Update on Fr. John Corapi

[isshinwhat]

Is it too late for Fr. Corapi?

I would say it depends on the details, which none of us are privy to.

 

[Diane_Windsor]

Hello all! First off I want to say that I have been gone for a long time from the Christian Forums.

Welcome back

That being said, though no longer Roman Catholic I have much respect and an affinity for many many Catholic religious teachers including Fr. Robert Barron and Fr. John Corapi. As all may know, Fr. Corapi was suspended from ministry a few months back after certain 'accusations' from a former employee of his.

I hadn't heard of the allegations against Corapi. For those interested here's an article.

Sadly, just today Fr. Corapi announced that he is no longer in the active service of the Catholic Church. He has a new website, TheBlackSheepDog.us, and he said he is removing himself from his priestly ministry due in part to his bishop being unwilling to allow him to continue his ministry. He now refers to himself simply as John Corapi, no longer 'father'. I can say personally that this is a very sad day for Corapi and all of us. Let's all continue to support him in his future endeavors!
God bless and its good to come back. Just wish it was under better circumstances!

Interesting update.

 

[MikeK]

he...has shown signs of serious psychological instability

He should get an acount here.

 

[Searching_for_Christ]

Yes....he resigned from the Priest hood and took up some sort of weird blog name...he is really showing sign of serious psychological instability....makes loads of sense
[/sarcasm]

 

[Chrystal-J]

There's a couple of things I don't understand from his web-site.
Firstly, the banner head-line:
God bless you, God love you, and goodbye.
If he's going to continue on with some kind of ministry, then why the "goodbye"? Is that for those who will no longer be following him due to his resignation from the priesthood? If that's the case, then I don't see the point of putting "goodbye" in huge letters on the top of the page like he's going into seclusion.

Secondly, in the "about" section of the same web-site, it says:
He launched a blog-site: TheBlackSheepDog.us to allow his fans to begin establishing a ‘home’ where they can be in touch with him, directly. 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.”
It keeps referring to "fans". Do ministers or preachers have "fans"? Aren't they either parishioners or followers?

Don't think I'm trying to criticize (ex) Fr. Corapi. I'm just confused as to why he's going in such a drastic direction and what that'll mean regarding his teachings. As I Catholic, do I continue I read or listen to his teachings? Or would they go against Catholic doctrine? I'll guess I'll just have to wait and see regarding that.

I used to watch his shows on EWTN--I'll sure miss those, that's for sure.

 

[BAFRIEND]

He should get an acount here.

i understand what you are saying

but i am already helping enouph people as it is

 

[CruciFixed]

his blog entry doesn't seem too insane or over the top

 

[sneezingleopard]

i understand what you are saying

but i am already helping enouph people as it is

LOL c'mon BA, couldn't you take on just one more.

 

[panner60]

