How a beloved NYC priest saved Mickey Rourkeâs life
Pete
The âbig dudeâ was Rev. Peter Colapietro  a larger than life priest â he stood 6 feet tall and weighed 325 pounds â beloved among his flock of actors  stagehands  bus drivers and junkies who lived and worked in the gritty neighborhood near his Times Square church for more than two decades. He died earlier this month.
Father Pete  dubbed âthe whiskey priestâ by legendary Post columnist Steve Dunleavy  was also a regular at Elaineâs and well-known among the cityâs elite. His Feb. 10 Manhattan funeral was attended by hundreds of mourners  and police temporarily shut down the TriBoro Bridge and the FDR Drive in his honor. Rourke did not attend the funeral  but sent a giant floral arrangement.
The message âLove you Pete â Mickeyâ was crafted out of red and white carnations and roses  and prominently displayed at St. Monicaâs in the Upper East Side  which was one of the last churches he presided at.
â Pete  saved my ass from myself â  he  said. âWe had a friendship for over 24 years.  He  always seemed to have the right thing to say.â
At their first meeting   Father Pete  led Rourke to the basement of the church on West 42nd St. They chain-smoked cigarettes and drank red wine.  Father Pete  eventually talked Rourke out of suicide  and took the letter  he  had written to  his  estranged wife  the actress and model Carre Otis.  He  placed it under the statue of St. Jude  the patron saint of lost causes  and told  him  to say 14 Hail Marys as part of  his  penance  Rourke told The Post.
Rourke soon returned for more confessions in the church basement where he would talk to  Father Pete  about everything from his girlfriends to his dogs. â Pete  knew the names of all of my dogs â said Rourke.
âI explained to  Pete  what I wanted to do because I wanted to know the religious repercussions â said Rourke  who is long divorced from Otis   his  second wife. â Pete  sat me down  and explained to  me  about purgatory. It scared the piss out of  me .â
 Father Pete  also grabbed a bible  and told the actor  âShow me in the bible where it says vengeance is mine  Mickey Rourke  and I will help you load bullets in your gun.â
Buoyed by his meetings with  Father Pete  as well as regular sessions with a psychiatrist  Rourke restarted his acting career  winning a 2009 Golden Globe  among other distinctions  for best actor for his portrayal of an aging fighter in âThe Wrestler.â He also returned to the boxing ring  where he had spent a great deal of his youth before he turned to acting. He told The Post he currently trains an incredible three times a day and is preparing for two more matches as well as working on four new films.
When Rourke asked  Father Pete  for an explanation for the letterâs disappearance  the priest just shrugged  Rourke said.
â Pete  loved Mickey â said Mike Kane  a longtime friend of the priest. âHis eyes would light up and his smile would glow as he focused â¦ on Mickeyâs renewed success.â
 Father Pete  personally understood how challenging life can be. Born on April 20  1948  in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx  where his father was a bar keeper  he enrolled at the St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers  but struggled with becoming a priest. He left before they could kick him out for constantly violating the curfew.
âI wouldnât be here today if it wasnât for  Pete â
When  he  left the church in 2013 to head up St. Monicaâs   he  received an emotional standing ovation from the packed pews and was serenaded by pipes and drums from the Department of Sanitation  for which  he  was the pastor. Although  he  was briefly at the helm of St. Monicaâs   he  ended  his  career at St. Malachyâs  the actorsâ chapel on West 49th Street because the church had an elevator  and  Father Pete  could no longer climb stairs in  his  final years.  He  was 69 when  he  died.
The last time Rourke saw  Father Pete  was over a boozy meal at a Hellâs Kitchen restaurant in the fall of 2016. According to Rourke   Father Pete  downed four martinis  which was not unusual for the portly pastor.
For  his  part   Father Pete  also seems to have leaned on the actor.
