Annysa Johnson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A Catholic priest with ties to a Waukesha religious community has been charged with misdemeanor assault in Texas for allegedly groping a woman while administering her last rites.

The Rev. Gerold Langsch, 75, a member of the Schoenstatt Fathers, could face up to a year in jail and a fine of $4,000 if convicted.

Langsch appears to have moved to Austin in 2015 to serve at a parish there. According to news accounts, on Oct. 5, he was called to the home of a 60-year-old woman in hospice care who was suffering from renal failure as a result of diabetes.

The woman told police Langsch anointed her chest with holy oil, then massaged her breast with lotion and pinched her nipple, asking, "Does that feel good?" He then tried to reach into her diaper, but could not, authorities said.

Langsch was arrested this month on a charge of assault by contact and released on $15,000 bond.

The Diocese of Austin issued a statement Thursday saying Langsch had been relieved of his faculties to serve as a priest in that diocese. It said he had already been asked to resign as pastor at St. Paul Parish in Austin because of an unrelated allegation made in February that he had failed to maintain proper boundaries with an adult. It said that incident did not involve physical contact.

Contact Annysa Johnson at anjohnson@jrn.com or 414-224-2061. Follow her on Twitter at @JSEdbeat. And join the Journal Sentinel conversation about education issues at www.facebook.com/groups/WisconsinEducation.