Best Response to Priestly Scandals: Pray for Faithful Priests - Like Fr. Paul Schenck
love for the early Fathers of the Church and loved to speak of theological truth. I watched as the Holy Spirit was drew Paul out of a Protestant vision of the Church and into an increasingly Catholic vision. When he became an Episcopal minister, I was there. I knew it would not satisfy his hunger. I believed he was hungering for the fullness of the Catholic Church and it was only a stop along the way home.
At his ordination to ministry as a priest in the Episcopal Church, I gave him a copy of the Catholic Liturgy of the Hours (the breviary) which I had engraved to "Fr. Paul Chaim Schenck'. I hoped it would prove to be prophetic. Paul came to my ordination to the Order of Deacon in the Catholic Church in 1996. The grace of that ordination called me out of the ACLJ and into a new chapter in my vocational calling in 1997.
Right before I left the ACLJ I introduced Paul to a dear friend, A Melkite Greek Catholic Bishop who played a significant role in his continuing journey to the Catholic Church. I had been invited my Bishop friend to travel to the Holy Land with the Bishop where I hoped to meet my life champion, Blessed John Paul II.
Days before I was to leave, my father had a serious heart attack. I suggested that Paul Schenck, then an Episcopal minister, go in my place. There, in the land where Jesus walked, Reverend Paul Schenck met Blessed John Paul II. It was meant to be. My time to meet Blessed John Paul II came later in Rome.
Paul's journey continued. In 2004 I served as the Deacon at the Mass where Fr. Frank Pavone received him into full communion with the Catholic Church. Paul laid aside his ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church to become a Catholic. I watched him go through what I have watched others go through who have walked the same road.
His hunger for the fullness of the truth found within the Catholic Church led him home. However, I believed that the Lord had called him to ordained ministry and would make a way. In fact, the Lord did, years later, through the pastoral provision for former Anglican ministers.
The evening before his ordination to the Catholic priesthood in 2010 he showed me the worn copy of the Liturgy of the Hours I had given him all those years ago, inscribed to "Fr. Paul Chaim Schenck" and smiled broadly. With a dispensation from Rome waiving the celibacy requirement, Fr. Paul was ordained to the Holy Priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary by his friend, Bishop Victor Galeone of St. Augustine, Fla.
I sat next to my brother deacons and behind the numerous priests who were present and wept through most of the exquisitely beautiful ordination to the holy priesthood. His wife and children were there, along with a Church filled with people whose lives have been touched by his service to the Lord. They came from his days as a Pro-Life champion, an Assemblies of God Pastor, an Episcopal minister and now, as a Catholic Priest.
Fr. Paul is a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg where he is Director of the Respect Life Office. He is also the founding Director of the National Pro-Life Center (NPLC) on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and serves as its Chairman. The Center gives the Justices of the Supreme Court, their high level staff, members of the federal judiciary, members of the US Senate and other public policy makers the information, education and inspiration they need to better form their consciences so they will make better decisions and help to build a truly just society for all men and women, including our first neighbors in the womb.
It is wonderfully ironic that this Pro-Life champion who suffered the brunt of injustice in the Courts now ministers to those who administer Justice. His Pro-Life work continues to grow on a National level. As we watched a once high profile priest set aside his priestly ministry in the midst of a terrible controversy - we need to pray a renewal of the priesthood and an increase in priestly vocations.
We also need to hear the good news! There are priests who are faithfully serving the Church and reaching out to help build a new culture of life and civilization of love, like Fr. Paul Chaim Schenck. They are humble, properly submitted to the authority of the Church and bearing tremendous fruit in this new missionary age. The best response to priestly scandals is to honor and pray for faithful Priests, like my friend, Fr. Paul Schenck.
- - -
Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
Keywords: Fr. John Corapi, Fr Paul Schenck, National pro-Life, Center, NPLC, Deacon Keith Fournier
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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.