This story sounds wilder than a Marilyn Manson concert but could probably slide right into HBO’s The New Pope (in which Manson did briefly appear last season). I’m getting off track here because what actually happened here is equally wild. A priest in the town of Pearl River, Louisiana entered into a very compromising position with two women, one of whom happened to be a dominatrix and the other? An adult film star. The most important part of this whole story, though, is that they were having a threesome on an altar that was clearly visible from the street.
As NOLA.com reveals, a passerby noticed something unusual (on September 30) about Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church. Someone appeared to be burning the midnight oil inside because the lights were on much later than normal, and this passerby got an eyeful when they approached to take a closer look. He whipped out his phone camera to gather evidence for the police, who promptly took the trio into custody, but he wasn’t the only one recording this hot mess:
Peering inside, the onlooker saw the small parish’s pastor half-naked having sex with two women on the altar, according to court documents. The women were dressed in corsets and high-heeled boots. There were sex toys and stage lighting. And a mobile phone was mounted on a tripod, recording it all.
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Police allege that the person “observed and had video of Ms. Cheng and Ms. Dixon” using plastic sex toys while engaging in intercourse on the altar with Clark, who was still partially wearing his priestly attire.
Reverend Travis Clark was arrested and booked, along with Melissa Cheng and Mindy Dixon, though the Archdiocese of New Orleans (nor the police) initially didn’t offer up any of the lurid details to the local community.
New details, however, have emerged in court filings that paint a lurid picture of a priest recording himself engaged in sexual role play while desecrating a sacred place within the church. Public records additionally show that one of the women, Mindy Dixon, 41, is an adult film actor who also works for hire as a dominatrix. On a social media account associated with Dixon, a Sept. 29 post says she was on her way to the New Orleans area to meet another dominatrix “and defile a house of God.”
As it turns out, the trio was booked on obscenity charges, which seems fitting given that (allegedly) the “obscene acts occurred on the altar, which is clearly visible from the street,” according to local CBS affiliate KLFY. Of course, the “allegedly” term might melt away soon, given that the adult film star in question, Dixon, apparently bragged about it last week on social media.
As for Clark, he’d been reverend-ing at the Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church since 2019. No doubt, he’s probably seen his last Sunday service there. Parishioners of the church, however, can rest easy knowing that some sort of ritual has been performed to de-taint the defiled church’s altar.
In Roman Catholic tradition, the altar is among the most sacred of church spaces, serving as the focal point of the Mass and the place where a priest consecrates the Eucharist during the sacrament of Holy Communion. According to church law, known as canon law, when sacred places are violated they must be “repaired by penitential rite” before they can be used again in the Mass.
Days after Clark’s arrest, Aymond went to Saints Peter and Paul and performed a ritual to restore the altar’s sanctity.
Religion is so wacky and fun!
UPDATE: A ritual has taken place, and the diocese must have felt that a big ritual was needed to erase the alleged threesome of Clark and friends. NOLA.com is reporting word from Archbishop Gregory Aymond, who has described Clark’s actions as “demonic” and “unacceptable.” Aymond relayed that he had destroyed the altar by fire. Yes, he burned that thing, and a consecration ritual for a newly installed altar will take place this weekend. Further, Clark has been “removed from ministry immediately” following his arrest. You can watch Aymond’s video statement below.
(Via NOLA.com & KLFY/WWL TV)