Update on Father John Corapi (Vanity Post)

March 31, 2008

[NYer]

I know many of you have been concerned about Father Corapi and his health. The rumors were indeed true, but thanks to Father Corapi's Weekly wisdom program, (fathercorpi.com), he addressed the whole issue on his health in today's program (March 29th). Realizing most of you aren't subscribers, I will give you the overview. However, should you want to watch it yourself, the quality is excellent and you can buy a month's package for $10.

Bottom line, Father Corapi has a parathyroid tumor and will be going back to the Mayo Clinic next week for surgery. It's a very rare (6 in 1 million men get it), tumor, which is 98% of the time, not cancerous. The good news is they ruled out lymphoma which is what they thought he had. He goes through great detail explaining and extolling the Mayo Clinic, his tests, and our obligation to keep our bodies as healthy as we can.

He also said for the past 7 months he was too sick to get out bed 70% of the time; intense exhaustion with flu like symptoms (a result of the excess calcium this type of tumor causes, in addition to osteoporosis). Surgery is the only cure.

As you might suspect, he turned his experience into a redemptive suffering lecture, reminding us that God's true power comes via our weakness. He also touched on what I've seen more and more recently especially among strong Catholics close to Mary and who offer their sufferings and that is the obvious; how much the world right now needs the help of redemption from the souls willing and able to offer it back to Christ via Mary, united to the cross. I'm sure most of us figured out it was pretty obvious that God needed Father Corapi's suffering especially during Holy Week.

He talked in fairly great detail about his week of tests; including the anxiety for his family, about maybe "checking out", i.e., having cancer, etc. In his forever wit, he joked about the benefit and happiness of dying (except for the pain to his family), rather than having to endure and see the face of a "certain" next US President. He quite seriously said death would be better than having to endure the next likely president for four years.. Yikes!

Anyway, please spread the world to keep Father C in your prayers. His favorite prayer is the Memorare, which is what he asked be prayed for him when he was first admitted to the Mayo Clinic.

He wrapped up his segment with the profound words from his thesis on redemptive suffering:

To be set at the foot of the cross is to be set at the pinnacle of all human possibilities.

[NYer]

Biography || Curriculum Vitae

Father is a perpetually professed priest member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.

The pillars of father's preaching are basically three:

• Love for and a relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary which leads us into a vibrant and loving relationship with Jesus Christ.
   
• Great love and reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist--from Holy Mass to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
   
• An uncompromising love for and obedience to the Holy Father and the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church.
   

Father Corapi's audio and video series on the Catechism of the Catholic Church entitled The Teaching of Jesus Christ has been widely acclaimed and is used throughout the world as a course in religious education and catechesis.

The essence of Father's message is the essential message of Jesus Christ. It is Good News: a message of truth and goodness, love and mercy. It is above all else a message of hope. Father is available to preach retreats, missions, and conferences:

Rev. John Corapi, SOLT
P.O. Box 9440
Kalispell, MT 59901

Telephone: (406) 751-1900
Fax: (406) 751-1912

[NYer]

Fr. Corapi's Conversion Story - Condensed Version on YouTube

[VOA]

He quite seriously said death would be better than having to
endure the next likely president for four years..

Nothing like being able to have a laugh in dark times!

I do occassionally catch his presentations on EWTN and will be
hoping for his recovery.

[ladtx]

I had not heard about him being ill. I will pray for him. I know what he is going through having in the last 2-3 years had 2 skin cancers, a merkel cell carcinoma, diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrohsis, hypertension and diabetes. It has only made my faith stronger. My wife and I really enjoy watching him on EWTN. His explanations of the catechism made it much easier to understand. God be with him.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

I’m not Catholic, but I’ve always enjoyed and benefited from listening to Fr. Corapi. I didn’t know he was ill. Prayers for his recovery.

[fatima]

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

[VOA]

Added note: Corapi does seem to have the “luck” to become involved in
some complicated medical stories.

I don’t recall all the details, but IIRC, he was a patient that helped
expose a group of surgeons that were doing unnecessary heart surgeries
in California.

Wikipedia doesn’t go into detail, but does seem to confirm my vague
recollection:
“
According to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, Fr. Corapi was
instrumental in exposing an alleged scam in which patients were advised
to have unneeded heart-bypass surgery [2]. The coalition described him
as a “priest-turned-whistleblower” and a “a key figure in a probe over
whether heart surgeons had performed hundreds of worthless heart operations”.
“
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr._John_Corapi

[arfan]

15 years ago, I was attending a Catholic evangelization school in Florida, which was interesting because I was not Catholic.