The âbig dudeâ was Rev. Peter Colapietro  a larger than life priest â he stood 6 feet tall and weighed 325 pounds â beloved among his flock of actors  stagehands  bus drivers and junkies who lived and worked in the gritty neighborhood near his Times Square church for more than two decades. He died earlier this month.
 [TGT] dubbed âthe whiskey priestâ by legendary Post columnist Steve Dunleavy  was also a regular at Elaineâs and well-known among the cityâs elite. His Feb. 10 Manhattan funeral was attended by hundreds of mourners  and police temporarily shut down the TriBoro Bridge and the FDR Drive in his honor. Rourke did not attend the funeral  but sent a giant floral arrangement.
The message âLove you  [TGT]  Mickeyâ was crafted out of red and white carnations and roses  and prominently displayed at St. Monicaâs in the Upper East Side  which was one of the last churches  [TGT]  presided at.
 [TGT] saved my ass from myself â   [TGT]   said. âWe had a friendship for over 24 years.  He  always seemed to have the right thing to say.â
At their first meeting    [TGT] led Rourke to the basement of the church on West 42nd St. They chain-smoked cigarettes and drank red wine.   [TGT] eventually talked Rourke out of suicide  and took the letter   [TGT]   had written to   [TGT]   estranged wife  the actress and model Carre Otis.   [TGT]   placed it under the statue of St. Jude  the patron saint of lost causes  and told   [TGT]   to say 14 Hail Marys as part of  his  penance  Rourke told The Post.
Rourke soon returned for more confessions in the church basement where he would talk to  [TGT] about everything from his girlfriends to his dogs.  [TGT] knew the names of all of my dogs â said Rourke.
âI explained to   [TGT] what I wanted to do because I wanted to know the religious repercussions â said Rourke  who is long divorced from Otis   his  second wife.  [TGT] sat me down  and explained to  me  about purgatory.  [TGT]  scared the piss out of  me .â
  [TGT] also grabbed a bible  and told the actor  âShow me in the bible where  [TGT]  says vengeance is mine  Mickey Rourke  and I will help you load bullets in your gun.â
Buoyed by his meetings with  Father Pete  as well as regular sessions with a psychiatrist  Rourke restarted his acting career  winning a 2009 Golden Globe  among other distinctions  for best actor for his portrayal of an aging fighter in âThe Wrestler.â He also returned to the boxing ring  where he had spent a great deal of his youth before he turned to acting. He told The Post he currently trains an incredible three times a day and is preparing for two more matches as well as working on four new films.
When Rourke asked   [TGT] for an explanation for the letterâs disappearance  the priest just shrugged  Rourke said.
 [TGT] loved Mickey â said Mike Kane  a longtime friend of the priest. âHis eyes would light up and his smile would glow as he focused â¦ on Mickeyâs renewed success.â
  [TGT] personally understood how challenging life can be. Born on April 20  1948  in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx  where  [TGT]  father was a bar keeper   [TGT]  enrolled at the St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers  but struggled with becoming a priest.  [TGT]  left before they could kick  [TGT]  out for constantly violating the curfew.
âI wouldnât be here today if it wasnât for   [TGT] 
When   [TGT]   left the church in 2013 to head up St. Monicaâs    [TGT]   received an emotional standing ovation from the packed pews and was serenaded by pipes and drums from the Department of Sanitation  for which   [TGT]   was the pastor. Although   [TGT]   was briefly at the helm of St. Monicaâs    [TGT]   ended   [TGT]   career at St. Malachyâs  the actorsâ chapel on West 49th Street because the church had an elevator  and   [TGT] could no longer climb stairs in   [TGT]   final years.   [TGT]   was 69 when   [TGT]   died.
The last time Rourke saw   [TGT] was over a boozy meal at a Hellâs Kitchen restaurant in the fall of 2016. According to Rourke    [TGT] downed four martinis  which was not unusual for the portly pastor.
For  his  part    [TGT] also seems to have leaned on the actor.