NEW JERSEY
Ocean Signal
JACKSON-Last week, the Diocese of Trenton issued a statement regarding complaints lodged against Father Matthew Riedlinger, a priest formerly serving at the St. Aloysius Church here.
Riedlinger was ordained a priest in the diocese on June 5, 2010. He was a student at St. Peter Parish in Sandusky, Ohio before attending the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he studied philosophy.
Prior to his time at St. Aloysius, he served seminarian assignments at St. Margaret in Spring Lake and St. Barnabas in Bayville.
Questions have recently been asked of the Diocese concerning the status of Father Matthew Riedlinger and his ministry as a priest. Father Riedlinger had been the subject of two complaints to the Diocese over the past few years regarding his participation in inappropriate cell phone text communication over a period of some years with adults. There was no sexual contact, assault or abuse referenced in the complaints.
Upon receiving these complaints, the Diocese immediately turned the information over to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. In both cases, law enforcement investigated and advised that no minors were involved and no criminal acts were committed.
From first being made aware of these charges, the Diocese addressed the misconduct with Father Riedlinger, arranging for him to receive outpatient counseling. When we learned that the conduct had persisted, he was immediately removed from his parish assignment and placed in a residential, in-patient treatment program.
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