I found this at Renew America. It is the text of the homily for Father Chester Poppa, OFM Cap.
In reading this, one thing jumped out at me. This man’s complete dedication to his priesthood and the sacraments. Father Corapi has now infamously said that giving up the priesthood is really no biggie since the sacraments were only 10% of what he did. So when Corapi hit some speed bumps in his life, the priesthood and the sacraments got thrown from the car.
Not so Father Poppa. Read this.
Homily for the Funeral of Chester Poppa, OFM Cap.
June 20, 2011
St. David Parish, Broadus, Montana
Wisdom 3: 1-6, 9; Psalm 23; Romans 6:3-9; John 12:23-26When a person is in end-stage renal failure and has lost 85 to 90 percent of his kidney function, he has three choices: get a kidney transplant, undergo kidney dialysis for the rest of his life, or die. Several years ago our brother Chester faced those choices. As we all know, he chose dialysis — three days a week.
Undergoing dialysis can be a strain under any circumstances, but doing so in your late 70s and early 80s and three times a week … that’s a lot to deal with. When Randolph Graczyk and I visited Chet at his apartment in Billings last month, he admitted that the process was taking its toll on him. It often left him without much energy to do much else.
Yet for several years, Chester was not only faithful to his course of treatment, he was equally faithful to his ministry here at St. David’s. Each week, after undergoing dialysis on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, he would make the three-hour drive from Billings to Broadus for the weekend Masses. It was his way of remaining faithful to a community he would serve as pastor for 35 years. It’s amazing and humbling for me to consider that he began his ministry in Broadus when I was only an eighth grader at Ss. Peter & Paul School in Milwaukee and just beginning to learn about this order of priests and brothers called the Capuchins.
Six hours of driving each week while receiving dialysis three times a week to bring the sacraments to the people of Broadus. That is a man who understood the value of his priesthood and the sacraments.
May Father Poppa rest in eternal peace.
June 23, 2011 at 12:30 am
It's hard to read the carping comments on this thread and on several without thinking of this.
June 23, 2011 at 2:36 pm
I think it's time to post another I-hate-obama post.
June 23, 2011 at 5:30 pm
I think the issue is not Fr. Corapi as a person and what he did but, the rationale of what he did and the implications thereof. There is a myriad of factors that none of us can fully fathom that plays in his situation so, no one but God can condemn him fairly – if at all.
That said, let me affirm Patrick's appreciation of the sacramental ministry of the priest and affirm those obscure priests without fans; that even if they simply become a Mass priests, they in my mind, give a great service to the people of God.
Also, one does not need to be a priest to preach. The ministry of the Word is open to deacons.
My main point is the vocation, God's call. The priesthood is not something someone decides to do, regardless of the nobility of motives. It is God's call. And the proper response is fidelity not success. One cannot say, "I can do more good this way." Perhaps, externally – in the eyes of the world but God's metric is different. The Lord Jesus' ministry ended in utter failure when seen at the cross by people but not so when viewed by the Heavenly Father.
Afterall, what can a preacher say that has not been already said? It is not eloquence that saves but holiness i.e. God present in the person and working in the person. The Cur D'Ars was not the sharpest knife in the drawer yet people all over Europe confessed to him (and they did not have the bullet train back then).
June 23, 2011 at 7:30 pm
In my present state of faith, I honestly would hope that if I were to "go off the deep end" sometime in the future that someone would call me on it for the sake of other people in my life who might be led astray.
Patrick, I am glad you are making distinctions about the severity of Fr. Corapi's actions. We NEED to judge actions for the sake of those who might not realize what a tragedy this has become. It is not pouring salt on a wound. It is cutting to the heart of the "Sheepdog's" own rhetoric. As long as he keeps pushing the issue, we need to be able to respond to him.
Maybe this isn't everyone's way of dealing with a bad situation. We don't all think alike, and we don't all have the same sense of humor. I don't find malice in the Archbold brothers. I find great love of life and laughter in their writings, and I'm glad they're part of my daily reading.
And BTW, when Doug Kmiec went crazy and supported Obama, claiming that Catholics could in good conscience support a pro-abortion political candidate, I didn't see this much outrage over people calling him to task, and rightly so. He was in error, just as Corapi is now over so flippantly disregarding his priesthood because of his prideful pursuit of his own mission. People need to know how WRONG that is.
June 23, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Fr. Corapi isn't leaving the priesthood, just not ministering publicly as a priest. Please read his statements again.
Fr Corapi spent most of his time doing public speaking, and in his estimation, only 10% of his time was spent with the Sacraments. Is this news to you? "Thrown under the car" baloney. It is an only estimation of how his time was spent, NOT that he doesn't love the Sacraments.
June 23, 2011 at 10:35 pm
Patrick's comments on this story seemed to me a reminder that there are a whole lot of priests who are entirely unsung for the essentially heroic nature of what they do every day. These guys deserve our prayers just as much as Fr. Corapi and the comparison is a tonic reminder of what we (and our priests) CAN be if we retain our faithful obedience to the Church.
June 24, 2011 at 4:15 am
Well, I think we had better start praying for ALL the priests. They are ALL under attack from the Evil One.
Whether Father Corapi did wrong or not, publicly or privately…let us all set that aside for now and pray for the man. Can we agree that he is under attack from the Evil One?
I am praying for him. I am praying for my parish priest (and he is a good man).
We have to be careful what comes out of our mouths. Let's not give aid and comfort to the the enemy.
I understand what you're saying, Patrick, but it still hurts right now.
This is a great response from those men who know him:
http://www.saintjoe.com/calling_the_black_sheepdog_back_home.asp
June 24, 2011 at 9:15 am
Patrick,
I see nothing wrong with contrasting the life of Father Poppa with what Father Corapi is doing. It is always good to be pointed toward the IDEAL. Instead of restricting your comments only to Father Corapi, you've brought in a positive message, which is more than I can say for some of the people who post snarky comments anonymously. I wrote an open letter to Father Corapi and will try to post the address here, if I am able. I may have already sent you this previously. If so, please forgive. But I have carpal tunnel and I hate typing the same stuff over and over again, otherwise I wake up in the morning with a dead hand that doesn't work for two hours. I think you are doing a great job on this topic, in general. Here's my blog for further comments:http://strandedinnewmexico.blogspot.com/
Best regards,
Silver S. Parnell
July 6, 2011 at 9:51 pm
The original post wasn't the least bit uncharitable; the comment thread is another matter entirely. I'm not going to waste my time or breath arguing with glassy eyed "Corapians.". However, let me say as a former admirer of Father Corapi that no one has done more to convince me of the error of his ways and the evil his new mission has engendered than his uber-loyal, utterly irrational "fan base.". This isn't faith in action…these are the rantings of cult members and may God help them!