Priest Charged with Patronizing a Prostitute

Philadelphia Inquirer
March 3, 2012

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20120303_Priest_charged_with_patronizing_a_prostitute_1.html

A priest from a Northeast Philadelphia parish was arrested last week on charges that he tried to pick up a prostitute in Kensington, police said.

The Rev. Patrick McCormick, the parochial vicar of St. Timothy Church in Mayfair, allegedly approached a police officer posing as a prostitute as part of a citywide vice unit operation on Kensington Avenue near I Street about 11 p.m. on Feb. 23, police said. McCormick, 48, was charged with patronizing a prostitute and entered into the Accelerated Misdemeanor Program. He was ordered to perform 18 hours of community service and pay $200 in fines, according to court records.

A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia called McCormick's arrest "deeply troubling" and said McCormick had been placed on administrative leave. - Staff report