Month: March 2011

Did Fr. Corapi do bad things?

Father John Corapi, of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, very big in conservative (orthodox, traditional) Catholic circles, accused by an adult woman, has this to say for himself (and arguably for others accused):

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 Churchs procedure, which was in recent years crafted to respond to cases of the sexual abuse of minors. I am not accused of that, but it seems, once again, that they now dont have to deem the complaint to be credible or not, and it is being applied broadly to respond to all complaints. I have been placed on “administrative leave” as the result of this.

Ill certainly cooperate with the process, but personally believe that it is seriously flawed, and is tantamount to treating the priest as guilty just in case, then through the process determining if he is innocent. The resultant damage to the accused is immediate, irreparable, and serious, especially for someone like myself, since I am so well known. I am not alone in this assessment, as multiple canon lawyers and civil and criminal attorneys have stated publicly that the procedure does grave damage to the accused from the outset, regardless of rhetoric denying this, and has little regard for any form of meaningful due process.

All of the allegations in the complaint are false, and I ask you to pray for all concerned.

His day in bishops’ court is coming, it seems.

Relatively speaking, libs are children

[small children in the background]
Philosophical merry-go-round

I’ve had it with Tom Roeser. One time too many have I been skimming my email alerts from hither and (also) yon, and he slows me down, and this when I am on my way to another sparkling chapter in my book yet to be announced.

This time, in discussion at Chicago Daily Observer of getting bogged down in land war in Asia and elsewhere:

. . . [U]nderstand that the emotional Leftrootless of principle, relativist to the core has been the trigger in all war involvements starting with WWIs make the world safe for democracycontinuing up to WWII and propagandist William Allen Whites Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies White the small town Kansas editor (bankrolled by Wall Street interventionists) notice how these programs extolled by White rolled off the tongue?Lend LeaseCash and Carry then the savageness of Pearl Harbor, caused by FDRs tightening the embargo noose that made an attack on us a possibility (although journalist White was winding down then) then in 1950 the crusade by the Luce press,spare heroic, doughty little South Korea from invasion by the awful Red North in the late `50s from of all papers The New York Times urging Ike to do what the French failed at by defending South Vietnam from the hideous NorthAll these wars were originally validated by the idealistic Left; then suddenly the Left swung back to non-involvementnot so much with Korea but certainly with South Vietnam.

Relativist to the core, yes. Rootless, impulsive, prey to the latest to hit them in headline, cutline, opening news shot. Not the only ones that way, but they do have a corner on that noxious commodity.

These sisters would like their money back

2010-11-30 concert 033
Some of the sisters in concert

Is there a prince of darkness lurking somewhere in this dispute, between the Daughters of St. Paul and the Boston archdiocese? I refer to the J.F. Powers book title and his work in general, which exposed the seamy side of Catholic churchdom while credibly extolling its gritty, glorious side.

The Daughters, who run a very good book store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, gave their money in 1989 to the Boston pension fund, now want it back. Have been trying for five years to get it back, to go it on their own towards taking care of their oldsters.

But the archdiocese never kept track of Daughters’ money, and its accounting system is very complicated. They have taken it (them, including Cardinal Archbishop O’Malley) to court about it. Regretfully.

Prince of Darkness and Other Stories was on John Updike’s list of best American short stories of the century. Powers’ novel, Morte d’Urban won the National Book Award in 1963. It’s a morality play featuring Father Urban, who got himself in a jam on a boat with a scheming woman who surprised him by appearing before him unclothed. He turned away, because it wasn’t what he had in mind; spurned, she pitched her spike-heeled shoe, hitting him on the head and giving him a lifelong headache.

In Prince a memorable vignette has the priest in the rectory near an open window hearing the click-click of high heels on the pavement and turning to look — which was not how they taught him in the seminary.

Powers deserves resurrection — he himself, of course, a splendid individual and anyhow saved by the blood of the lamb, but more immediately his books. He’s up there, in his way, with Flannery O’Connor. We don’t have writers like that these days. The congenitally angry (Bostonian, by the way) James Carroll does not qualify. Anyone out there know who does?

Indiana Dems in flight from Republican Herods

The Rest on the Flight to Egypt by David
On the way to Egypt

Indiana (state) house Repubs are “an oppressive majority” pursuing a “radical agenda,” says one of 40 Dems gone from their posts for a month in a quorum-denying tactic.

Unions are paying their fines, now up to $350 a day.

If you want to see them — guess where? — you got it, Illinois, go to www.IndDemsGPS.com for sightings.

For instance,

Rep. GiaQuinta has made numerous stealth visits home to Fort Wayne. The most recent was the weekend of March 18 after [being] given “permission” by Boss [minority leader] Bauer to cross the border. You can read more here. The first trip was on March 6 to do laundry and pay some bills. Read more here.

That’s what I call smokin’ ’em out. Globally positioned, compliments of Ind. Repubs.

I did not know about this flight to the land [238 miles north] of Little Egypt. It’s been under the Chi-newspaper radar, though Chi Trib has an AP story online today.

That anti-governor Wis. judge? She’s a union mother!

ABAMarch-SEIU marches across Chicago River
Her son arranges this sort of thing.

Surely, this judge was not about to embarrass or thwart her son:

Maryann Sumi has a clear conflict of interest. Her son is a political operative who also happens to be a former lead field manager with the AFL-CIO and data manager for the SEIU State Council. Both the SEIU and the AFL-CIO have members who are public-sector employees in Wisconsin. In fact, as a federation, the AFL-CIO can boast of several member-unions that represent public-sector employees. Maryann Sumi is hardly an unbiased judge in the matter.

Jacob Jake Sinderbrand, Sumi’s son [see page nine here], runs a company called Left Field Strategies, a firm that works on political campaigns.

Just when you think things are as bad as they will get, they get worse.

Notre Dame pass-catcher in trouble? Really?

Drunk driving safety poster. "Don't mix '...
The issue in question

Notre Dame is a school run on principle:

. . . it is well known that Notre Dame has high standards for student conduct, takes these matters seriously, follows the facts where they lead, and, when necessary, institutes appropriate sanctions at the appropriate time.”

Says spokesman regarding pass-catcher Michael Floyd, up on a drunk-driving charge.

That so? And the sex-assault charge vs. a footballer during the recent season went unpursued by campus police etc. and remains unresolved? What’s that evidence of?

Economics lesson for unwary investors

Modern yo-yos.
Can you make money in yo-yos?

This fellow knows how to start a speech:

There is an old joke applicable to the Catholic media apostolate: How does one make a small fortune in the Catholic press? Start with a big fortune.

So what if it’s been said of the airline business, commodities, woodworking, something in Israel, or yo-yos, to name just a few possibilities.

So what because if you haven’t heard it, you laugh or at least smile and (b) if you have heard it and the timing is right, you at least smile.