One of the priests that was to attend, and give a series of talks broke his nose just before coming down to Florida. So he brought this young, fresh out of seminary priest, Father John Corapi.

Father John was instrumental in my conversion in a major way.

I came home from Florida, and gave some tapes to my girlfriend. I said “You gotta check out this priest. He’s like no one else I’ve ever heard”.

Later, after I had come into the Church, and my girlfriend and I had married, we had our first daughter. There were some complications, and the baby was confined to the incubator, and my wife to her room.

I heard that Father John was in town giving a retreat, so I called the rectory of the Church, and left a message for him to pray for my wife and daughter.

A few hours later, my wife hears a knock on her hospital room door, and a familiar nasally Hudson New York accent saying “Can I come in – it’s Father John”.

He actually got to hold my daughter and bless her, before my wife ever got to hold her.

We used to call him up when we had theological questions we could not answer. We called it “dial-a-theologian”.

Then Father John started to be used by God in a big way, and we lost touch with him.

Be assured of our families prayers for him.

[Pyro7480]

Memorare, O piissima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a saeculo, quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia, tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragia, esse derelictum. Ego tali animatus confidentia, ad te, Virgo Virginum, Mater, curro, ad te venio, coram te gemens peccator assisto. Noli, Mater Verbi, verba mea despicere; sed audi propitia et exaudi. Amen.

[Tax-chick]

Wow, that’s an amazing story! (Beats mine about shaking hands with old President Bush, when he was old Vice President Bush :-).

I didn’t know Father Corapi was sick. I’ll pray for him.

[al_c]

That’s quite a story. What a blessing.

[laweeks]

I just love to listen to him. I’m almost as spell-bound as when Bishop Sheen used to give his lectures. What a legacy and what a man!

May God protect him so we can enjoy him for many more years.

[Appleby]

As a new Catholic I find him not only interesting but easy to understand as he never assumes that I know anything; he covers it all right from the ground up. I think even when a person does know (or thinks she knows) the basics, it is a good thing to start from the basics and make sure the building stands on a firm foundation.

I had an Old Testament professor at the Bible college I attended (we had mandatory Old and New Testament courses) who taught in our small Theatre in the Round and like Fr. C he made the Bible come alive. I really believe Moses would have welcomed him as a good right arm.

[Patriotic1]

Prayers up...

[bboop]

Fr. Corapi is one of the bright lights on a channel FULL of bright lights. I’ll add him to my prayers. thanks for the post.

[NYer]

Thank you so much for posting that story! He is such an extraordinary priest - his conversion story still sends shivers down my spine as does that of Fr. Donald Calloway, Vocations Director for the Marian priests of the Immaculate Conception who promothe the Divine Mercy. Both priests have been give the gift of preaching - Fr. Corapi, however is endowed with the gift of Apostolic preaching.

Prayers for Fr. Corapi's restoration of health and return to apostolic preaching!

[NYer]

Welcome Home!

Perhaps one day you will share your story with all of us. May our Lord bless you on your journey!

[Salvation]

Thanks for all this info.

[Barnacle]

He’s quite a guy.

[onedoug]

Prayers for Fr Corapi.

[Petronski]

I’ll pray that heavenly voice of his is spared!

[AlaninSA]

Absolutely amazing preacher...best around today...period.

God, please comfort Father Corapi and aid him in fulfilling Your plan.

[topher]

He may actually be in Saint Mary's Hospital, which is run by doctors in the Mayo Clinic.

ex-President Ronald Reagan, when he fell off his horse circa 1989, went to the Mayo Clinic, but actually stayed at Saint Mary's Hospital.

The story behind the Mayo Brothers' Clinic and Saint Mary's Hospital is that there was a devastating tornado. The Mayo brothers' offered to be doctor's at the hospital, but asked the nuns to start the hospital. Hence you have both.

I imagine Father Corapi might need only stay at the Clinic and may not need the Hospital -- both have extensive facilities.

He is quite the spiritual warrior...

God bless...

[topher]

He may actually be in Saint Mary's Hospital, which is run by doctors in the Mayo Clinic.

ex-President Ronald Reagan, when he fell off his horse circa 1989, went to the Mayo Clinic, but actually stayed at Saint Mary's Hospital.

