Featured photo is a screen cap of religious-themed pornography produced by The Rev. Mark Schultz’s husband, Erich Erving. Schultz and Erving live at the St. Thomas Choir School and are accused of jointly sexually assaulting an adult male parishioner. Full frontal nudity in the image has been redacted. Amidst the continuing fallout from a scandal…
By John B. Carpenter It’s not sexy, but it’s a scandal. The editors of The Gospel Coalition’s (TGC) flagship academic journal, Themelios, which TGC unfailingly promotes as “peer-reviewed,” break commitments with writers, disregard the verdicts of their expert reviewers, thus putting out a typical editor-curated magazine but in the name of a “peer-reviewed journal.” The…
Photo courtesy St. John’s Episcopal Church, Chula Vista The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego has initiated Title IV clergy disciplinary proceedings against the Rev. Roger Haenke, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Chula Vista. The news comes amidst allegations on social media that Haenke engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor. In an announcement…
Update: On August 7, 2025, DioNY intake officer Alison Quin denied that the email in question is the one actually sent by Bishop Heyd. Anglican Watch recently obtained a copy of the email Bishop Matthew Heyd sent to clergy in the Episcopal Diocese of New York in which he tried to bar the victim of adult…
As we continue our coverage of the meltdown at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Anglican Watch has confirmed that additional victims of alleged sexual misconduct have come forward. The Episcopal Diocese of New York knows of the victims. There are three troubling issues involving this development: We have seen no evidence that the Diocese has…
The Episcopal Title IV clergy disciplinary canons have many problems, not just the fact that they’re huge and unwieldy. And while we can’t possibly hope to cover all the issues with Title IV in one post — or even a series of posts — one big problem is the willingness of judicatories to “pass the…
Some time ago, Anglican Watch covered allegations of misconduct involving Daniel McClain, then the rector of St. Paul’s Dayton. These allegations ran the gamut, from bullying parishioners to an extramarital affair. Relatedly, one of the secondary players in the drama was Branches and Vine Cottage School, which McClain’s children attended. The purpose of this post…
While we’re on the topic of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and its sordid track record of retaliating against victims of sexual abuse, a review of Bishop Matthew Hyde’s criminal history reveals some interesting inflection points. That includes having been criminally charged for passing bad checks. To be clear, all persons are presumed innocent…
Anglican Watch has extensively covered the meltdown at Tenth Presbyterian (PCA) in Philadelphia, which started several years ago when he church obtained a court injunction prohibiting church member and whistleblower Phil Snyder from approaching the church. Today, we’re pleased to report that Phil was able to attend the recent Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests…
Sources within Opus Dei tell Anglican Watch that the Episcopal Diocese of New York (DioNY) is continuing its efforts to use Title IV to conceal its efforts to investigate, harass, intimidate, and oppress the victim in the sexual harassment case at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. Specifically, we have learned that diocesan investigators have contacted…
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 30, 2025 /Christian Newswire/ — Anglican Watch, the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church, today condemned the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s misuse of the Title IV clergy disciplinary process in the case of an adult victim of sexual assault at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. Specifically, the Diocese is aware that one…
As Anglican Watch continues our investigation into corruption at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, we’ve come to realize that life at the parish is really first class. As in, first-class staterooms on the Titanic, after that nasty scraping sound along the hull. And there’s no better example than the outrageous spending for a condo for…
The Episcopal Diocese of New York appears to have a dual standard regarding confidentiality in the midst of the Title IV cases against various clergy at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue involving sexual assault and related misconduct, including an attempt at cover-up. That includes contacting the victim’s employer with defamatory comments intended to interfere with his…
Following is an Anglican Watch press release sent this morning to newswires in New York. NEWS PROVIDED BY Anglican Watch July 28, 2025 ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 28, 2025 /Christian Newswire/ — Anglican Watch, the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church, today demanded that the Episcopal Diocese of New York stop leaking confidential information in the Title IV clergy…
Christian Zaleski, the former Episcopal High School part-time lacrosse coach who lost his job and faced criminal charges after he vandalized the homes of students, may be at it again. Since Anglican Watch first covered the story, we have received multiple requests from Zaleski asking us to take down posts about him. In every instance, he’s claimed…
