If the Good Lord can't come -

He sends!

This was my mother's standard response to something good occurring in our family household and it was never more true than the recent arrival of Fr Timothy Gallagher OMV, on my scene (and screen) at any rate.

The aftermath of the Fr Corapi episode left a bitter taste but in Fr Gallagher we have a man who has all the attributes necessary, not just to replace him, it would be quite wrong to compare the two, but to fulfil a gap in Catholic media teaching.

We chanced upon Fr Gallagher quite by chance as we rarely watch EWTN these days, so mushy has it become.
Maybe it was my GA tipping me off that led me to switch to 589 only to be immediately held in thrall by this sofly spoken priest.

Those who disliked Fr Corapi for his loud soap box manner will be delighted to know that Fr Gallagher speaks sotto voce and this lends power to his words.

He has his own website and modest range of books and CDs, visit it here and the OMV stands for Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.

I am only at the very beginning of getting to grips with this priest's range of books,  but, according to his website, the one to read, if you are at a crossroads in life or are facing some difficulty (as so many of us are) is 'Discerning the will of God'.

Available on Amazon or from Fr Gallagher's website

Here is how his website describes the book:-

Discerning the Will of God

If you are facing a turning point in life, you know how difficult it can be to try to hear God's will amid the noise of other people's expectations and your own wishes. Ignatius of Loyola developed a series of exercises and reflections designed to help you in these times so that your decision can be one that conforms to God's will for your life.Discerning the Will of God: An Ignatian Guide to Christian Decision Making is a trustworthy guide to applying those reflections to your own particular circumstances. This guide, which does not require any prior knowledge of Ignatian spirituality, can be used by people of any faith, though some elements will be more directly applicable to Catholic readers.

On this special day for priests - a prayer with a difference

Today is the feast of the patron saint of all priests, the Cure of Ars, St John Vianney. H/T to Ros at Shadowlands who reminded me of this prayer with her post.

The following is a prayer for priests, not all priests, just renegade ones. They may be renegade for any number of reasons and the word itself, in this case, just means a priest at odds with his vocation. He may have problems of chastity, obedience, poverty - whatever the problem, this prayer is for those men and one in particular who need not be named:-

“I have no chapel; no altar at which to offer the holiest sacrifice; no pulpit from which to preach. There is no confessional where penitents await counsel and absolution from my lips; no baptismal font where, by the sacrament of regeneration, I may give to the Eternal Father another child. I am a priest, Christ’s shepherd, but I have no sheep.

But though I have no sheep, the Prince of shepherds is my friend. He needs me; He is my divine companion. It is His will that I should be as I am. “Christ is in me” and, for me, that is enough.

There are others like me and, in every country throughout the world, “silenced priests” living hidden lives; hidden from the world; hidden, as far as may be, in Christ.  Some are my good friends……..

Prayers going up to heaven, in ever increasing volume for faithless priests are wondrously fruitful. Many “stray shepherds” heed the call of Christ, who searches for them in the mist. When they see Him again their hearts are moved and they come back.

Then, there occurs what Luke (2:20) mystically foretold “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God”.

 

And I always thought that Fr Corapi was well left of centre!

I have kept well out of commenting on the Corapi debacle, for many reasons not least of which is, that, despite all the press releases and statements issued, I still have my doubts as to what went on and whether it was wrong or not. That is not a naive statement; there are many contradictions involved and it could be that the full truth may never be known. I also believe that, in such cases, especially when a priest is involved, one should hold back and steer clear of the feeding frenzy.

Fr Corapi guilty? - not for me to judge!

How do I square that attitude when I appear more than willing to go to town on a Bishop for failing in his duties? Well, firstly, I make certain that I know the facts and that they are as solid as they can be. Secondly, it is not particularly hard to criticise the Bishops of England and Wales as they are so very adept at failing to comply with the teachings of the faith and of the Holy Father. They do not leave too much room for doubt!

Secondly, the nature of the scandal or alleged scandal is important. If a priest has embezzled sums of money from the church, that is one thing but, if a number of allegations are made of a sexual nature, it behoves one to refrain from comment lest gratuitous sordidity creeps into the affair. We must be careful that we do not become shroud wavers, voyeurs that stand around at a car crash waiting to see a bit more blood and carnage.

