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John Corapi

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Fr. John Corapi

Father John Anthony Corapi (born 20 May 1947) is a Catholic priest from the United States. He has both television and radio ministries, and has conducted speaking tours in North America.[1]

Early years

Corapi was born in Hudson, New York. In high school he was a football player and considered a career in professional sports.[citation needed] He joined the US Army, taking the oath April 16th 1967, desiring to become a Green Beret, but suffered a shoulder injury during the Special Forces Qualification Course, thus medically disqualified.[2] He served the army in Heidelberg, Germany as a clerk and typist during that same era.

After his discharge, he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Pace University in 1973. Corapi became a financial advisor to Tropicana in Las Vegas, then moved to Los Angeles and became a real estate agent.[1] At this point, Corapi's life began to descend into the underworld of drugs. He began to attend parties involving illegal drug use and sex.[3] At the height of his "success", as measured in conventional terms, Corapi lived in a house in Malibu, drove a Ferrari, and owned a personal yacht.[citation needed] After being introduced to cocaine, however, his success dwindled; he sometimes spent $10,000 per week on illegal drugs. He also had several encounters with police, including a time where after a high speed police chase, he was stopped by a roadblock with enough cocaine in his trunk to get him up to forty years in prison.[citation needed] Corapi would later refer to his drug use of this time as an encounter with a demon, and his lifestyle eventually led to a mental breakdown and homelessness following a stay at a VA psychiatric hospital.[4]

Transformation

At this point, Corapi spent three years wandering the streets as a vagrant.[citation needed] His mother sent him a prayer card with the Hail Mary prayer and asked him to pray it once a day. He eventually changed his life, escaping homelessness and illicit sex and drugs.[4] At this point, his mother sent him a one-way airline ticket back to New York. He then lived with his mother for some time. He made a significant decision about God on June 24, 1984.[5] He then entered the seminary, and on 26 May 1990, was ordained a deacon, by the Bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas.[citation needed]

Priesthood

Corapi was ordained a priest on 26 May 1991. He served as a parish priest in Hudson, New York and Robstown, Texas.[citation needed] He was the Director of Catholic Faith Formation and of the Bishop's Project on the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Sacramento, California. Corapi is now a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. He has received a Masters degree in Sacred Scripture from Holy Apostles Seminary, Cromwell, Connecticut, and a Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology from the University of Navarre in Pamplona, Spain.[citation needed]

Due to serious health problems suffered in 2008, Corapi has curtailed his public appearances and frequently broadcasts his message worldwide solely from his studio in Montana.[citation needed] He has recently scheduled several conferences in 2010, including San Antonio, Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Corapi is a regular contributor on radio network EWTN.

He is the author of a series of sermons called "The Darkness Will Not Prevail".[6] More recently, Corapi began preaching sermons on the dangers of socialism. This was done without reference and could have alluded to goals of the Democratic party. Years after Medicare and Social Security, these fears have proved unfounded. He has expressed his dismay with Catholic politicians who do not remain true to their faith, however,he has disregarded the Catholic 'Right to Life' position for all people, including victims of torture, unjust war according to Catholic tradition and teaching of two pontiffs, and unlimited detention of individuals. According to his own testimony, Corapi gave up his tax-exempt status years ago. He refuses to have his hands tied as to what he can preach and the manner in which he presents his message. On August 15, 2009, Corapi made his first public appearance in over a year in Buffalo, New York for his "Lord and Giver of Life" Conference at HSBC Arena.

Lawsuit

Further information: Tenet_Healthcare#Controversy

In 2005, Corapi resolved litigation in connection with what he claimed was unnecessary heart surgery. He was awarded $2,712,281 (USD) for his role in filing a whistle blowing False Claims Lawsuit as well as the $500,000 USD he and his friend were awarded for the insurance case they filed.[7] His involvement as a whistle-blower in the federal investigation of the practices in the Redding Medical Center played an important role in Stephen Klaidman's nonfiction book Coronary.

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.fathercorapi.com/bio.aspx
  2. ^ St. John, Kelly (2002-11-10). "Heart patient's many lives / Redding whistle-blower went from riches to rags to robes". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-07-20. {{cite web}}: |first2= missing |last2= (help); Unknown parameter |last 2= ignored (|last2= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iZ2IPdn9D4&feature=related
  4. ^ a b Retzlaff, Eric (2002-01-03). "Father John Corapi: From Addict To Evangelist". Our Sunday Visitor. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhAyEZR4gUk
  6. ^ http://standrewparish.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html
  7. ^ http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/redding111505.htm Retrieved 2009-08-20.
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