Best Response to Priestly Scandals: Pray for Faithful Priests - Like Fr. Paul Schenck
On Pentecost weekend I had the privilege of serving as a deacon at the altar alongside of Fr. Paul Chaim Schenck
We need to hear the good news! There are priests who are faithfully serving the Church and her mission. Priests like Fr. Paul Chaim Schenck. They are humble, properly submitted to the authority of the Church and bearing tremendous fruit.
To anyone in the Pro-Life movement for any length of time Paul Schenck is an iconic figure. The image which adorned the cover of Life magazine of a younger Reverend Paul Schenck while still a Protestant minister is a part of the pictorial history of the Pro-Life movement.
PrintCHESAPEAKE, VA. (Catholic Online) - Like many Catholics I have been deeply saddened by the unfolding saga concerning priest/television personality Fr. John Corapi. As the Editor of Catholic Online, I knew this was a news story we had to cover - and we did. However, we avoided entering into the continuing flurry of controversy concerning this tragic case.
On the positive side, it has prompted me to spend time every morning thanking the Lord for the wonderful priests I have had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside of. It also led me to a renewed commitment to prayer on behalf of all priests. Finally, it has prompted my decision to spend time writing about priests who are demonstrating sacrificial love for the Lord and His Holy Church, fidelity, humility and holiness of life.
On Pentecost weekend I had the privilege of serving as a deacon at the altar alongside of one such priest, Fr. Paul Chaim Schenck.
Fr. Schenck celebrated all of the weekend Masses in our growing parish in Southeastern Virginia when our pastor was out of town. He also heard confessions. He spoke at a breakfast sponsored by our Knights of Columbus chapter, sharing his extraordinary journey in a talk entitled "From Protestant Pastor to Catholic Priest: A Pro-Life Journey". That weekend was the first anniversary of his ordination to the Catholic Priesthood and it was eminently clear that the Lord had called him to this beautiful vocation.
As a deacon of the Church it was deeply moving to witness the beauty with which this Priest of Christ offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and ministered to Christ's faithful at the altar and the ambo. I literally wept as I knelt next to him at the elevation. It was a moving experience for many reasons, including the fact that I have known him for decades and was overjoyed that his journey into the Church brought him to the altar as a Catholic priest.
My history with Fr. Paul Schenck spans decades. I first met his brother Rob who introduced me to Paul. Both shared an untiring dedication to bringing an end to the killing of our youngest neighbors in the womb by abortion. They also shared an interesting faith journey. They were raised in a Jewish home, came to faith in the Lord Jesus as teenagers and went on to become Protestant ministers.
The two brothers were Pro-Life leaders in the Buffalo, New York. I went to Law School to help overturn Roe v Wade. So, later when I was asked by them to come to Buffalo years later to speak on behalf of Paul who had been wrongfully arrested for peacefully distributing Pro-Life literature, I agreed. At the time I was a Dean at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and engaged in a limited Pro-Life law practice.
In 1991 I moved to Virginia Beach to help build the American Center for Law and Justice. (ACLJ) Those were days of what I call "trench ecumenism" and the greatest example was the Pro-Life movement. This kind of cooperation is accepted now. Back then, it was highly controversial in both Catholic and Protestant circles. As I think back I am reminded of the country song, "I was Country when Country wasn't Cool". We were doing Catholic/Evangelical cooperation long before it was "cool".
The first legal case I took as Executive Director of the ACLJ involved Rev. Paul Scheck. He had been wrongfully arrested for distributing Pro-Life literature in front of an abortion facility. Back then there were "floating buffer Zones" which prevented Pro-Life Speech. I argued they violated the First Amendment. We lost at the Federal District Court level but the case continued on appeal. Years later I served as co-counsel when Jay Sekulow successfully argued the case at the US Supreme Court. It was styled "Rev. Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network".
Paul's courageous efforts for the children and Jay's skillful argument that Pro-Life speech is indeed protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, won the day. Paul was completely vindicated and earned a place in the legal history of the great human rights movement of our age. His courage has clearly informed his life's vocation now as he serves as a courageous, faithful and fruitful Catholic Priest and continues to help build a new culture of life.
During those 'ACLJ years' my friendship with Paul - and his journey toward the Catholic Church - passed through a series of events. I was deeply impressed with his leadership gifts and abilities. I was also appalled that his valiant efforts to stop the killing of our first neighbors brought him to house arrest. So, I hired him as the Vice President of the American Center for Law and Justice while he was still wearing a court ordered ankle monitor. He was a hero to me then, and he still is.
