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| Fr. Corapi & me at Alexander House Event in Buda, TX |
It's been a while now since anyone has heard anything from or about Father John Corapi. This is NOT an update. According to the unaffiliated Father Corapi Catholic Channel Facebook page, today is his birthday. I am writing this post as a happy birthday wish and a call for us to continue to pray for Father Corapi and all priests.
Truth is Truth
I'd like to take this time to honor the great work Fr. Corapi did as a preacher and a teacher. Regardless of what one thinks about the events surrounding his departure from public Church ministry, Fr. Corapi's preaching and teaching were effective tools of evangelization and formation. Even the early work of the 3rd Century theologian Tertullian is often quoted by members of the Church including saints. While his later was dismissed as contrary to the magisterium, his earlier work is still held up as truth. Truth is truth regardless of the source.
First Encounter
I had only recently returned to the Church when I had my first encounter with Fr. Corapi. In those early days, I was hungry to learn as much as I could about being Catholic, that I would keep our bedroom TV on EWTN as we went to sleep. One night, I forgot to set the Sleep timer and I was awakened at 3AM to the voice of Fr. Corapi sharing his conversion story.
Fullness of Faith
After that incident, I began following his Catechism series on EWTN. Soon after, I was able to see him in person at a Fullness of Faith conference in Arlington, TX. Stacey and I would subsequently see him speak in person five more times. We actually got to see one of his last public appearances at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
Prayer for Priests
O Almighty and Eternal God, look upon the Face of Thy Christ, and for love of Him Who is the eternal High-priest, have pity on Thy priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the Bishop's hands. Keep them close to Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.
O Jesus, I pray Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid priests; for Thy priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Thy tempted priests; for Thy lonely and desolate priests; for Thy young priests; for Thy aged priests; for Thy sick priests; for Thy dying priests; for the souls of Thy priests in Purgatory.
But above all I commend to Thee the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed or helped me and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way, particularly (your priest’s name here). O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen. Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us many and holy priests. Amen.
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