Rocked by suicide...

[jukesk9]

Yesterday I was in a daze and sat shocked for most of the evening at work. My former priest committed suicide. This man I really looked up to. He was so wise and intelligent and when he spoke on the Faith, he just made it so clear and with such authority that you'd walk away from Mass without any doubts whatsoever about what you believe.

We've been told he's been suffering from depression for 30 years. But how does a man of God take his own life? The first thing my mom said was, "Oh. They won't forgive him for that. They won't give him a Christian burial." She was shocked and overcome with grief. Yea, sure enough I checked Canon Law and people who are found SANE at the time of suicide are indeed denied a Christian burial by the Church. But our Bishop has said that Father wasn't in his right mind so that God will forgive him and there will be a Christian burial. I don't understand suicide. Does anyone out there? Share your thoughts, please.

Please pray for Father Joseph Correnti. Here's a link to the story for those that would like to read about him:

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/story.dhtml?storyID=72154&name=News

God bless.

 

[ZiSunka]

Depression is a medical condition that exhibits itself through emotional and mental symptoms. It is not a character weakness or a spiritual weakness. It is a terribly painful condition that, left untreated, often leads to death through suicide. The person simply can't bear the extreme pain anymore, and they end it the only way they know how.

The sad thing is that depression is easily treatable these days, but some churches don't recognize it as a medical problem, and don't support the person's treatment.

But the catholic church does support people who need treatment for mental illnesses. I wish this man had done that.

I have been in enough pain to want to die, and although it was partly a spiritual problem, it was mostly a medical problem, caused by a thyroid gland that stopped working. Once I got on synthroid, an artificial thyroid hormone, the depression started going away.

God does not condemn people who sin by taking their own lives anymore than he condemns anyone who dies in the faith. Father Joseph is clearly in heaven now, if he was a believer in Christ. We have no reason to doubt his faith, based on what you said above, so I'm sure he is enjoying heaven right now.

 

[Avila]

Praying for him, and all the people affected by his death....

 

[Dave Ulchers]

My heart goes out to you and your congregation!

Your Bishop is right -- people kill themselves because the don't know God and/or people love them. It's too bad.

 

[onesheep]

Praying for all of you, jukes. In instances like these, trauma counseling is one of the best things people can do. Hopefully there will be someone the parish members, and others, can go to for personal guidance on this.

 

[ZooMom]

Praying for Father Correnti, and for you and all of your church family, jukes.

I was thinking about you just yesterday, and wondered where you've been. We miss you. Please come and visit us more often.

May the Peace of Christ be with you.

 

[KC Catholic]

My prayers are with you!

 

[nyj]

Saints of God, come to his aid!
Come to meet him, angels of the Lord!
Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

May Christ, who called you, take you to himself;
may angels lead you to Abraham's side.
Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

Give him eternal rest, O Lord,
and may your light shine on him for ever.
Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

Let us Pray.

All-powerful and merciful God,
we commend to you, Joseph Correnti, your servant.
In your mercy and love,
blot out all the sins he has committed through human weakness.
In this world he has died: let him live with you for ever.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace.

Amen.

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.




X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X




Lord, God,
you are attentive to the voice of our pleading.
Let all who knew Father Correnti find in your Son comfort in their sadness,
certainty in their doubt,
and courage to live through this hour.
Make their faith strong through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

 

[VOW]

nyj, your prayer was beautiful, and very comforting.

Jukes, your friend is at peace now. He was hurting, he had to be hurting beyond all reason. God is loving, He's forgiving, and He's infinitely merciful. Father Correnti is with the God he knew and loved so well, and he doesn't hurt any more.


Peace be with you,
~VOW

 

[jukesk9]

Amen. Thank you all for your replies. ZooMom, thanks for thinking of me! I gave up posting for Lent. I was on the computer way tooooo much. I have completely left Rapture Ready. I'll be around her more often. Again, God bless you all.........

 

[Vijaykyu]

Dear Jukes
My deepest sympathies on your loss. The place Father Correnti was must have been very dark. I believe there are places people go in depression that not even God would make them stay. You want to understand, and yet you may never, I hope it's enough to know he is at peace now.
Depression is only now getting the attention it deserves. I spoke to a psychiatrist once who got into psychiatry because as a G.P. 75% of the people he saw could be diagnosed as depressed. The symptoms or complaints were physical, but at the root lay depression.
It's hard enough getting people to take it seriously in women. They have conciderably more leeway in emotional matters than men. For your priest to get the help he needed would have required him to go to a hospital, and in five minutes , feel comfortable with the man sitting across from him, probably someone younger, same level of intelegence, someone who has it together, hey he's a doctor, and admit to something that in our society is seen as weakness. It's hard enough to admit to yourself, let alone a stranger. This requires a level of submissiveness most men aren't conditioned to show. Certianly not one whose position in the community has been one of leadership.
So how do you cope? In a word, denial. You put on the "brave front", Noone can know. And you push on till things are so messed up that you either bite the bullet and ask for help, or you die. the thing is by the time you get here, your reasoning is so screwy, you are so spent from the fight that to reach a decision, whichever decision, is an act of bravery.
This is a real downer of a reply, depression and suicide are not happy topics. My brother took his own life 9 years ago, I've asked a lot of the same questions. I can answer some of them looking back at him. I can answer others from my own experiences with depression.
You may never get THE ANSWER, But ask the questions....
In Christ
Vincent