When covering church abuse, it doesn’t take long to realize that the best allies are often the most improbable. That’s the case at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, where, right behind the scenes, the conservative Roman Catholic group Opus Dei is proving very helpful to those hurt by the Episcopal Church. There are a number…
Sources inside the Diocese of New York (DioNY) tell Anglican Watch that multiple lawsuits appear imminent in the meltdown involving sexual assault, shunning, defamation, retaliation, and more at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue. The lawsuits will be filed against both the parish and the Diocese. Once the church of the Vanderbilts and other pillars of the…
Screen cap of piece by St. Thomas resident pornographer Erich Erving. Full frontal nudity redacted. Anglican Watch has received reports from a source close to the matter that St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue’s retaliation for complaining about sexual harassment may be expanding. Specifically, we have now identified five persons allegedly banned from the parish for…
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 24, 2025 /Christian Newswire/ — Anglican Watch, the Episcopal Church’s unofficial watchdog, today sharply criticized the Episcopal Diocese of New York for ignoring the requirements of the church’s Title IV clergy disciplinary canons. The move follows retaliation by the Episcopal Diocese of New York against a male adult who complained to the Diocese…
Anglican Watch (AW) previously covered issues with Robbie Giannetta, the head of security for St. Thomas’ Fifth Avenue, and his company, Blue Perimeter, LLC. These issues included hiring convicted felon and drug dealer Tristan Rodas as an unlicensed security guard for the church. So, after seeing Giannetta working the entrance to St. Thomas’ during recent…
In response to the unholy mess and the endless games underway in the St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue debacle, Anglican Watch is preparing Title IV clergy disciplinary complaints against DioNY bishops Heyd and Shin. We also are offering to provide support to anyone wishing to file a lawsuit against the Diocese and St. Thomas’. Compliance…
Anglican Watch is keeping a finger on the pulse of several Title IV cases, including the case at St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue. In every instance, church officials are making a mess of things and, in several instances, making false statements about the cases. We therefore want to clarify several things: Title IV is NOT confidential…
Today’s post highlights one of the ugliest aspects of the failed parish and diocesan responses to allegations of abuse at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. Specifically, in addition to retaliating against the complainant, the parish and the Diocese have gone out of their way to harm the complainant, with the Diocese even saying in writing…
The header photo is a screen cap of religious-themed pornography by Saint Thomas Choir School resident Erich Erving. Full frontal nudity in the image has been redacted. Other key points: We believe the church employee referenced in these messages is Bill Davis but have been unable to independently confirm this. In the one screen cap,…
Over the past several days, Anglican Watch has received a series of threatening messages from Briana Ramirez, a friend of convicted drug dealer and St. Thomas security guard Tristan Rodas. Tellingly, her messages attempt to defend Rodas on the basis that he didn’t sell heroin to children, just other high schoolers. Ramirez, a New Jersey…
St. Thomas Fifth Avenue security guard Tristan Rodas, a convicted felon who has sold heroin to children, allegedly has begun making death threats to persons connected with the parish. Sources close to the matter tell Anglican Watch that the threats have been in the form of multiple voicemail messages. Law enforcement officials are now involved….
Earlier today, Anglican Watch uncovered documentation that officials at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue have actual knowledge that church security guard Tristan Rodas is a convicted felon. As a result, members of the church have been exposed to a major security risk for at least seven months. Written documents reveal that the Rev. Canon Carl Turner…
Timothy Peargin, an organist and member of the now-defunct St. David’s Episcopal Church in Lakeland Florida who was arrested in 2014 on charges of failing to report child sex abuse, recently threatened Anglican Watch due to our reporting of his previous arrest. The prior arrest stems from an investigation into his partner and roommate, Keith…
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia There have been unmistakable signs of tension between St. Thomas Fifth Avenue and the Episcopal Diocese of New York since the stuff first hit the fan over multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment by St. Thomas staff against an adult male parishioner. This tension underscores the importance of an independent…
While we’re on the topic of St. Thomas Fifth Avenue priest Mark Schultz, who recently was arrested over allegations of sexual assault, we underscore our opposition to him being around children. Additionally, we do not believe he is suited to serving as a priest. Beyond the allegations against Schultz involving sexual misconduct, we are mindful…