I was never a fan of Fr. Corapi; he is just not my cuppa. But his video announcement, that he is leaving the Priesthood is just plain sad and disturbing.
He has fallen into the trap that awaits Priests who become celebrities. There is no evidence of humility or obedience. He only mentions God once, and he doesn’t ask for our prayers. The black sheepdog forgot that he belongs to our Lord and shepherd.
Corapi also says that
I am, indeed, not ready to be extinguished. Under the name “The Black Sheep Dog,” I shall be with you through radio broadcasts and writing.
It is all about him. But gosh darn it, as a priest and as a Christian it should be about Jesus Christ. Period. Christians most certainly are called to extinguish our selves, that is our egos, so that the divine life can dwell within us.
This is the difficulty of being entrusted with a ministry for the clergy and for lay people like myself. I know how easy it is, even as I swim in my very small puddle, to forget that it is not my mission; it is HIS. For some reason God has chosen me, and any gift that I have for Catechesis, or anything else comes from God.
That is why I answer God’s call with fear and trembling. And I know that I am an unfinished Christian who will always fall short of the glory of God.
Please keep John Corapi in your prayers, and pray for his followers who may be tempted to follow him instead of our true shepherd.
Mark Shea has some thoughts here. The Anchoress, as always, has some honest but charitable musings on the matter here; and Deacon Greg weighs in here.
A Deacon's Wife 
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I think you read into John’s comments a little too closely looking for some points in order to make your point. By your own admission you are not a “fan” of his and probably haven’t even listened to too many of his talks. If you had, you would have seen how much this man loves and encourages a devotion our Blessed Mother simply because she points and you brings you closer to her Son. John constantly stressed the development of a close and intimate friendship with Christ. He is not your “cuppa”. No problem there. However, the man feels he was trying to be extinguished by his superiors for unfounded reasons and without the courtesy of being able to face his accuser and allegations facing him. Could he have chosen better words? Maybe. Also, check again on how many times he uses the “God” word.
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OK…he uses it THREE times; once near the beginning, and twice before “….goodbye…”
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Mike,
Priests should not have fans. They represent Christ. It is not about them. Yes I know that he is an orthodox speaker. BTW I am not a fan of any human being including Priests that I admire greatly. As for not listening to him, that is because I am drawn to books.
What I find disturbing is that he is ready to abandon his priestly vows. Now I have no way of knowing if the charges against him are true, and I don’t want to speculate..
But truly holy priests, Padre Pio, for example endured grave injustice by the Church with great humility, docility and obedience. In times of persecution and/or suffering, All Christians are called to pattern themselves after Jesus Christ who was the most innocent victim of all. Jesus did not run away from the cross and neither should we.
Tragically, it appears that being a star is more important than his priesthood.. It is a cautionary tail for all of us Christians–especially those of involved in clerical or lay ministry. It is not about me. It is about thou.
God Bless
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Pope John Paul II was very clear when he stated the social media and all its forms should be used to help proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Fr. Corapi might have become a celebrity to some but he was successful bringing people to the Church and back to the Church in spite of the evil forces he had working against him. You are using the internet to talk about your life as a deacon’s wife, your family background, and to share your love of the Church and Jesus Christ. So was he. He was just doing it on a much grander scale. He never said his priesthood was finished. He will be back I am sure. The system needs to be adjusted to allow people to face their accusers. What court do all of these innocent priests go to to get their reputations back after being unjustly accused?
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But Mike, if I start trying to gain more page hits or subscribers instead of proclaiming the Gospel, I will shut down this blog. If I become more concerned with how many people enter the Church on Easter, I will stop teaching the RCIA. If I ever become proud of my husband being on the altar as a deacon, instead of being humbled by his vocation, I will go to a Mass where he is not assisting.
I don’t want to put my soul in danger, or take others down with me, and I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that it is not about me. As a very wise priest once told me in spiritual direction, “Susan the world already has a Savior, and His name is Jesus Christ. Not Susan Kehoe.”
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Susan as a person who has listened to Fr Corapi in person, I am greatly disturbed. This did not really sound like the priest who told us that our momma wears combat boots. He indeed sounded defeated and even somewhat confused. He is focusing on his on personal struggle and efforts to continue public speaking. I was also saddened that he did not ask for prayers. Many early church fathers were truly persecuted and exiled by their own bishops. I wish that I had heard more humility. I will continue to pray for Fr. Corapi and all priests and deacons. The devil hates priests and wants to abolish the office of the keys, without priests there is no eucharist.
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LeAnn,
I think that we forget how much our Bishops, priests, and deacons need our prayers. Satan truly does not like faithful clergy. He keeps picking away at their weak areas.
I just wish that his superiors had offered Fr. Corapi more guidance. They pretty much left him to his own devices.
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The story gets worse as it unfolds day by day. I’ve never been a follower of celebrity priests. Sadly this reminds me of my evangelical pre conversion to the Church days. Past couple of posts I’ve expressed how I feel in my drawings. Words are getting thin, my words anyway. God bless you.
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Man, am I ever _sick and tired_ of self-righteous Catholic bloggers and their combox lackeys. Look at some of the so-called “fact-finding” that was done by the SOLT team:
http://jrpresearch.org/blog/ .
And please, for the love of God, stop making self-righteous, holier-than-the-pope, assessments regarding Fr. Corapi. Anchoress, Shea, Deacon’s Bench, etc. etc. They’re all over the place, and they really are starting to stink up the ‘net very badly. Take them off the blogs, even better. Do you have a “delete” you can use? That would be the charitable thing to do, all of you. And then just, please, for the love of God, zip it.
Father Z gives good counsel. A strong priest will be attacked. A strong bishop will be attacked. A strong disciple, too, will be attacked. Pray and leave the judging and assessing to God! Maybe, just maybe, He’s up to something that none of us really can comprehend for the moment. You know, it is written, after all, that what some intend for evil purposes, God allows, in order that He might bring even greater good.
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Wow, James Jones, wish I’d had the delete button clicked before reading your diatribe. I guess you are even holier than the holier-than-the-pope people?
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deeply religious people dont have to always say His name,GOD, IT IS A GIVEN….,,every statement is meant of Him , for Him or by Him{God]…and the listener should know this
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regarding Fr. corapi …..comment above
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we dont have to hear Fr. corapi use Gods name…..we know who and what he is talking about
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