Zodiac Sign. Dreherlives in Baton Rouge, La. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Rev. More: Arata said Wattigny was sending texts to his client in the middle of the night, repeatedly asking when the boy would turn 18 and discussing private, in-person meetings. When you place your order, your Church Militant Premium membership will be activated. Pearl River Police Chief Jack Sessions declined to release any details about Clark's arrest, saying the case remained under investigation. or school. But police said the churchs altar was visible from the street, apparently through the glass doors of the parish entrance. He had recently been named the chaplain of Pope John Paul II High School in Slidell, Louisiana, replacing another priest who resigned this summer. Travis Clark, 39, entered the plea as part of an agreement with prosecutors on Monday. The archdiocese on Thursday said that Wattigny, who also briefly served as the president of Pope John Paul II High School in Slidell, told church officials Thursday afternoon that he abused a minor in 2013. At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. Though that is the same year his tenure at Rummel and St. Benilde ended, and he was transferred to the north shore, the archdiocese said Friday it was unaware of any alleged abuse, and his move was unrelated. She responded by posting a video of a gyrating devil on social media, saying "this is my official (expletive) statement.". Peter and Paul on Monday, informing them that, as of Oct. 11, Fr. But get this: the Archdiocese has known all year that Father Wattigny was under investigation for sending inappropriate texts to a male student in that high school (asking, for example, when he would turn 18) but it did not tell the high schools principal. A priest in the Archdiocese of New Orleans has been arrested along with two women and charged with obscenity after he was discovered filming a pornographic video on a parish church altar. Fr. The Archdiocese of New Orleans announced the priest's arrest Oct. 1 but would. Here is a strong, brave, and daring man of God a man with chest: UPDATE: A reader sends in the letter that Archbishop Aymond (and another official) sent to the parents of students at JP2 High School (I had to break up the screenshots, which is why theyre uneven): I still find that appallingly legalistic. Clark, or other students who gave evidence of not trying, was not about academics, but about character. Instead, they cling to their office, their retirement, and the trappings of the episcopacy with the last full measure of devotion. The archbishop's pursuit of removing Fr. Sign up for 6 Free IssuesTry us out with a free trial subscription. The Family groups came together at first for Bible study and prayer, but soon began listening to Father Kolakovi lecture on philosophy, sociology, and intellectual topics. While in theory those concerns could motivate a person, in fact what one usually finds in these cases is that bishops are out to protect themselves and their status in the eyes of their peers, the Roman Curia, and the Pope. The 37 years old was a priest at Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in Pearl River, Louisiana. Staff writer Sara Pagones and WWL-TV's David Hammer contributed to this report. According to Nola.come, the secret witness saw the half-naked priest having sex with two women wearing corsets and high-heeled boots. The position had until recently been held by Wattigny. Get briefed on today's top stories with Kim Tisor. Bill Arata, an attorney representing a student who received texts from Wattigny and a father of another Pope John Paul II student, said the students are struggling with the news. Often, these steps are never taken because it is easier and safer to face only what has to be faced when it has to be faced. Cheng, from Alpharetta, Georgia and Dixon, from Kent, Washington, posted bonds of $7,500 each. Here is Father Tomislav Kolakovic, a holy priest. Travis Clark, pastor of Saints Peter and Paul since 2019, on obscenity charges. The bishop of Tyler, TX talks to Terry Barber. I think they need world-class crisis intervention. If those clergymen are laicized, they would no longer receive any benefits at all. A local resident told police they noticed the lights were on in the parish church, and upon looking in the windows, saw the three engaged in sexual activity on the altar. Clark is a New Orleans priest who was arrested Sept. 30 on obscenity . He received a suspended three-year sentence and will serve three years of supervised probation, FOX8 New. Can it be possible that there is some joy promised in the Cross? Then her Presbyterian beliefs came out. These Aymonds, they are nothing more than managers of decline. How many of those students at John Paul II Catholic High School are going to be inspired to draw closer to their Catholic faith after seeing what their previous and current chaplains were up to, and by seeing how their chestless hierarch dealt with these scandals? SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. Attorney Bill Arata represents a boy at Pope John Paul II High School who reported received inappropriate texts from Wattigny this year, when the priest was the schools chaplain. The crime can carry between six months and three years in prison upon conviction. But he does believe seminaries should expect effort, and evidence of virtue in students and seminary life. Travis Clark, pastor of Saints Peter and Paul since 2019, on obscenity charges. This incident took place on September 30th, 2020, around 11 PM. Clark is regarded as kind, attentive to the Serra Club and other projects, but was known by some to have a compulsive video game habit, sometimes staying up all night to play games. On a social media account associated with Dixon, a Sept. 29 post says she was on her way to the New Orleans area to meet another dominatrix and defile a house of God.. Women reportedly told police to play role play with the priest in church. By clicking the "Continue" button, you agree to the ChurchMilitant.com Terms of Use and ChurchMilitant.com Privacy Policy. In his statement Friday, Aymond did not indicate when he became aware of the nature of Clark's arrest. From Live Not By Lies: Americans loss of faith in institutions and hierarchies began in the 1960s. (Im being sarcastic. Vclav Vako, a Kolakovi follower, recalled late in his life that Father Kolakovis ministry excited so many young Catholics because it energized the laity and gave them a sense of leadership responsibility. Aymond is also considering more aggressive action, including possible church trials in Rome, to force out Patrick Wattigny and Travis Clark, two priests who were implicated in separate sex scandals this month. What would Walker Percy have been able to do with a deadhead bureaucrat like Archbishop Aymond?!). NEW ORLEANS, La. Priests