{"id":1275,"date":"2011-07-06T11:38:34","date_gmt":"2011-07-06T18:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/?p=1275"},"modified":"2011-07-06T20:40:38","modified_gmt":"2011-07-07T03:40:38","slug":"broken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/broken\/","title":{"rendered":"Broken"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/span>f I had to guess, I’d say you’ve never heard of Rev. John Corapi, SOLT.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rev. John Corapi, SOLT<\/p><\/div>I first saw Fr. Corapi on EWTN, preaching a series of TV programs on the Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/i>. He is a dynamic speaker and a gifted teacher. His talks helped me to understand some of the more impenetrable language and dense wording of the Catechism.<\/p>\n

In addition, I found his personal story compelling. Ex-military volunteer in the Viet Nam era, he got through most of green beret training, but an injury meant he ended up doing clerical work. After the army, he got a business degree and was a financial adviser for Tropicana before moving on to Las Vegas to become a real estate magnate, a multi-millionaire in his early thirties. <\/p>\n

In Las Vegas he became embroiled in nearly every sin and vice for which that city is famous: sex, drink, drugs, and the odd financial swindle. He ended up a vagrant on the streets, an addict, his fortune gone, a broken man.<\/p>\n

Through the prayers of his mother and the grace of God, he had a conversion experience that eventually led him to seminary. He was ordained a priest by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1991.<\/p>\n

I latched on to his story, that of a modern-day Saint Augustine, when my son Tristan was arrested.<\/p>\n

Tristan crashed his car into a tree, killing his girlfriend India Escobar while the both of them were under the influence of LSD. Several weeks later, while in a drunken stupor, Tristan was run down by a vehicle in the street, and then run over again by another car. His bones were shattered and his body broken. One of his doctors confided in me that he didn’t understand how he was still alive.<\/p>\n

After finally being released from hospital, Tristan pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter in open court and tearfully apologized to India’s family. He went to prison, served his time, and was released. He will live with the physical problems for the rest of his life. While these are bad enough, one can only imagine what the emotional ones must be like.<\/p>\n

So you could see how I could take inspiration from Fr. Corapi’s story as I prayed for Tristan’s conversion. <\/p>\n

If Fr. Corapi could have such a conversion to Christ, and could then go on to build up the Body of Christ in such a dramatic fashion, then surely it could happen to my son.<\/p>\n

You know what’s coming, don’t you?<\/p>\n

I’ll spare you the gory details. Here is part of today’s press release from Fr. Corapi’s Order, the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\nWhile SOLT does not typically comment publicly on personnel matters, it recognizes that Fr. John Corapi, through his ministry, has inspired thousands of faithful Catholics …<\/p>\n

SOLT’s fact-finding team has acquired information from Fr. Corapi’s e-mails, various witnesses, and public sources that, together, state that, during his years of public ministry:<\/p>\n

He did have sexual relations and years of cohabitation (in California and Montana) with a woman known to him, when the relationship began, as a prostitute; He repeatedly abused alcohol and drugs; He has recently engaged in sexting activity with one or more women in Montana; He holds legal title to over $1 million in real estate, numerous luxury vehicles, motorcycles, an ATV, a boat dock, and several motor boats, which is a serious violation of his promise of poverty as a perpetually professed member of the Society.<\/p>\n

SOLT has contemporaneously with the issuance of this press release directed Fr. John Corapi, under obedience, to return home to the Society\u2019s regional office and take up residence there. …<\/p>\n

SOLT’s prior direction to Fr. John Corapi not to engage in any preaching or teaching, the celebration of the sacraments or other public ministry continues. Catholics should understand that SOLT does not consider Fr. John Corapi as fit for ministry.<\/p>\n

(Source<\/a>)\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When the various allegations came out these past few months, I held my tongue. Here is a man I trusted and admired, whose teaching on the Catechism had affected me profoundly. I could not believe the allegations were true.<\/p>\n

But with this press release, I must.<\/p>\n

Fr. Corapi betrayed his vows to God, betrayed the Church, and betrayed the trust of everyone who had taken his personal story to heart and found inspiration there. He betrayed me.<\/p>\n

I understand how men can fall. I fall constantly into sin, and only the grace of God and the sacrament of Confession pulls me up again. But this is not a story of falling after a conversion.<\/p>\n

I fear that this is a story of a confidence man, plain and simple.<\/p>\n

Much of his professed biography is now unraveling. His military story is a complete fabrication. Who knows how much of his story was ever true. Was any of it true? <\/p>\n

His life was a lie, told on television. He lied to me.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Every profession – every vocation – has people like this: predators, drawn to the vulnerable and the trusting. The priesthood is not immune; in many ways it’s their perfect cover. Wolves in sheepdog clothing.<\/p>\n

Fr. Corapi has now renounced his priesthood and cast aspersions on his bishop and his religious order. He’s lawyered up. He’s made several very creepy videos telling his side of the story with a thick, slurred voice-over.<\/p>\n

The man is pretty obviously broken, but it’s not too late for him to turn this around. <\/p>\n

Fr. Corapi, you know that Christ will have mercy on you if you but ask. I’ve heard you preach on this quite eloquently. <\/p>\n

Even now He showers His immeasurable love and mercy on men far more wicked than you. He only asks a contrite heart, for reconciliation and penance. My young son could do as much in far worse circumstances.<\/p>\n

For myself, I forgive you. I pray for your conversion, as I continue to pray for Tristan’s conversion, and for the intercession of St. Monnica and her son St. Augustine. As I continue to pray for my own conversion.<\/p>\n

The Lord heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds (cf<\/i>. Psalm 147:3). He can work miracles, and I am confident that He will.<\/p>\n

\n
Edited to add:<\/h5>\n

Perhaps not coincidentally, here is today’s reading from the Rule<\/em> (July 6):<\/p>\n

Chapter 29:
\nWhether Brethren Who Leave the Monastery Should Be Received Again<\/strong><\/p>\n

If a brother
\n who through his own fault leaves the monastery
\n should wish to return,
\n let him first promise full reparation for his having gone away;
\n and then let him be received in the lowest place,
\n as a test of his humility.
\n And if he should leave again,
\n let him be taken back again,
\n and so a third time;
\n but he should understand that after this
\n all way of return is denied him.<\/p>\n

\n

Both Mark Shea<\/a> and Fr. Z<\/a> have good takes on the Fr. Corapi morass. This, however, is the only thing I plan on saying on the matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If I had to guess, I’d say you’ve never heard of Rev. John Corapi, SOLT. I first saw Fr. Corapi on EWTN, preaching a series of TV programs on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He is a dynamic speaker and a gifted teacher. His talks helped me to understand some of the more impenetrable language and dense wording of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9,3,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family","category-moments-in-time","category-pray"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s1aGBK-broken","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1154,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/a-pastor-for-the-interim\/","url_meta":{"origin":1275,"position":0},"title":"A Pastor for the Interim","author":"Thom","date":"28 June 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Enter RUMOUR, painted full of tongues. 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