I also hold fast to the very English (British?) element of good manners that requires us to never, ever comment on a person's personal dress or their hairstyle, lipstick colour or any intensely personal aspect. I will and do comment on the way a priest might dress but I would never personalise it to a named individual. I suppose that I am sounding very righteous; I apologise for that - I mean to sound right rather than righteous.

There is another element here - what do we know of the mental state of an individual that we criticise? What demons are they nursing in their soul that may render their actions eminently forgiveable?

I do not wish to be an apologist for Fr Corapi; I actually always regarded him as being rather too liberal for my tastes but I admired him greatly for what he did and said, it had resonance with me, the fact that he very obviously modelled himself on the great Archbishop Sheen endeared him to me. As far as I am aware, he did not celebrate the EF Mass (all the footage I have seen of him as a celebrant shows him offering the OF Mass). I never regarded him as a traditionalist.

I felt (and still do) that we need more men like Fr Corapi, good communicators, sound theologians, unafraid to speak the truth (I recall how he handled the tricky subject of masturbation in one of his talks; it was clear, concise and did not mince words, good stuff!)

So, I keep my mind clear and free of judgement and pray for him and those around him. He is a priest, an alter Christus and will always be so.

The moment every priest fears.....

Fr John Corapi - an "other Christ"

They are easy targets for those with a grudge, the mentally unhinged or those who are just plain malevolent. All one has to do is launch an accusation: "He assaulted me in the Sacristy bishop" and the damage is done. The priest is suspended pending an inquiry, maybe, even the civil authorities are involved and a court case is the result.

Guilty until proven innocent!


But the damage does not stop there. The branding has only just begun, there will be whispers, mothers will hide their children when he is around and the invitations to Sunday lunch will dry up; whatever the outcome, guilty or innocent.


It must be tempting to those of the Judas mould to inform on a priest (even an innocent one) and then take the thirty pieces offered by the Diocese. Except that, it's much more than 30 pieces, it's more likely to be thousands of dollars or pounds that are on offer.


Now the great television evangelist, Fr John Corapi, SOLT, has been falsely accused (I believe). Anyone in Great Britain who has watched his EWTN Monday at 9pm programme could not fail to believe in this man - probably our greatest media orator since Archbishop Fulton Sheen.


Here is his account in his own words:

A Call for Prayer

On Ash Wednesday I learned that a former employee sent a three-page letter to several bishops accusing me of everything from drug addiction to multiple sexual exploits with her and several other adult women. There seems to no longer be the need for a complaint to be deemed “credible” in order for Church authorities to pull the trigger on the Church’s procedure, which was in recent years crafted to respond to cases of the sexual abuse of minors. I am not accused of that, but it seems, once again, that they now don’t have to deem the complaint to be credible or not, and it is being applied broadly to respond to all complaints. I have been placed on "administrative leave" as the result of this.

  I’ll certainly cooperate with the process, but personally believe that it is seriously flawed, and is tantamount to treating the priest as guilty “just in case”, then through the process determining if he is innocent. The resultant damage to the accused is immediate, irreparable, and serious, especially for someone like myself, since I am so well known. I am not alone in this assessment, as multiple canon lawyers and civil and criminal attorneys have stated publicly that the procedure does grave damage to the accused from the outset, regardless of rhetoric denying this, and has little regard for any form of meaningful due process.

  All of the allegations in the complaint are false, and I ask you to pray for all concerned


Ends/...........


Pray for Fr Corapi and email him a message of support. He is undergoing the same trials that Christ endured right now and this is an opportunity for us to repay him for his wise counsel via EWTN and his writings.
Here is his website http://www.fathercorapi.com/

Padre Pio - his kind of watch

Time for reflection

The Path Less Taken has been running a series of posts on St Pio. They reminded me of Fr Corapi's account of a wealthy woman who interupted the Saint whilst he was meditating. "Oh Padre Pio". Warbled the woman. "Please tell me something nice".
He leant over and whispered in her ear: "Death comes soon".