also told CNA that they are praying for Fr. The Rev. You have permission to edit this article. Wattigny allegedly admitted to the archdiocese on Oct. 1 that he sexually abused a minor in 2013. Here in south Louisiana, everybody is talking about the hurricane coming ashore today. From Saigon baby to US surfer and beyond. The witness also saw stage lighting around the trio and a mobile phone mounted on a tripod. In fact, he was the featured speaker in a set of videos used for training clergy and laity in best practices to protect youth. Are we today really so different? At the start of the 2017-18 academic year, he was appointed the schools president. There were sex toys and stage lighting. But he did recall concerns about the seminarian. This Website provides you with the latest information and Knowledge on Hollywood and News. Nor do they personally seek to make restitution for the financial damage their administration has wreaked upon the diocese. Wattigny was ordained a priest in 1994 and spent the first six years of his career working at St. Peter in Covington; Visitation of Our Lady in Marrero; and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Kenner. The desecration of this church and altar is demonic, demonic, Archbishop Aymond said at Sts Peter and Paul Church in Pearl River, Louisiana Oct. 10, during a Mass at which he also reconsecrated the parish church. A veteran of three decades of magazine and newspaper journalism, hehas also written three New York Times bestsellersLive Not By Lies, The Benedict Option, andThe Little Way of Ruthie Lemingas well asCrunchy ConsandHow Dante Can Save Your Life. Travis Jhon Clark A 39-year-old defrocked Catholic priest in Louisiana was spared time behind bars after formally pleading guilty to one count of felony obscenity for making a sex tape with two dominatrices on the altar of his former church in 2020. He has been caught having sex given the public with Melissa Cheng and Mindy Dixon, they have been arrested by the Pearl River Police Department. One of the women is reported to be a self-avowed satanist. Fr. Featured Image By Travis Clark / Instagram. The theologian told CNA that in his view "the system isn't broken, it's just missing a part." Rev Clark, along with two altar hosts, Mindy Dixon, 41, and Melissa Cheng, 23, were charged with obscenity. EIN 27-4581132 St. Luke is near Pope John Paul II High, and Wattigny maintained a regular presence there, serving on the schools advisory board. Travis Clark after his Sept. 30 arrest. What does God want from me? See meant to be awake to realities around you. It is Archbishop Aymonds intention that Travis Clark never again practice priestly ministry. Check out this Jesuit/Dominican rap battle, a joke and a daily schedule to fit in prayer and family time. And then when scandal breaks, they treat it like a corporate crisis to be managed, not a moral and spiritual catastrophe. He said it was another black eye for the church. Through his social media, Travis has either endorsed or promoted various brands including Saved By Christ Apparel. Since 2018, Aymond has been privately asking credibly accused clergy to voluntarily leave the priesthood and return to the laity through a process called laicization, according to archdiocesan officials. Also Thursday, Aymond disclosed that Clark, the pastor of Pearl River's Sts. Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. Clark and two women were arrested Sept. 30 and charged with obscenity after a neighbor observed through a window that they were filming sexual relations atop the altar, which was illuminated by stage lights. Clark in seminary, told CNA that he believes the priest's misdeeds point to a problem with seminary evaluation. But first Matthew Bunson and Jeanette catch up on the latest news at least one U.S. diocese is resuming public Masses and the pro-life community reaches out to serve women in crisis pregnancies. But the greater problem is the decadent passivity of men like Archbishop Aymond. I will consecrate a new altar tomorrow," Aymond said. 0. Peter and Paul Parish, Pearl River, effective July 1, 2019. The theologian told CNA that in his view the system isnt broken, its just missing a part., He urged that seminaries develop committees of well-formed knowledgeable Catholic lay people who are part of vocation evaluation and discernment.. There is another way. The archbishop celebrated Mass on the desecrated altar, an archdiocesan spokesperson told CNA, because we were not aware of what had happened in the church.. But Baglow said his concern about Fr. Chistopher Baglow, a theologian who taught Fr. That same day, police in Pearl River booked Clark with obscenity after he was discovered taping himself engaged in three-way sex with two dominatrices including one who is an avowed Satanist on the altar at Sts. In high school, he was replaced by Wattigny, who resigned from this position due to inappropriate text messages sent to a student this summer. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. Be assured of my continued personal support and prayers for your parish community. Those are the words of a bureaucrat, not a pastor. I hope faithful Catholics and other Christians will turn their righteous anger over grotesque moral and spiritual failures by the clergy, especially hierarchs, into building something positive, like Father Kolakovic did. Peter and Paul Parish. Tolerating mediocrity in a man allows tolerance for other kinds of unacceptable things.. But Wattigny and Clark are the first two alleged to have committed such violations during Aymonds 11-year tenure as archbishop. Saints Peter and Paul catholic church became Steve Fecke's spiritual home after Katrina, and worked closely with former pastor Travis Clark to help record masses for the congregation during covid. He was not disobedient to the bishops, but he also knew that the bishops were largely useless in preparing the church for what was coming. Since this incident, Rev Carol Shirima replaced Clark on October 11th and now hes been released from jail on a $25,000 bond. Aymond asked Catholics to "please pray for all those affected, especially the parishioners of the parishes and school communities where they have served.". There was a problem saving your notification. Clark was a poor student who made little effort, which should have been a red flag. Mediocrity can be a cover for other problems sometimes very serious problems, Baglow said. Clark is a quiet guy with a reputation among the presbyterate for keeping to himself. But he does believe seminaries should expect effort, and evidence of virtue, in students. You can destroy as much by failing to build as by actively wrecking. The late Dino Cinel, who was acquitted of child pornography-related charges in the 1990s, voluntarily underwent that process in 2010, Aymonds second year as New Orleans archbishop.