with Fr. Corapi’s life story can’t deny he is under the special protection of God. … And you don’t mess with people like that.

I don’t understand what you are saying. Can you clarify?

Peace

Tim

 

[markomalley]

What could be done to him if he violates any or all of the above?

Civilly, nothing at all.

Canonically, he could be disciplined. Honestly, though, if one doesn’t accept the authority of the Church, such a discipline these days is temporally meaningless. And if one intentionally acts in violation of a rescript, then the respect for authority is not there, so such a person would likely shrug off anything said.

HAVING SAID THAT…

The local Ordinary would have the ability to let it be known to his flock that such a person is operating outside of the Church and that the flock should have nothing to do with him. And, unless we would be dealing with a severe cult of personality, that would have a significant impact.

As others have pointed out, though…we don’t know all the details so running down this rabbit hole is likely not the best use of our time.

 

[ringil]

I was actually just going to post the above article from NCR.

Here’s a quote, although the entire article is informative:

My personal preference (not that it matters) would be for him to take the invitation to live in commuity.

I mean isn’t that what members of orders WANT to do?

 

[sedonaman]

I don’t understand what you are saying. Can you clarify?

Peace

Tim

First, do you know his life story?

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

His website is a little odd:

theblacksheepdog.us/

The transcript from the you-tube announcement is found listed under June 17 for anyone interested.

I’m curious about his choice of words during the annoucement found here:
TheBlackSheepdog.us June 17 posting:

The bottom line is that the only way a just outcome is likely, in my view and that of my counsel, both civil and canon lawyers, is by accident, rather than as a result of the process.

I’d prefer he used a term other than “accident” here. Perhaps ‘by the Grace of God’ would have been better? I’m not a big believer in accidents. Things don’t happen by chance.

If you want to here that portion of his announcement yourself, it is found at 6:19 :

youtube.com/watch?v=9TfhGjfHWBM&feature=player_embedded

 

[sedonaman]

…I’d prefer he used a term other than “accident” here. Perhaps ‘by the Grace of God’ would have been better? I’m not a big believer in accidents. Things don’t happen by chance.

I see your point here, but I think he means that it would happen outside the realm of the existing process.

 

[Orogeny]

First, do you know his life story?

Yes.

Peace

Tim

 

[Joe_5859]

What could be done to him if he violates any or all of the above?

Canonically speaking, I suppose he could be excommunicated, but I’d be surprised if it came to that. I know of one laicized priest who has been teaching theology at a Catholic university for years and years and no public discipline has ever taken place.

Really, though, if Corapi sticks to writing books, giving talks at various locations (besides Catholic parishes–though even that isn’t explicitly mentioned as being against the rules) and putting out videos on his website, I think it would be difficult to make the case that he is violating any of those rules.

 

[Robertanthony]

All of this is surreal. I expected anything but this. From his website: A member from his media team shared “this is a very exciting move for John and his fans, as for the first time, in a long time, John will be directly in touch with this fan-base by way of social networks.” John and his fans? Exciting move? Leaving the priesthood

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

I haven’t followed the allegations in detail, but a blogger pointed out an oddity. Apparently, when the accusations first came out, he claimed to barely know the woman. In his announcement, he said she was someone he “did more to help and support than any human being in my entire life.” That does seem odd.

I don’t recall Fr. Corapi saying he barely knew the woman.

 

[dfp42]

OK so just an hour ago Fr. made a tweet on twitter from his black sheep dog page and said…

“Please love the Church. You follow the Church. I am not against the Church, I am still a priest, just not ministering publicly.”

But the question now is well…what kind of priest does or will the Church see him as? And if he continues going on with his new program to preach will the Catholic Church support this. Anyone?

 

[Donna_P]

I buried a baby boy, 2 years, 7 months and 1 day old after a tragic accident at home. The suffering is unbearable. His death was not and will never be a ‘gift’.

You can’t say that the pain another person suffers is a gift from God that should be accepted with open arms. You don’t know that to be true. Maybe God will bring good from what happened to Fr Corapi but to insinuate that this is some painful gift to be embraced is awful.

Dear Kat,

I am so sorry for the loss of your child. You misread what I wrote. I did not refer to suffering in general at all nor the extreme suffering from having a child.

I referred to the suffering that many saints suffered for following Christ. Much like Padre Pio who suffered not being able to hear confessions or preach or anything.

Through our suffering we are united with Christ. That is still a gift.

Your suffering must be great.

 

[sedonaman]

Yes.

Peace

Tim

Perhaps you don’t’ remember three seemingly minor incidents from the story.

When he was a boy about 9 or 10, he was playing in his grandmother’s yard when a woman came through and said, “Hi, Johnny.” He smelled an aroma of lilacs. At the time he didn’t recognize who she was and just assumed she was one of the many friend of his grandmother who were constantly coming and going.

At one point after he had lost everything to his drug habit and was living on the streets of LA and particularly down in the dumps, he was sitting on a park bench when an old woman came up to him, patted him on the head, and said, “Everything is going to be alright.”

Years later, during his ordination ceremony, a few seconds after he was ordained and proceeding back to his seat, someone in the audience caught his eye, and he recognized the same woman he saw in his grandmother’s yard decades ago. She mouthed the words, “Hi, Johnny,” and he smelled a sweet aroma of lilacs.

He told of these experiences in one of his seminars shown on EWTN about 8-10 years ago, when he had no reason to make them up. Now if you were his superior knowing this, would you want to take a chance that these women were not angels?

 

[Orogeny]

Perhaps you don’t’ remember three seemingly minor incidents from the story.

When he was a boy about 9 or 10, he was playing in his grandmother’s yard when a woman came through and said, “Hi, Johnny.” He smelled an aroma of lilacs. At the time he didn’t recognize who she was and just assumed she was one of the many friend of his grandmother who were constantly coming and going.

