Dear Father Corapi,
In your recent audio announcing your plans to become the 'blacksheepdog' you say that all things change, only God stays the same. You also express gratitude for the gift you have been given of the last 20 years. Those 20 years, for those who admire and follow your work, have been important in that they brought us closer to God. If God does not change, then his call to you has not changed. In this dark night of your priesthood, be careful not to abandon Him.
Leaving public ministry could be considered 'laying down and dying' only if you believe that is all you are called to. As a priest, you have been called to much more than just public preaching. Your hands have been consecrated so that you may lovingly hold the Body of Christ in the Eucharist. You have been given the faculty to absolve sins, so that in the person of Christ, you can spread his divine Mercy. You can baptize people into unity with Christ and his church. You preside over the vows of Matrimony in a sacrament that is as inviolable as the vows of Holy Orders which you took.
Jesus called you in the past 20 years to speak. Perhaps He is now testing your fortitude by calling you to silence.
I see in your choice of the Black Sheep Dog a reference to the Hound of Heaven. In Thompson's poem, the dog follows him through his dark walks in search of opium, guarding him as he tries to leave his addictions behind, and return to the Father who loves him. Is that your plan? Or are you running in fear from the dog, that is Jesus who wants only to lick your wounds and heal you?
Or are you uniting yourself to Christ in order to better heal the wounds of the Catholic Church by licking its wounds from the outside?
I can't help but feel that if you abandon your priesthood to continue to preach, you are ignoring God's call. I make no mention of accusations or bishops. None of that is at the crux of this matter. You are a priest. You will always be a priest. Speaking or silent, that is fundamental to who you are.
I ask you now to make the choice of Martha and Mary. Do you keep doing, or do you listen to Jesus?
In your recent audio announcing your plans to become the 'blacksheepdog' you say that all things change, only God stays the same. You also express gratitude for the gift you have been given of the last 20 years. Those 20 years, for those who admire and follow your work, have been important in that they brought us closer to God. If God does not change, then his call to you has not changed. In this dark night of your priesthood, be careful not to abandon Him.
Leaving public ministry could be considered 'laying down and dying' only if you believe that is all you are called to. As a priest, you have been called to much more than just public preaching. Your hands have been consecrated so that you may lovingly hold the Body of Christ in the Eucharist. You have been given the faculty to absolve sins, so that in the person of Christ, you can spread his divine Mercy. You can baptize people into unity with Christ and his church. You preside over the vows of Matrimony in a sacrament that is as inviolable as the vows of Holy Orders which you took.
Jesus called you in the past 20 years to speak. Perhaps He is now testing your fortitude by calling you to silence.
I see in your choice of the Black Sheep Dog a reference to the Hound of Heaven. In Thompson's poem, the dog follows him through his dark walks in search of opium, guarding him as he tries to leave his addictions behind, and return to the Father who loves him. Is that your plan? Or are you running in fear from the dog, that is Jesus who wants only to lick your wounds and heal you?
Or are you uniting yourself to Christ in order to better heal the wounds of the Catholic Church by licking its wounds from the outside?
I can't help but feel that if you abandon your priesthood to continue to preach, you are ignoring God's call. I make no mention of accusations or bishops. None of that is at the crux of this matter. You are a priest. You will always be a priest. Speaking or silent, that is fundamental to who you are.
I ask you now to make the choice of Martha and Mary. Do you keep doing, or do you listen to Jesus?
7 comments:
Your blog name is so apro po of who you are! IGNORANT! May you never be falsely accused like Father Corapi and others; and find yourself silenced of your ignorant "rantings".
Wow, I thought I was defending the priesthood in general and Father Corapi specifically. Have you ever read The Hound of Heaven? It was given to me by a much beloved Pastor after I gave him a book of sonnets on the Passion of Christ. He knows I love dogs.He is considered a Saint by those who know him best. We are all called to be Saints. Father Corapi seems to increase division and the possibility of schism with his statement. Whether he chooses to be called Father, he is one until the church says otherwise. I have been falsely accused many times. Maybe you should search deeper. Are you more of a fan of Jesus, or Father Corapi? Who is more important to you? What matters more; fidelity to vows or public relations?
Anonymous, if you're going to slander the author of this blog, at least have the stones to not do so anonymously.
Jason Liuzza
Louisiana
Thank you, Jason. Although I don't know you, I appreciate your reference to 'Having the stones.' I am the only woman in a house of men, and appreciate that kind of... insight.
RCM my mother had four sons and a daughter. She was 5'2" of Sicilian fire and knew how to be the mother of men. She passed along the faith to her boys as well, as only a mother can do. God bless you and your sons.
Jason
I've never been a Corapi fan. I don't think I've ever listened to more than a few minutes of anything he's ever produced, and I don't intend on starting now. I'm not a Corapi apologist.
That being said, I really have a problem for people admonishing him publicly for what he has decided to do.
It's sad anytime a priest leaves the priesthood, but there are real cases of priests who have been and continue to be in limbo (some for up to a decade now) after having been falsely accused of sexual abuse (albeit against minors). My guess is that some bishops are afraid to reinstate priests out of fear of the lawsuits and media fallout that would occur if there was another accusation.
According to what we know the accusations against Corapi can't be proven. He contests them, so the process is at an impasse.
In your letter you mention all the great things like celebrating the sacraments that Corapi has been called to do as a priest. These are precisely the things that Church authority has forbid him to do since the time he was placed on leave. If he stayed, he would continue to be forbidden to do these things until such time as Church authority returned him to active ministry (if ever). During this time he would still have to make all the same sacrifices of the priesthood and religious life, without any of the spiritual (and possibly material) benefits of public ministry.
Basically what I'm saying is that publicly calling on Corapi to exercise heroic virtue in this situation is a big request for someone who is not in those shoes and doesn't have to deal with it.
And implicating that he is turning away from Jesus because he is not exercising this heroic virtue (virtue which goes above and beyond what is required) seems a little judgmental. Especially without all the facts.
I know you are trying to defend the priesthood, but maybe Fr. Z's advice is best in this.
Only the Holy Spirit within them can save a priest....surely, your heart has been broken. Sacrifice is key...in our prayers.
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