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A bit of good news to share: A reliable source has informed me that Father John Corapi, a popular priest among orthodox Catholics who departed public life after a tumultuous period a few years ago, remains in the priesthood and is re-establishing his spiritual life. There's no indication he'll be returning to public life anytime soon, if ever. However, it's nice to know that Father Corapi can at least be a quiet prayer warrior during this extremely difficult time in the Church and world. I won't go into the particulars about what transpired in the past – it's water under...

This is the New Oxford Note we didn’t want to write. We had been hoping against hope that the accusations against Fr. John Corapi, the popular, charismatic radio and television evangelist, were unfounded. We truly wanted to believe him when he asserted his innocence. He was, after all, a man who, by the grace of God, was lifted out of a life of drug abuse and debauchery, who reverted to the faith under the guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was ordained a priest by Pope John Paul II, and who went on to preach the Gospel with an infectious...

Robstown, Texas, Jul 5, 2011 / 03:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Father John Corapi’s religious order has found him guilty of substance abuse, sexual activity and violating his promise of poverty. A July 5 press release from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) said that while Fr. Corapi was involved in public ministry he had “sexual relations and years of cohabitation with a woman known to him, when the relationship began, as a prostitute.” The investigative team also found that he “repeatedly abused alcohol and drugs,” “recently engaged in ‘sexting’ activity with one or more women...

This is noteworthy: Father John Corapi’s Internet presence at sites such as the www.theblacksheepdog.us and http://theblacksheepdog.wordpress.com has vanished, ditto for his presence on YouTube and Facebook. No one I know has any clue what happened to him, but there are several possible scenarios that would explain this. The one I hope is correct is that he has reconciled with the S.O.L.T. order he once was a member of and, more importantly, that he has reconciled with the Catholic Church, from which it certainly seemed he was distancing himself in the wake of all the unpleasantness that erupted last year.In any...

I noticed a couple weeks ago that the Facebook page of the "Black Sheepdog" (BSD) quietly slipped off the radar. The only Corapi Facebook pages that remain are run by fans. The BSD blog and website were still up, but there had been no activity for some time. Seems to me that when I decided to peek about two weeks ago, the last entry was from around Labor Day in September. No mention was made that anything was wrong. Today, traveling around the Catholic blogosphere and on Facebook and Twitter is a link to the now defunct website http://www.theblacksheepdog.us/. All...

It's sad to see the Roman Catholics feed on each other like this. How unsavory! As a Lutheran, I find it more important to look for the positive Christian contributions of Mr. Corapi, which are significant. And while Luther reformed the "pay for indugence" [sic] scams of early Popes, Mr. Corapi may correct the misguided investigation procedures directly related to the anxiety ridden child abuse chronciles [sic] of the Roman Catholic Church. --Anonymous, 7-10-11 [F]irst to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will...

Father Corapi will not obey order to return to community July 08, 2011 Father John Corapi has announced that he will not obey the order from his superior in the Society of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity (SOLT) to leave his private Montana compound and live with other members of the community. In a stinging public statement released July 5, Father Gerard Sheehan, SOLT’s regional priest servant, had announced that the popular preacher and television personality is not “fit for ministry” and revealed that an investigation of Corapi’s affairs found a pattern of misconduct, including sexual relations and cohabitation...

When giants fall, the ground shakes. Father John Corapi was a giant and many are still shaken at his downfall. I’ve read all the terrible twists and turns in this surreal case of a SOLT (Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity) priest who had many in the Catholic world by their hearts. It’s a great plot for a movie: popular, iconic priest who leads many to God and, in the end, himself falls. Wait, “fall” isn’t a big enough word. Maybe: plunges from meteoric heights of esteem among the faithful.His Darth-Vader-like voice that preached Christ resonated with...

The below are my comments on the situation of Fr. Corapi regarding the charges that have been leveled against him. I may appear uncharitable in places as that is a weakness that I struggle with. I have tried to convey my thoughts as charitably as I am able. Please forgive me if I have failed to do this in any way. John Stevens I am one who still supports Fr. Corapi. I do not adulate people no matter who they are. I do not place Fr. Corapi on a pedestal. But for God’s grace he is capable of anything. I...

