Former Teacher Arrested for 3rd Degree Sexual Assault (update)

I received an email last night from a reader.

Mr. Michel Rosenzweig was arrested by the Montgomery Country Police Department and charged with five counts of third degree sexual assault from an incident in 2003.

Mr. Rosenzweig was a part-time phys. ed. teacher at St. John the Evangelist School (Silver Spring) from 1989 to 1992. Therefore, his arrest is not related to his employment with the Archdiocese.

However, this linked video states that he was accused in 1990 of inappropriately touching several female students, which would have been the time he was employed by the Archdiocese. But, according to the video, police could not charge him because "there was not any probable cause."

If you have any information, please contact Det. John Reinikka of the MoCo Family Crimes Division (1-240-773-5400).

+++++++++++++++

Update: It seems that SNAP has weighed in on this matter. If you go to their website, you can see how they have left out facts, such as the fact that the was also a teacher in other private schools and public ones, and worked for other organizations. Personally, I don't trust SNAP but that is just me.

However, I will fault the Archdiocese for not having ANYTHING on their website (as of this writing) about this issue. You thought that they would have learned.

He is probably going to get some real hate mail...

I have written about Msgr. Pope previously. He is the key writer, IMHO, on the blog of the Archdiocese of Washington. If it was not for him, the blog would probably be rarely visited.

This week, he took on the issue of why Catholic priests were not preaching and speaking out on the issue of homosexuality. He writes:

Dear Parishioners,

In recent years, homosexuality has been frequently in the news. An increasingly nationwide effort to give recognition to so-called gay “marriage,” is only the latest matter to receive a lot of attention. Prior to this, the Episcopalian denomination ordained as a bishop a man who openly practices homosexual behavior. This action has divided the Episcopalian denomination in two. Prior to this, the last fifteen years have also seen the Episcopalian and other Protestant denominations liturgically celebrate gay “marriages” and unions. This too has caused great divisions in those denominations. Even among the Catholic faithful, mistaken notions about homosexuality and marriage have taken hold.

You can read more about it

here.

The Prayers of the Faithful for Sunay, April 3rd

This weekend, I attended Mass outside of this Archdiocese.

During the Prayers of the Faithful, this one came up: "Pray for those unjustly treated because of their sexual orientation."

Did this take place in your parish?

I would like to hear from you if it did.

The Divine Mercy with Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR

Arlington, VA (April 2, 2011)— On Wednesday, April 27 at 7:30 PM, the Institute of Catholic Culture will host a lecture entitled, “Divine Mercy: Understanding the Sacrifice of Christ,” featuring Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, as speaker.

The lecture will be held at Saint Leo the Great Catholic Church, 3700 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA. The great feast for all Christians is the day of the Resurrection of the Lord, Easter Sunday. And at the heart of this glorious day is the person of Jesus Christ, who, by his passion, burial, and resurrection has destroyed the power of death and given eternal life to mankind. In recent years, the Roman Catholic Church has focused the attention of the faithful on the mystery of our Lord’s life-giving death by celebrating “Divine Mercy Sunday” on the first Sunday after Easter.

Join the Institute of Catholic Culture and world renowned spiritual master, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, for this evening study of our Lord’s “Divine Mercy,” and discover the hidden plan of God for you and for all mankind.

All are welcome. No reservation required. Free Admission.

For more information, please visit www.InstituteofCatholicCulture.org or call (540) 635-7155.

Many of us have been saying this for the last few years...

The U.S. bishops told a Senate subcommittee on March 29 that Catholics face growing threats to their religious liberty because of a “radical secular perspective” that seeks to eliminate moral judgments from public life.

“Religious communities, including our own Catholic community, have suffered from and still experience religious bigotry, bias and prejudice,” said Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired Archbishop of Washington, D.C. He testified on behalf of the U.S. bishops at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing prompted by concerns about America Muslims' civil rights.

Cardinal McCarrick said that most instances of religious intolerance in modern Western countries are not motivated by sectarian tension between different faiths. Today, he observed, religious intolerance more often originates from “a radical secular perspective that insists that no moral principle or religious belief should ever challenge individual decisions.”

For more on this, go to the Catholic News Agency

An Example for the Archdiocese Environment Outreach Committee

I believe that the Environmental Outreach Committee of the Archdiocese of Washington, has really not done enough to encourage and demonstrate the importance of the environment this Lent.

Therefore, I would like to introduce the Committee to one priest and his efforts to save not only souls, but the environment.

May they, and the Archdiocese as a whole, use his example as a model for every parish. Ask any priest or bishop what their primary function is, and most if not all will respond: "To save souls".

Fr Norbert Crombley, pastor of Our Lady of Sustainability, would add "...and planet Earth" at the end.

To demonstrate his concern for the environment and the earth, he's launched a light bulb replacement program at his parish, the only one of its kind in America.

For the rest, please click

here.