As I feared, this news of Father Corapi’s departure and his newly-adopted moniker of the “Black Sheepdog” has been creating divisions all over the Catholic blogosphere. Some have called my perspective and charity into question over my commentary last night. A specific complaint is that I am accusing Father Corapi of leading a rebellion against the bishops, when he specifically asked people NOT to pick a fight with the bishops. Others in the Catholic blogosphere have rightly pointed out that the priests in China suffer far greater persecution, and wouldn’t even think of not saying mass. Still others rightly point to Father Corapi apealing to his fans and followers.
Saint Paul had much to say on that latter issue. So, first my take on Corapi and his rebellion against the bishops, and then I leave the last word to Saint Paul. On the matter of my perspective and insight into Father Corapi, I responded thus to a reader who is a solid Catholic citizen:
My perspective has been formed in the crucible of four years of seminary life, and an entire adult life of priests who have been among my closest friends and mentors. It’s a perspective not from the pews, but from the dinner table, where the daily realities are discussed frankly.
Father Corapi has given us a looking glass into the present and the future. It is a word. One word:
“BLACK”
The black sheepdog. That’s the subtle rebellion against the bishops. Every time Mr. John Corapi preaches as the black sheepdog, that very name will call people to resent the bishops who “forced” Corapi to trade in his white alb, and to become the black outsider. Perhaps there are those who believe that I’m not giving Father a fair shake here. In fact, I wrote as one of his biggest supporters in the Catholic blogosphere when the allegations first came to light, and I still believe him to be in a no-win position.
However, BLACK is the operative word in all of this. It contains the subtle, evil manipulation of the people. I reiterate:
Father needs to sit tight and stay where he is. He was called to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ for a reason. He must stay where his Master has called him and await the fullness of that plan to be revealed in God’s time, not his.
He has my prayers.
And finally, from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians:
Chapter 1:
A Church Divided Over Leaders
10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas[b]”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Chapter 3:
1 Corinthians 3
The Church and Its Leaders
1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”[a]; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”[b] 21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas[c] or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
UPDATE: The rumor mill is in full gear in the Catholic blogosphere. I’m now tackling the following issue– “Was Father Corapi actually ordained?” Read it here.
SECOND UPDATE: FATHER CORAPI’S SUPERIOR SPEAKS OUT: SHOCKING DETAILS
Coming Home 
Thank you, Gerard, for your thoughtful commentary.
My personal reflection, yesterday was one of those roller-coaster days, where I hit a high in the morning with the news that a newly assigned priest (the 4th in 6 years!) at our local parish came to accept his difficult pastoral assignment, and rose to the occasion. He found his calling to lead his flock according to the Church’s teachings. This battle for him was won through prayer and sacrifice for six months.
The low, of course was Fr. Corapi’s announcement… we must pray my friends:
http://nunspeak.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/prayer-and-the-priesthood/
PEACE TO ALL through the Lord Jesus Christ, Pantocrator! There has been too much rejoicing at the fall of a good man … and it seems, too much pandering to his heroic status (in the view of some). Fr John is probably offended by all of it. Those who hold the higher view of church authority may have to ease their unquestioning loylaty a bit while at the same time the rebels out there need to face some facts of life. Even good men can and do fall. The church should not be blamed for that. We who stand near by must pray, think and wait. The “black dog” title only complicates the matter on all sides, but there it is. This is what we are left with. In this process of praying and waiting let us not be too passive about the conflict developing … stand up and be counted for the right and true. RIghtful authority should be respected and the fallen heros must remain the subject of deep and resolute prayer. May God help all concerned to have a forgving and hopeful disposition during this time of crisis.
I requested to dispensed from celibacy. I was not accused of sexual abuse but I do know a few things about what John Corapi is going through.
American Catholics are the best in the world but have a tendency towards self righteousness, no one knows what is going through his heart and mind. Less judgment please.
For God’s sake if you are going to pray for him then do so but there is no need to say that you are, you have no idea how patronizing that sounds.
When a man leaves religious life or priesthood (same applies for a woman who leaves religious life) transition is very difficult. If you do not have a marketable skill and you are of an age where you do not apply for Social Security or other pension you can slip into real poverty very fast. Ministry is generally not permitted, apparently it confuses the laity. Making a living is very difficult. If John Corapi wants to continue giving talks to put bread on the table I applaud him.
[…] Gerard M. Nadal at Coming Home extends a message to Fr Corapi, and No Room for Black Sheepdogs. […]
Again so well said in this blog! Sadly it seems many commenters do not have a feel for the paradigm of our church. We follow the Man/God Jesus who was so disliked and misunderstood that He got Himself crucified in a short 3 years after starting His Ministry. I wish folks would understand that your blogs, Dr Nadal, were not about whether Fr C was innocent or guilty of that which he was accused but rather pointing out that Fr Corapi’s REACTION to the accusations, true or false as they may be, is very inappropriate and could end up misleading not only Fr Corapi but perhaps some of his followers as well. Our Lord allows privation and suffering into our lives and the closer we are to His Sacred Heart, the more suffering we may be allowed, mostly with us humble folks, to utilize our time here to get us ready for Eternal Happiness with God in Heaven. Our suffering (and false accusation hurts deeply, how well I know!) can also be redemptive – for our loved ones or perhaps for those poor babies terminated in abortion whom God gave life but were never given a chance to live, 1.3 million of these per year just in the USA alone or perhaps for the welfare of our church and a myriad of other things in our world which could greatly benefit by our offering up our suffering for them. If in fact, Fr Corapi was falsely accused, he actually has the golden opportunity to live in monastic silence and prayer – imagine the benefit his prayers would bring the world- WOW. Remember Our Blessed Mother told the three children at Fatima that if only more Catholics would pray the Rosary daily, WW II could have been avoided. That’s HUGE. And yet today, Catholics sometimes seem to have forgotten that God’s Plan, whatever it is for our lives, and however hard it might be, is perfect and also I think sometimes Catholics tend to minimize the power of prayer. Fr Corapi is a priest and no one is ordained by error. So he should hang in there and allow God to put him where-ever God wants him, regardless of the difficulty or whether it is not his idea of a good time. I suppose this treatise will not explain things if Dr Nadal’s excellent blogs have not already explained it but at least it felt good for me to express myself. Again, Dr N, thanks for all you do – you are such a blessing to us!