At one point after he had lost everything to his drug habit and was living on the streets of LA and particularly down in the dumps, he was sitting on a park bench when an old woman came up to him, patted him on the head, and said, “Everything is going to be alright.”

Years later, during his ordination ceremony, a few seconds after he was ordained and proceeding back to his seat, someone in the audience caught his eye, and he recognized the same woman he saw in his grandmother’s yard decades ago. She mouthed the words, “Hi, Johnny,” and he smelled a sweet aroma of lilacs.

He told of these experiences in one of his seminars shown on EWTN about 8-10 years ago, when he had no reason to make them up. Now if you were his superior knowing this, would you want to take a chance that these women were not angels?

Yeah, I have heard the story. I’m not sure of the relevance to his leaving the priesthood, but I have heard the story.

I don’t understand who you were referring to when you wrote “And you don’t mess with people like that.” Who do you mean? The bishops, his superior? I don’t understand that comment.

Peace

Tim

 

[tm30]

Anyone familiar with Fr. Corapi’s life story can’t deny he is under the special protection of God. … And you don’t mess with people like that.

As the representative of Christ, his somewhat fast and furious decision to divorce the Bride, the Church, seems right in line with the times.

Why doesn’t he just put his faith in God, regardless of the outcome? Whatever we may “think” or what “circumstances” took place, at the end of the day, the calling of a priest is to emulate our Lord. This is a gargantuan cross, but it is a cross a priest accepts when he is ordained. He must be prepared to lay down his life, even when it is unjust, as in the case of our Lord. Instead, it seems to me he is appealing to the world (civil court instead of ecclesial) and hoping for the support of the “sheep”, which do not belong to him, but to our Lord, who is the Head of the Catholic Church.

There has been a lot of mealy-mouthed “well, but…” commentaries out there, but the fact is, by leaving the priesthood in defiance, Fr. Corapi is also rejecting the charisms of the Holy Spirit which endow him as a priest. He cannot divorce the Bride and still be a partner of the Holy Spirit, who remains the Holy Spouse of the Church.

I sincerely hope that he will come to his senses. But there’s a fine line between being “charitable”, and dumbing down the profound vocation of the priesthood, and its inseparability from the Passion of our Lord.

 

[Joe_5859]

OK so just an hour ago Fr. made a tweet on twitter from his black sheep dog page and said…

“Please love the Church. You follow the Church. I am not against the Church, I am still a priest, just not ministering publicly.”

But the question now is well…what kind of priest does or will the Church see him as? And if he continues going on with his new program to preach will the Catholic Church support this. Anyone?

By virtue of his ordination, which imparts an indellible, permanaent mark on his soul, he will be “a priest forever”. That’s the nature of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

There is also a difference in stepping down from public ministry and being laicized from the clerical state. As far as I can tell, Corapi has stepped down from priestly ministry, but he has not been dispensed from the clerical state.

I don’t think any bishops will be writing the foreword to his forthcoming books, though. Not that there will necessarily be anything wrong with what he says, nor anything that is disagreeable to Catholic teaching. But given how things went down, no bishop is likely to want to place themselves in a position where they could be construed of as supporting a man leaving priestly ministry.

 

[Robertanthony]

Perhaps you don’t’ remember three seemingly minor incidents from the story.

When he was a boy about 9 or 10, he was playing in his grandmother’s yard when a woman came through and said, “Hi, Johnny.” He smelled an aroma of lilacs. At the time he didn’t recognize who she was and just assumed she was one of the many friend of his grandmother who were constantly coming and going.

At one point after he had lost everything to his drug habit and was living on the streets of LA and particularly down in the dumps, he was sitting on a park bench when an old woman came up to him, patted him on the head, and said, “Everything is going to be alright.”

Years later, during his ordination ceremony, a few seconds after he was ordained and proceeding back to his seat, someone in the audience caught his eye, and he recognized the same woman he saw in his grandmother’s yard decades ago. She mouthed the words, “Hi, Johnny,” and he smelled a sweet aroma of lilacs.

He told of these experiences in one of his seminars shown on EWTN about 8-10 years ago, when he had no reason to make them up. Now if you were his superior knowing this, would you want to take a chance that these women were not angels?

No doubt that (Fr.)John Corapi is a man with an extraordinary life and that he did enjoy God’s abundant graces and protection, and that woman could have been an angel, a human being, Mother Mary, but even so, just because someones receives great favours doesn’t make them untouchables for the rest of their lives.

 

[Robertanthony]

As the representative of Christ, his somewhat fast and furious decision to divorce the Bride, the Church, seems right in line with the times.

Why doesn’t he just put his faith in God, regardless of the outcome? Whatever we may “think” or what “circumstances” took place, at the end of the day, the calling of a priest is to emulate our Lord. This is a gargantuan cross, but it is a cross a priest accepts when he is ordained. He must be prepared to lay down his life, even when it is unjust, as in the case of our Lord. Instead, it seems to me he is appealing to the world (civil court instead of ecclesial) and hoping for the support of the “sheep”, which do not belong to him, but to our Lord, who is the Head of the Catholic Church.

There has been a lot of mealy-mouthed “well, but…” commentaries out there, but the fact is, by leaving the priesthood in defiance, Fr. Corapi is also rejecting the charisms of the Holy Spirit which endow him as a priest. He cannot divorce the Bride and still be a partner of the Holy Spirit, who remains the Holy Spouse of the Church.

I sincerely hope that he will come to his senses. But there’s a fine line between being “charitable”, and dumbing down the profound vocation of the priesthood, and its inseparability from the Passion of our Lord.

I agree whole-heartedly with your post, tm30. I feel that he has taken a road straying from the road to Calvary, where he was probably headed.