The remarkable film Of Gods and Men is out on Netflix, and if you haven’t seen it yet, I urge you to put it on your queue and move it to the top. It is one of the best films I seen in years — gripping, moving, enlightening and insightful. I can’t think of a film in recent memory that so truly and respectfully portrays the life of faith, the religious life, and most especially the value, use and meaning of liturgical prayer and the sacramental, Holy Mass — how these enhance the life of faith, deepens its roots so...

I am going to answer in a simple, straight forward way what seem to me the main elements of the action taken against me by the Diocese of Corpus Christi and the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.Regarding my personal financial situation—From the earliest days (more than twenty years ago) the Founder of the Society of Our Lady, Fr. James Flanagan, encouraged me to support myself and the Church as well. He said they could not afford to support my ministry and me personally because of the unique nature of the mission. At every step of the...

NEW Statement from SOLT on Father John Corapi Tuesday, July 05, 2011 Here is the statement that I received this morning: July 5, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE From: Rev. Gerard Sheehan, solt Regional Priest Servant Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Robstown, Texas Fr. John A. Corapi submitted his resignation from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity ("SOLT") early in June. SOLT is a Society of Apostolic Life of Diocesan Right with its regional office in Robstown, Texas. While SOLT does not typically comment publicly on personnel matters, it recognizes that Fr. John...

A former Sacramento priest and nationally known speaker has filed a lawsuit against the woman who accused him of sexual misconduct.The Rev. John Corapi, who served as the director of Catholic Faith Formation in Sacramento in the 1990s, filed a lawsuit in the 11th Judicial District Court of Montana, where he now lives. He alleges that his accuser committed libel and that a letter she wrote to his religious superiors contained "numerous false, malicious and unprivileged statements" about the priest. He is suing for punitive and unspecified compensatory damages.Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests on Wednesday publicized Corapi's lawsuit,...

The popular speaker announces plans to leave the priesthood amid an investigation into allegations of misconduct, and his religious superior breaks his silence on the investigation. A Register news analysis. http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/father-corapis-bombshell?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NCRegisterDailyBlog+National+Catholic+Register&utm_content=Google+Reader#When:2011-06-20

So, umm, Father Corapi. Yeah. Wow.For those of you who aren’t familiar with the situation, here’s a summary. Long story short, the ministry of the great Fr. John Corapi as we know it has come to an end. He says he will continue to serve under the name “The Black Sheepdog” for now, and of course there’s always the possibility that he could one day return to his role as a priest in good standing with his religious society (as unlikely as that may seem at this point, nothing is impossible with God!) But I think it’s safe to say...

If you are lucky, you may have missed the current debate rippling through the Catholic interwebs. Actually, it is a debate that comes up from time time to time, this time it just happens to involve video provocateur Michael Voris. Voris contributes to the website RealCatholicTv.com. He produces several videos a week talking about issues related to faith, politics, and culture. No big deal, lots of us speak or write about these subjects every day. What makes Voris a hot topic of debate is mostly style and occasionally a little substance. Having only watched a handful of Voris’ videos, I...

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] I have been placed on "administrative leave"...I'll certainly cooperate with the process, but personally believe that...

1. Based on an agreement with the founder of his order, Fr. Corapi established a Montana-based media business under his financial control. 2. At some point, Fr. Corapi pays several persons who have business dealings with him to sign non-disclosure agreements regarding events during their term of employment. 3. There is a falling-out with one non-disclosure signer, an employee (presumably 2 occurred before 3, though this is not absolute). 4. The disgruntled signer from 3 complained to religious or ecclesiastical superiors (specifically: the current bishop of Corpus Christi), alleging sexual and drug-related charges against Fr. Corapi. 5. The current...

Of all the bizarre comments contained in John Corapi's rambling speech on Monday, there was one that struck me as especially strange, and particularly sad. Near the beginning, when he makes clear that he's not actually leaving the priesthood, but only suspending his public work as a priest (and dropping the title "Father"), he shrugs off the impact this will have on his life. Nothing much will change, he says, explaining that he really had little to do with the sacraments, anyway—saying mass, hearing confession, anointing the sick. "I didn't do very much of that quite honestly in the twenty...