It’s tragic enough that Catholic priests have developed a nasty reputation for molesting little altar boys, but now one has picked up the unholy art of stalking.
Father David Ajemian of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Boston was arrested a few weeks ago when he tried entering a taping of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” after he was asked to cease all attempted correspondences.
I was a bit perturbed to discover that a priest was stalking O’Brien – one of my personal favorites. The self-titled “stalker priest” stated in a note to the iconic late-night TV host that he was “tracking him through space and time.”
Apparently, he’s been sending threatening letters to O’Brien’s home and work address for more than a year, using a parish letterhead, no less.
Ajemian wrote, “I want a public confession before I ever consider giving you absolution…” adding, “Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans?”
The audacity – a man of the cloth would use God as his partner in crime – is appalling. He was charged with one count of stalking and two counts of aggravated assault, according to a recent Reuter’s article.
Sadly, this isn’t the first incident for Ajemian. He had once gone after another celebrity, tennis pro John McEnroe, who he claimed bullied him in the seventh grade.
They were only around 12 years old when the alleged bullying took place, but it seems someone never learned about forgiveness, even after being ordained by the church.
If there’s one thing I’ve gained from my Catholic upbringing, it’s to employ the age-old concept “forgive and forget.”
When Ajemian completed the sacrament of Holy Orders, he took a vow to be an Jesus Christ. Really? Who died and made this guy a priest?
Clearly, this collared geek is a piss-poor example for priests throughout the country and not a disciple of Christ. It causes me to wonder about the qualifications required to become a priest, especially with all the child molestation allegations during the past few years.
What boggles my mind is the fact that Ajemian is known to have a history of psychiatric problems and they still ordained him. He’s a 17-year-old kid stuck in a 46-year-old man’s body. This became evident shortly after his arrest.
After his daddy paid his $2,500 bail, he snuck out like a teenager for a few hours and didn’t come home until nightfall. As soon as his parents realized he was gone, they filed a missing person’s report and had the Boston police searching for a crazed man. They considered him “homicidal and suicidal.”
A week later (after admitting himself for psychiatric evaluation), a judged deemed him fit to stand trial, despite the fact he had been under treatment for the past year.
The last time I checked, “stalking celebrities” was not a form of psychiatric treatment, but is a reason to get treated.
OK, give the guy a break. He’s a priest, after all. I’m sure his intentions were not ill. He’s just a creepo no one wants to be around. He’s already expressed interest in wanting to spend time with actress Faye Dunaway, whom he claims to have attended catechism with.
“I wrote her agent. I never heard anything back,” he said. Perhaps that’s because you’re just a nobody to her.
I once wrote a letter to a celebrity I wanted to meet when I was younger. I never heard anything back, either. I didn’t stalk the person, though. At least I have the rationale to know that celebrities are out of my league.
If convicted for stalking and aggravated harassment, Ajemian could face up to one year in prison. Our prisons are already overcrowded. This is a mental-health issue that needs to be addressed and prison isn’t going to solve it.
Perhaps a fellow priest can take him under his wing, instead of excommunicating him like an unholy run-of-the-mill child molester.
Niki Payne is a senior journalism major and a contributing writer for the Daily Forty-Niner.
