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Fired ABC anchor Ken Rosato was a priest decades before hot-mic ...

Fired ABC anchor Ken Rosato was a priest decades before hotmic
The disgraced journalist — who was recently fired for making an off-color remark to a colleague — once oversaw a church in Hollywood, Fla.

Former ABC7 anchor Ken Rosato — who was recently fired following a hot-mic insult — once lived to serve God.

The disgraced journalist oversaw a church in Hollywood, Fla., called the Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Community, where he worked as a priest, according to the chapel’s website.

The church was not directly associated with Roman Catholicism but said it respected the religious institution and followed similar ideologies.

The Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Community was started in October 2000 by a small group of South Florida Catholics — including Rosato — who wanted to “worship in an accepting environment that offered Catholic tradition with valid sacraments.”

Ken Rosato (far right) once worked as a priest while pursuing his career in journalism.
Saint Anthony of Padua, Catholic Community

“Worshippers can feel free to attend our masses knowing that they will not be judged for their human frailties,” the church’s mission statement read.

They also stated they allowed divorce and contraception — which Roman Catholic churches advocate against.

Rosato later moved to New York City, where he was hired at “Eyewitness News” as a freelance reporter in 2003 and promoted to morning and noon anchor in 2007.

Rosato (left) was a pastor at the Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Community in Hollywood, Fla.
Saint Anthony of Padua, Catholic Community

However, it appeared he continued to simultaneously work as a news anchor and pastor.

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In October 2007, Rosato presided over a wedding ceremony for fellow news reporter Tamsen Fadal and Matt Titus, a “personal trainer with a bad-boy reputation” who was recently divorced, per the New York Times.

Rosato’s church said its constituents would “not be judged for their human frailties.”
kenrosatoabc7/Instagram

“Ken Rosato, a priest of the Catholic Apostolic Church in North America and an anchor on WABC-TV, led the couple in their vows,” the article states, noting Rosato’s dual professions.

It is unclear when the New York native stopped practicing as a priest — if at all — but his journalism career took off, and he worked at ABC7 until May 12.

Page Six broke the news that Rosato, 56, had been let go after two decades at the network for allegedly making an off-color remark to a colleague off-camera.

Rosato was fired after making an offensive remark to his co-anchor, Shirleen Allicot.
kenrosatoabc7/Instagram

His rep denied the remark was related to race, telling us, “Being fired for any racial slur is 100 percent inaccurate and untrue. Ken Rosato had a benchmark of 20 years at WABC of supporting all equality.”

We later revealed that Rosato had called his co-anchor, Shirleen Allicot, a “c–t” on an open mic — and was fired immediately as a result.

The news station has yet to formally announce his exit but said in an email to staffers that Rosato is “no longer with WABC.”

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