This is sad for Catholic peoples. I found this from A corpus christi bishop

Great Pyrenees Sheep Dog Guarding the Flock


FIRST OF ALL LET ME ESTABLISH THAT I HAVE NOT SPOKEN WITH FATHER CORAPI.
The fact that he has chosen the nom de plume of The Black Sheep Dog is revealing: he cares for the flock of sheep he has been ministering to all these years, sheep that he well knows are of the Lord’s flock, not his.
As a suspended priest he cannot function publicly as a priest, but he can continue to evangelize as long as he does not present himself to the public as a priest.
Every baptized person is given the obligation of being a witness to the truth, of being an evangelizer. In Father Corapi’s case, the obligation is all the greater in view of the gift of the sacramental priesthood he has been given. Prevented (hopefully only temporarily) from exercising that priesthood in a public manner during his suspension, he is aware of his obligation to be a witness to the truth and to continue to evangelize. He evidently intends to do so until his suspension is lifted not as Father John Corapi but as The Black Sheep Dog.
As a good sheep dog he will continue to try to protect the flock from the dangers of heresy, heterodoxy, and all other forms of untruth.
I think it is a stroke of genius that he chose the image of the sheep dog’s eyes for his blog’s masthead. I have a ranch. I have sheep. I have two wonderful sheep dogs, one a Great Pyrenees and the other an Anatolian Shepherd. I know that they are constantly on the alert for dangers threatening the sheep. They look with one eye for coyotes (we do not have wolves in South Texas) and they constantly keep one eye on the sheep. His avatar is perfect for the role he intends to perform as a shepherd.
Now, until his suspension is lifted, he is free from the Church’s prohibition on clerics participating in the political life of the nation. Given his past outspoken criticism of the current slide of our government to become more and more like the socialist governments of Europe, I think that we can expect to hear The Black Sheep Dog speak out more openly on the burning issues we will face in the election year of 2012. I know from my own experience that God sometimes “writes straight with crooked lines” as the Portuguese put it, and so perhaps God is using this new (unwanted) freedom from ecclesiastical restraint to permit The Black Sheep Dog to say some important things in the next 16 months on those burning issues.
I believe that he is justified in not seeking to clear his name through a canonical process; at the present time such processes are very flawed in most dioceses. Rather I would believe that he intends to try to clear his name through the civil courts. I believe that it is possible for him to do so and I wish him every success in such an endeavor.
Reading some of the comments on his blog I am appalled at the viciousness of some of them. It is obvious that there is very little if any love in the hearts of some of the writers. It is almost as though some of those writers are filled with hatred for the Catholic Church and/or its priests. It is possible to disagree about almost anything without resorting to ad hominem personal attacks.
These are just a few thoughts on Father John Corapi’s announcement yesterday.

at his blog abyssum_wordpress_com seems like a good holy man of God

 

[thereselittleflower]

Yes....he resigned from the Priest hood and took up some sort of weird blog name...he is really showing sign of serious psychological instability....makes loads of sense
[/sarcasm]

Excuse me, but delusions of grandeur are not a normal psychological state.


It was his claim that he not only would protect the sheep in the Catholic Church (which is not the job of laity or even a single priest, but the Pope and the college of bishops), but also the sheep of the entire world.

As I said, something is very wrong here.

 

[Searching_for_Christ]

Excuse me, but delusions of grandeur are not a normal psychological state.

Please just stop. So he has found some sort of "calling" where he can continue to edify and help others around the word...delusion it is not, so please stop constantly essentially calling him insane every time you talk about him, its not necessary.

 

[JoabAnias]

He should get an acount here.

Aint that the truth! So many kettles calling the pot black around here that there is almost no need for the pot.

 

[JoabAnias]

I would say it depends on the details, which none of us are privy to.

So there could still be hope then?

Why does it seem few think so?

Call me an incurable optimist but I still expect justice will prevail.

 

[JoabAnias]

This is sad for Catholic peoples. I found this from A corpus christi bishop

at his blog abyssum_wordpress_com seems like a good holy man of God

I'd like to repeat that. Who ever this Bishop is, he is right on.

Great Pyrenees Sheep Dog Guarding the Flock

FIRST OF ALL LET ME ESTABLISH THAT I HAVE NOT SPOKEN WITH FATHER CORAPI.
The fact that he has chosen the nom de plume of The Black Sheep Dog is revealing: he cares for the flock of sheep he has been ministering to all these years, sheep that he well knows are of the Lord’s flock, not his.

As a suspended priest he cannot function publicly as a priest, but he can continue to evangelize as long as he does not present himself to the public as a priest.

Every baptized person is given the obligation of being a witness to the truth, of being an evangelizer. In Father Corapi’s case, the obligation is all the greater in view of the gift of the sacramental priesthood he has been given. Prevented (hopefully only temporarily) from exercising that priesthood in a public manner during his suspension, he is aware of his obligation to be a witness to the truth and to continue to evangelize. He evidently intends to do so until his suspension is lifted not as Father John Corapi but as The Black Sheep Dog.

