To speak on value of praising God

"Praise is acknowledging that God has been good to us," said the priest, who will lead an upcoming day of teaching and healing sponsored by the Healing Ministry of the Albany Diocesan Service Committee for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

While it may be easy to praise God when life is good, praise is just as important during the dark times, Father Capuci said.

Call from dark

In Romans 8, Father Capuci said, Christians learn that even when life is challenging, God is present. The Scripture states: "Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? Or distress? Or famine? Or nakedness? Or danger? Or persecution? Or the sword? For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Father Capuci hopes people who attend the teaching day will leave with a sense that praise is a great prayer opportunity.

"Praise breaks down walls and barriers," he said. "Praise helps us respond to our loving and faithful God. Praise affords us the knowledge that Jesus is very present in our midst. Praise allows us to see the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives."

Call to priesthood

As a sophomore in high school, he went with a friend to Florida, where they stayed with the friend's sister and her husband. When they arrived on a Wednesday, the sister asked if they wanted to go to church. Father Capuci's response was "Are they even open?"

The church was a Pentecostal Church, and the visit led Father Capuci to begin reading the Bible. When he returned home, he called a local parish and asked the priest some questions about Scripture. The priest invited the youth to a parish prayer group. It was then he returned to Catholic Church. By his sophomore year of college, he was thinking of the priesthood.

Father Capuci is now a chaplain at a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Boston. When working with youth, he said it's important to understand their culture. "I use real-life examples to help youth hear the message," he said. "I try to bring faith and life together."

("Healing Through the Power of Praise" will be held April 1, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady. It will be followed by a vigil Mass and healing prayer. Registration by March 15 is $10. Registration at the door is $12. For information, call 456-2434 or 377-7218.)

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