Paul and his family moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia. Along with the growth of the ACLJ, our friendship grew. We shared a deep ...
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So does this mean that other married men with eight children can also be ordained? Doesn't Father Schenck illustrate that a good and faithful priest can also be a husband and father?
Dear Deacon Keith, thank you for doing what we should do more frequently, praising the light more than cursing the dark. I was also praying for all Priests in difficulties like Fr. Corapi. One lesson we could get is to make our Catholic Church regulations more Christian. What I mean is: it seems that facing the priests abuses many Bishops were more concerned about avoiding legal problems with our Legal System in USA (which is more inclined to punishment than to correction of people who failed, making our jails increasing in number faster than our schools), than to care of the person of the priests, without neglecting the victims. In other words, there are other ways to deal in these cases, so priests can be considered innocent until proved guilty, and not all the way around. I think we have here an opportunity for our Church to serve our society and culture evangelizing our Legal System. It comes to my mind the case of the criminal woman in Texas who converted while in prison, but then Governor Bush still declined to pardon her from death penalty, while, in the other hand, there are so many considered "innocent" in public life when they are really guilty (Congressmen, teachers, judges, even Presidents, etc).
A wonderful article. I am familiar with Paul Schenck and Jay Sekulow of the ACLJ. I watched the 700 Club with Pat Robertson who had Jay Sekulow on the program on a regular basis. Paul Schenck was also a part of the program giving the viewers an update on anti-abortion activities and their struggles with the courts. God bless this man because he is a true hero.
But I appreciate your very good work, Deacon Keith. I really do. Thank you for your service to God and His family. Peace to you.
Deacon Keith - this is a good article. It is easy to love a friend, isn't it? Perhaps a better article would be on "How to love one's enemies." This might help, especially, military spouses who, after long separations, have grown apart and become enemies because of 1) the injuries of the one (emotional, psychological, physical) and 2) perhaps the sins of the other. We want them to "heal" and live again. We can't cast them aside if we are to love them - even if, because of their "wounds" they lash out. We have to go after them and try to help them heal. I think that Fr. Corapi is a deeply injured man. So, he is a "patient" in my eyes - one who needs help to heal. I think that is what Christ means by loving our enemies. So, if the baby is crying, it needs something. What does it need? Why does it cry? If the child has a tantrum, we do not like this, but perhaps we don't understand that he has an emotional problem. So, do we seek to understand the child with the tantrum and treat the child to health, or do we get angry and dismiss the child. What if the child runs away? I think the Lord teaches that the truly loving parent understands the child's weakness and waits for his return with hope in his heart. I think that love requires action which helps another.
Fr Schenek is described as one who submits to the authority, one who is loyal to the Church which he believes to be the true and apostolic.. He does not wish to be selfish to gain position and power and recognition. We shall pray that Fr Corapi may gain the Spirit of Jesus and come back to the father as His poor devoted son
It is good to hear of good priests. We have been blessed with many.
Fr. Corapi's challenges strike deep, whether or not accusations are true. A July 5th news release from his order condemned him. This article also indicates that he is guilty. Are we sure? If not, we should not repeat words which may not be true.
The devil works hard but with God at our side, we can and should stand with entegrity before this Evil, instead of accidently letting him work through us to reach others. The devil worked hard to make Jesus look evil. We should pray for truth and strength, not only for "good" priests, but for all priests, especially those that are in trouble.
It's possible something similar of what's been said of Fr Shenck could have been said by Fr Corapi of Fr Thomas Eutenheuer a few months back, if they'd been friends...
We don't know what secrets people have in their closets. Anyone can 'crash and burn': corruptio optimi pessima.
So let's pray for 'faithful priests', rather than 'Faithful Priests', as the unfaithful ones need it more...
We should leave the eulogy for the funeral...
It is apparent that "the hand of the Lord" has been on Fr. Paul Schenck for a long time. It is beautiful to see how God leads a soul attentive to Him! What a wonderful "true story," Deacon Keith. Thank you for sharing it with us!
A beautiful, uplifting commentary on Fr. Schenck's spiritual journey.
Humble, faithful priests rarely make front-page headlines, but they deserve our gratitude and support.