Priest charged with patronizing prostitute

A priest from a Northeast Philadelphia parish was arrested last week for allegedly trying to pick up a prostitute in Kensington.

Rev. Patrick McCormick, the parochial vicar of St. Timothy's Church, allegedly approached a police officer posing as a prostitute as part of a citywide vice unit operation on Kensington Avenue near I Street around 11 p.m. on Feb. 23, police said.

After offering money in exchange for sexual favors, McCormick, 48, was arrested on the spot, according to police.

He 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.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia put out a statement Friday night calling the information "deeply troubling." McCormick has been put on administrative leave.

It said in a statement that McCormick told the Archdiocese the day after his arrest that he had been charged with DUI, not promoting a prostitute. The Archdiocese said it just found out about the prostitution charges Friday at 5 p.m.