The story behind the Mayo Brothers' Clinic and Saint Mary's Hospital is that there was a devastating tornado. The Mayo brothers' offered to be doctor's at the hospital, but asked the nuns to start the hospital. Hence you have both.

I imagine Father Corapi might need only stay at the Clinic and may not need the Hospital -- both have extensive facilities.

He is quite the spiritual warrior...

God bless...

[therut]

I love this guy. And I am not Catholic. He is a great teacher and man of God. Wish there were more like him.

[LadyDoc]

Parathyroid tumors are not that rare, but very hard for docs to diagnose, since their findings are subtle.

A lot of these people are sick and you are stuck trying to figure out why. The treatment is to remove the thyroid and hope the parathyroid causing the trouble is in the part you take out.

In Mayo clinic, they probably have the more sophisticated scans to identify where the actual tumor is located.

Personally, I don’t like Coriapi: He talks wonderful but seems to smirk too much and reminds me of a demagogue.

But I will remember him in my prayers.

[GeorgiaGuy]

Prayers for Fr. Corapi, of course. Now, a question. He lives in Kalispell? How did he manage that? It’s a really beautiful part of the world!

[GOP_Thug_Mom]

OH, WOW!! And I was excited just to get a picture of him at a conference! :) He’s a saint.

[annalex]

This father has children beyond count.

May the Lord give him strength and complete healing, as he has healed so many.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, amen.

[TASMANIANRED]

Prayers lifted.

[Barney59]

does anyone have post-op news on our dear Fr. Corapi?

Pray the hands of the surgeons were guided by the Holy Spirit as the danger of nerve damage to the vocal chords is great with this procedure...

God Bless and protect Fr. Corapi...

[Antoninus]

He’s a great man. I pray that God won’t take him from us yet. We need about 1,000 more just like him.

[Salvation]

More prayers for Father Corapi.

[NYer]

does anyone have post-op news on our dear Fr. Corapi?

Apparently, he is scheduled for surgery this week. Please keep him in your prayers.

[Theophane]

I am only just now catching up to the story on Fr. Corapi’s health. Has he had the surgery? If so, how did it go?

I met Father in the mid 1990’s or so at St Anthony’s Monastery in Kennebunkport, Maine, of all places, where he one day showed up as a visiting priest and said Mass in a very reverent way that reminded me of the Opus Dei priests I had seen celebrate. He did not look like an Opus Dei man, so after Mass I went up to him and asked him whether he had learned to celebrate Mass that way at the University of Navarre, and he said yes. We had a nice chat after that opener. I am praying for him.

[NYer]

I am only just now catching up to the story on Fr. Corapi’s health. Has he had the surgery? If so, how did it go?

I believe he underwent surgery during the week of the pope's visit. He must be doing well because Fr. Mitch Pacwa has already booked him as a guest for his Mary 14 EWTN Live program.

[faylife]

Fr. Mitch announced on May 14 that the interview with Fr. Corapi scheduled for May 21 was canceled due to his poor health. However, Life on the Rock interviewed Fr. Corapi by phone on May 15 at the beginning of the show. You can watch the archived video at the following link up to May 22. After that, you can search for the same program in their audio archive.

http://ewtn.edgeboss.net/wmedia/ewtn/multicast/video/windowsmedia/lotr_300k.wvx

[NYer]

However, Life on the Rock interviewed Fr. Corapi by phone on May 15 at the beginning of the show.

Thank you for updating the information. I caught portions of the LOTR interview. Fr. Corapi sounded upbeat and positive. I was most impressed with his acceptance of this "sharing in the cross" with our Lord.

[onedoug]

This Jew is praying for Father Corapi.

[tioga]

I love this man, he is a great priest. Prayers for him.

[LadyDoc]

Why the big delay in getting this diagnosed? I mean it’s a common tumor...and yes the high calcium can be due to cancers, but in a good clinic, it would take amonth to figure it out (in my tiny government clinic in the middle of nowhere it may take 3 to six months)..

And the surgery isn’t exactly life threatening...

But of course I feel this priest is a faker. I feel his words are good, but he demeanor and way of speaking suggests he is a speechgiver rather than a saint...

[A.A. Cunningham]

But of course I feel this priest is a faker.

I feel that you don't know what you're talking about.