Thanks for a well reasoned analysis of this mess.
Gerard, I appreciate what you have written and would expect no less from someone who is at Franciscan (I will be there in the summer for Bosco). I am deeply troubled by Father’s announcement because I know there are priests going through absolute HELL here on earth and are not leaving the priesthood. They are persecuted by their Bishops, they are physically attacked by people where they live, they are accused of all kinds of goofy and scandalous stuff…and they put their heads down, their trust in God and keep walking one day at a time towards heaven. I think of the tough time St Padre Pio had in his life time and how he perserved.
I love Father Corapi, but I have another perspective. I am an alcoholic/addict in recovery – 19 years – and I know that the sin of pride and the fear of not being ‘somebody’ can drive me to make really stupid decisions at times. His announcement has a funny ring to it – and if this kind of stuff came from any of the women I mentor in sobriety I would first ask them if they are sober….and if they are, we would be looking at how we might be a bit grandiose in our thought process and how that might not be messing us up.
I do not pretend to have all the answers. Of course I pray for him…I pray for all our priests…and I hope I do not sound self-righteous. I don’t mean to sound that way…if I do, may God forgive me.
I belong to the Diocese of Corpus Christi where the S.O.L.T. priests are wonderfully integrated into all aspects of priestly ministries. They are engaged on all levels with the needs of the folks down here. I for one stand by Bishop Mulvey’s decision to suspend Father Corapi while an investigation took place. The phrase that echoes around here right now is,”Jesus I trust in You.”
Sue and Leslie have written wonderful responses. I couldn’t agree with you more, ladies! 🙂
I’m sick at my stomach. I have been moved to a holier lifestyle because I was an out gay player with medical marijuana and a basement to grow it. Now I stay in my new digs reading, writing, praying, listening. I’m lonely, but I am a eunuch for the Kingdom within.
I need your patronizing prayers also, because it feels like I’ve been raped, sodomized again by half-truths, macho displays of power, intrigue and loose living by all concerned. May all of us rest in peace. The chips seem to have fallen and no wonderous Bishop in white can or will save this emptying of the dirty laundry. I hate the mongrel dogs who teach.
Thank you for your insights on this.
Anytime a vocation is broken, whether that is the laicization of a Priest or the divorce of a married person, it creates discord, dissent, and a rupture in the human family. God’s vows were never meant to be broken. His covenant is brought to us, is maintained in our lives through His witness to our vocation, whatever path we are called to follow. To break that can only lead to what many fear Fr. Corapi is creating: division in the Church.
Once a priest in the line of Melchizedek, always a priest in the line of Melchizedek…Prayers and sacrifices on the way…
From what I understand from Fr. Corapi… the ‘black’ signifies his past sinfulness, like the black sheep… is he the sheep dog seeking the ‘black sheep’ as he once was and which he has done to much to call so many ‘black’ sheep back the fold?
It has a two fold meaning …both good in my eyes… it is how we ‘choose’ to look at something.
Fr.Corapi is not creating division in the church, Catholics who vote for pro-abortion
Politicians have created division in the church by rationalizing evil.
How long should anyone of us have to wait to be vindicated if our good name
Was falsely accused and damaged. How long should Fr. Corapi have to wait, wait and
Wait. Why should he have to be left hanging because there is no effective procedure
To quickly solve the issue. So this week if 4000 woman got together and falsely accused
The same number of priests in the USA they could effectively shut down the church.
This is ridiculous and unacceptable in this day when information is gathered at
The speed of light. There has to be consequences to those who falsely attack otherwise
Innocent people are held hostage to someone who may have a hidden agenda.
There just may be some wolves in sheep’s clothing that are in the flock and it may
Take a good sheep dog like Fr. Corapi to chase them out!
God bless you Fr. Corapi I believe 100 percent in your innocence. You are always
In my prayers.
correct me if im wrong, Fr C did not leave the Priesthood! His right to practice a a Priest , preach and Say Mass were suspended because of accusations, and they have been since it happened. He didnt decide this on his own
Kathy,
Yes. He resigned from the priesthood. His and the article above is very clear about that. He was first put on admin leave which took him out of public ministry. He got some lawyers and basically – the way I interpret it – said he wasn’t going to take it and left the priesthood. So … technically he’s a priest, but he is not allowed to administer those sacraments particular to Holy Orders. (Pleas … correct me if I’m wrong somebody … it’s how I understand it.)
I know of one case where a woman was dying (hospice) a priest couldn’t be contacted. One of the administrators had been a priest (now wife …) and he could validly administer the sacrament. (That was from the Bishop.)
So … I don’t know. John seems to have gone rouge. The way that it’s coordinated with his new book – seems I don’t know. Then, maybe he wrote it when he was initally on leave.
Me? I’ll stick to the priests at the unknown level.
SOLT is really a very solid organization. That John was on his own … I don’t know. It was the celebrity … and his inability to be approached.
I don’t know … I’m just one of the little people …