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New York-Long Island
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Father Robert Allmen

christinedapchristinedap
10 Comments
in New York-Long Island
Just thought i would share this with the rest of you ladies. I started searching for an officiant to marry us and i came across Father Robert Allman. Well a little more research and I found out he was kicked out of the priest hood for undisclosed reasons, and the church he claims to be apart of is not recognized by the diocese. If anyone is interested in using him or knows someone please tell them to stay away. He might be a good guy but there is something very wrong about being kicked out and this unrecognized church!!
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Re: Father Robert Allmen

  • Diana&JoshDiana&Josh member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I agree, I had found out the same thing.  I was almost going to use him and I am glad I won't be.
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  • scarlettRscarlettR
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Former priests who officiate at outdoor weddings and at reception halls are not usually acknowledged by the Catholic Church. In our not knowing what the reason was the Fr. Robert Allmen left the church it seems strange that anyone would not want to use his services because he was not able to continue as a practicing offical Priest of the Catholic Church. There are such people out and about and there are usually good reasons why a priest can no longer continue. It is not always a nefarious situation.Really, we do not know the reason and it could very well be a fair and legitimate one. In having seen Fr. Robert Allmen officiate at a wedding of a friend of ours I (and my husband) thought he was great and very professional. Neither myself or my hubby have ever much enjoyed the officiants officiants who are  pandering or sappy and again he is certainly neither so if you want someone professional who is going to be good, nice and not pandering or overly sappy, he is fine.
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  • LynnScott1LynnScott1
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    wow...i was kind of sad reading this post:( father bob was the officiant last year at my fiance's sisters wedding (i guess she never found all this out - i have to ask her!) and i thought he was great and i'm using him for my wedding at giorgio's next june. thanks - scarlett - your post made me feel better! i also agree with what you said about him too. he also did a wonderful job at her wedding and since i'm in fla he's been calling me periodically to follow up w/ us. fiance's sister told me he performs a lot of ceremonies around the area there. unfortunately, i guess there's always something to find out about while planning our weddings... p.s. while watching an episode of say yes to the dress a couple of weeks ago - he was on there marrying a ny couple.
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  • NYbrideinDCNYbrideinDC
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Regardless of whether he is a nice man or not, he is not in good standing with the Catholic Church, and therefore your marriage is NOT a sacrament or acknowledged. of course this doesn't matter to ANYONE who just wants a priest for show.
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  • christinedapchristinedap
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    does anyone have any other recommendations for officiants?
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  • ktlb30ktlb30
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    No ceremony outside the church is considered a sacrament by the catholic church.  So if you are getting married outside of the church, a "catholic priest" who is recognized by the church could not perform the ceremony.I am getting married by a priest in the church, however  I have seen Father Robert, and he does a fantastic job.
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  • LynnScott1LynnScott1
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    hey ktb - good that you brought that up - when i decided not to do a church ceremony, i was aware of the catholic priest not being able to marry outside the church. my family's not to thrilled about that, but fiance and i decided to do the ceremony on site.
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  • ktlb30ktlb30
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I think he would be your best bet Lynn...at least you will have the catholic traditions in your ceremony.  And like I said, I have seen him before and he was fantastic! People are mis-informed by saying that b/c he is not in good standing it won't be "recognized", but the truth is, if he was a recognized by the diocese, he wouldn't be able to perform the ceremony!   Good Luck!! 
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  • christinedapchristinedap
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I understand that a Priest or anyone still active within a church can not perform a marriage outside of the church. I think his way of advertising himself is false, since he is no longer recognized byt the catholic church and he should not be wearing his sacramental robes. I am sure he has done a fine job and is a nice person, but i would hope people will take a second to think "what could he have done to be removed from the catholic church?" Also, if the Dioceses in Ronkville Centre is banning him and has made it well known he has been removed that its safe to say he is not a 'good guy'.
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  • LynnScott1LynnScott1
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    thanks ktlb!
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  • Diana&JoshDiana&Josh member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Besides what I had heard about him, I am also not using him because everytime I asked him about getting a dispensation from the Catholic Church he either gave me a run around or did not return my messages.  That really bothered me.  For those of you who are having him or had him at your wedding and like him that is great.  That was just my dealings with him.  You can get a Catholic Priest to marry you outside the church and get the proper dispensations, I am doing this.  It just takes a whole lot of research.
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  • jilliibabiijilliibabii
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Any ceremony conducted outside the church is not recognized by the church. However, you can always have your marriage blessed by the church later on!
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  • jilliibabiijilliibabii
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Sorry- Diana is right, but it's difficult to pull off and rare that they allow it. Any run of the mill officiant that you see though, is not a Catholic priest and will not be recognized by the church.
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  • kimandjim74kimandjim74
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I know this thread is old, but I was given this gentleman's name as someone who performs religious ceremonies outside of church. I have been told that a ceremony will not be performed for 2 Catholics outside of church. Therefore I am of the understanding that this would not be religious (despite the "certificate" he states you will receive). For a few reasons, we are choosing not to have it in church, but are looking for more than a "civil" ceremony. I know on paper it will be civil, which we can live with. I just need to know it is legal! I have a friend who was married by someone who seems to have the same type of background (he is actually a family friend of theirs). He is married with kids, so is obviously not a practicing Catholic priest anymore. The ceremony was lovely, and they were very pleased with the outcome. And btw, how many practicing priests are currently under scrutiny for "undisclosed reasons"? I hate to say that (as a practicing Catholic, whose child goes to Catholic school). But it is a reality we face.
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  • JenniferdobbeckJenniferdobbeck
    First Comment

    I also made the mistake of booking this fake to conduct my ceremony this summer.  After meeting with him in his sketchy so-called church, a.k.a. house basement apartment in a residential area of Hampton Bays, I quickly realized that he was a fraud.  The surf board in his backyard and full-on priest robe attire where he looked like he was going to the Vatican was a dead giveaway.  He gave me his whole speech and said after he marries a couple, he supplies a Catholic Church marriage certificate (xerox print-out) which religiously binds the couple.  Any true Catholic knows that sacraments are not distributed that way. 

    After meeting with him, I did some research online and found these boards and terrible reviews on him.  I also contacted the Diocese of NY who was aware of “father” Robert and his antics.  He was kicked out of the Roman church years ago and has been portraying himself as a holy figure and deceiving hundreds of brides.   

    Sadly, I already gave this crook a $200 deposit when I spoke with I’m on the phone the first time as he pressured me to do so and said he wouldn’t be available for my wedding  if I didn’t.  When I called to tell him that I won’t be using him for my wedding after reading his reviews, he became irate and said it is non-refundable then hung up the phone on me.  This man needs to be stopped and all brides should stay clear of him.

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