As a good sheep dog he will continue to try to protect the flock from the dangers of heresy, heterodoxy, and all other forms of untruth.
I think it is a stroke of genius that he chose the image of the sheep dog’s eyes for his blog’s masthead. I have a ranch. I have sheep. I have two wonderful sheep dogs, one a Great Pyrenees and the other an Anatolian Shepherd. I know that they are constantly on the alert for dangers threatening the sheep. They look with one eye for coyotes (we do not have wolves in South Texas) and they constantly keep one eye on the sheep. His avatar is perfect for the role he intends to perform as a shepherd.

Now, until his suspension is lifted, he is free from the Church’s prohibition on clerics participating in the political life of the nation. Given his past outspoken criticism of the current slide of our government to become more and more like the socialist governments of Europe, I think that we can expect to hear The Black Sheep Dog speak out more openly on the burning issues we will face in the election year of 2012. I know from my own experience that God sometimes “writes straight with crooked lines” as the Portuguese put it, and so perhaps God is using this new (unwanted) freedom from ecclesiastical restraint to permit The Black Sheep Dog to say some important things in the next 16 months on those burning issues.

I believe that he is justified in not seeking to clear his name through a canonical process; at the present time such processes are very flawed in most dioceses. Rather I would believe that he intends to try to clear his name through the civil courts. I believe that it is possible for him to do so and I wish him every success in such an endeavor.

Reading some of the comments on his blog I am appalled at the viciousness of some of them. It is obvious that there is very little if any love in the hearts of some of the writers. It is almost as though some of those writers are filled with hatred for the Catholic Church and/or its priests. It is possible to disagree about almost anything without resorting to ad hominem personal attacks.
These are just a few thoughts on Father John Corapi’s announcement yesterday.

 

[JoabAnias]

something is very wrong here.

Have you considered that might be your interpretation of what he meant by what he said? I see it as something completely different and in line with the Bishop quoted above.

 

[JoabAnias]

I'm praying for Fr Corapi. If you know his background, he was once a drug addict and alcoholic.

I pray that he stays strong in faith and fortitude.

Jim

St. Augustine was a philander. Ya just never know.

 

[JoabAnias]

To continue to be a priest?

So he's not a priest any more?

 

[Virgil the Roman]

Lord have mercy.

Prayer for Fr Corapi

Prayer for CJ's return to the Holy Catholic Church.

 

[isshinwhat]

So there could still be hope then?

Why does it seem few think so?

Call me an incurable optimist but I still expect justice will prevail.

Me, too! Faith, Hope, Charity...

 

[thereselittleflower]

There's a couple of things I don't understand from his web-site.
Firstly, the banner head-line:
God bless you, God love you, and goodbye.
If he's going to continue on with some kind of ministry, then why the "goodbye"? Is that for those who will no longer be following him due to his resignation from the priesthood? If that's the case, then I don't see the point of putting "goodbye" in huge letters on the top of the page like he's going into seclusion.

Secondly, in the "about" section of the same web-site, it says:
He launched a blog-site: TheBlackSheepDog.us to allow his fans to begin establishing a ‘home’ where they can be in touch with him, directly. 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.”
It keeps referring to "fans". Do ministers or preachers have "fans"? Aren't they either parishioners or followers?

Don't think I'm trying to criticize (ex) Fr. Corapi. I'm just confused as to why he's going in such a drastic direction and what that'll mean regarding his teachings. As I Catholic, do I continue I read or listen to his teachings? Or would they go against Catholic doctrine? I'll guess I'll just have to wait and see regarding that.

I used to watch his shows on EWTN--I'll sure miss those, that's for sure.

He is a very charismatic person, and as such has developed fans. . . . this is problematic when something like this occurs. That he is catering to his fan base instead of submitting in obedience to the Bishop and the Church, and trusting God, IN HIS TIMING, to work HIS will, and is taking matters into his own hands, and doing his OWN will is revealing.

In addition, his statement about being the protector of the sheep of the entire world is very disturbing and I believe is a window into the operating of his mind.