Apr
9
Father John Corapi
April 9, 2007 | 6 Comments
Acclaimed as one of America’s most powerful and best-loved preachers, Father John Corapi has traveled over one million miles preaching the Gospel in the past 10 years. 49 States, all but one Canadian Province, and many foreign countries.
John Corapi grew up in Hudson, New York. He always wanted to be somebody. In high school he was a football star and thought he was on the way to being somebody but sports didn’t work out for him. During the Vietnam War he thought he could be somebody by being patriotic so he enlisted in the army. Corapi was on his way to becoming a Green Beret before he was injured in a helicopter crash and medically discharged before he ever saw combat. After finishing in the army he decided to become an accountant. A friend’s father, a business executive, invited him to Las Vegas. As he drove into Las Vegas and saw all the lights he got excited and thought to himself, now he would be somebody. He began doing the round of the casinos conducting audits, the Las Vegas Hilton, the Flamingo Hilton and so on. He met famous people and began to make money. Through the state governor he got a job for the Nevada Gaming Control Board and investigated gaming fraud all over the country. He was beginning to like it and to think that this is the meaning of life and that he was somebody now. But when the governor didn’t get re-elected he lost his job and went to Los Angeles, California, where there was a real estate boom in the 1970’s. When he arrived he looked through the biggest adds for residential property brokers. He went to the company with the biggest add, they gave him a job. Within a few months he was vice-president of the company. He began to make money and have standing. He moved into a pent-house suite overlooking the golf course in Beverly Hills. He said, “Now I really have arrived, this is it.” His clientele were the rich and famous. You would know who most of them, they are in the entertainment business. He would invest their money in real estate. He began eating and drinking with the wealthy and went to their parties and fell into their fast lane life. One day an actress at a party took from her purse a small gold container and said, “Meet my best friend, cocaine.” He began to take the drug that evening. His conscience was dead and so it didn’t bother him if he did immoral things. He gradually lost everything and ended up in hospital due to drugs. For over a month he neither ate nor spoke nor functioned. The only thing he desired was death. For a couple of years he saw no possibility of ever having a normal life or being somebody again. It was absolute darkness, he felt sick in every cell of his being. His mother, who had kept in contact with him all the time, asked him to come home and sent him a one-way ticket. She didn’t sent him the money for it because she knew what he would do with it so she sent him the ticket. He began to say one Hail Mary a day, and he didn’t even know it by heart, he had to read it. Then he prayed a Rosary a day, and that led him on to read the Bible every day. Eventually he decided to go to Confession after twenty years of not being to Church. He said the priest was probably brain-damaged after hearing his confession. After that he spent two years in a monastic environment discerning his future, then he entered seminary and on 28th May 1991 he was ordained a priest in St Peter’s Basilica by Pope John Paul II. He wishes he could convey how much he loves the priesthood. Now he has found the meaning of his life, faith in God and being a priest. Some of you may have seen Fr John Corapi S.O.L.T. (Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity) teaching on EWTN, the Catholic TV Channel. He travels widely teaching.
Comments
6 Comments so far
Today, 4/24/07, I went back to the Catholic Church. I registered and went to Confession after 20 some years. It is because of this wonderful man, Father Corapi, and his story that I have done this. I, myself, went through a withdrawal from Oxycontin starting a few weeks ago and all I wanted was death. The only thing I could do was give my pain and suffering up to God and put my life in His hands. For the past 2 weeks all I have done is reflect on the Lord, read the Bible and pray. And of course go back to my Church today. Father Corapi(second only to Christ) has hands-down been the most influential person in my life. I just watched him again on EWTN on Sunday evening and realized that I do believe in the teachings of the Catholic Church and that is where I am supposed to be. Unfortunately, I would love more than anything else to meet Father Corapi in person, but have been hitting brick walls. He came to my area last year but I was unable to go due to the disabling injury I have and was having a very bad day. I just found out that he will be in Manahawkin NJ but that it is “sold out” with a large message on the church’s website: DO NOT CALL. I know that this is his 3rd to the last public appearance and I am very sad that I will not be allowed in. I just hope and pray that by the grace of our Lord that someday, somewhere I will get to meet the man that changed my life.
Dear Cynthia:
I also found Fr. Corapi an extraordinary preacher, but I’m witing to you, to congratulate you for finding yourself again. Just one advice: don’t put your hope, your hapiness in a man, even one like Fr. Corapi, the only one who is going to have time, your seat, always available is and will be God our Lord. To him all your love, your thoughts, your time. Don’t be confused: Fr. Corapi is a great messenger, but put more interest in the Boss!!!!!
While an outstanding man of God, Father Corapi was never a Green Beret. You should take this off.
I stand corrected. “Father Corapi was on his way to becoming a Green Beret before he was injured in a helicopter crash and medically discharged before he ever saw combat.”
Dear Catalina:
I am in agreement of your advice to sister Cynthia. To God be the glory and we thank Him for working in brother Corapi. Some examples of people getting carried away with the messenger are folk who seem to worship angels instead of the One who send the angels and, also, some recipients of gifts love the gift or praise and boast about the gift instead of the loving the giver.
Jeremiah
Good evening!
I have spent the last four days dealing with this issue head-on about Fr. Corapi. There is a full rebuttal of the diatribe against him on the following sites. Note: My intent has been simply to dispel rumors and confirm the facts. If you have any information about Corapi’s claims, please state it and tell us where and when you heard the testimony.
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=103916&page=2
http://cosmos-liturgy-sex.com/