Who is Roger Haenke? On camera, San Diego pastor busted for allegedly messaging underage boys on Grindr

A San Diego subgenus pastor was busted by the aggroup People v. Preds for allegedly messaging who he believed were 14 and 15-year-old boys on Grindr. The group says online, “We catch online preds that prey on children.”

A video of Reverend Roger Haenke’s interaction with members of People v. Preds has surfaced online. The clip shows Haenke, with St. John's Episcopal Church, emerging from his home with his husband after being confronted. While Haenke thought he was chatting with teenage boys, he was actually talking to members of People v. Preds waiting to bust him.

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On camera, Haenke admitted that he used the gay dating app. However, on being asked how many underage boys he has been talking to, he smacked the camera away. As the pastor turned to go back into his home, the group vowed to share the chat log with the church.

According to St. John's Episcopal Church’s website, Haenke was born in Hastings, Minnesota and was raised in Rugby, North Dakota. He completed his BA in Business Administration with a concentration in Health Care, and later attended St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Haenke was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on June 1, 1991. Over the years, he served churches in Jamestown, Grand Forks, Fargo, and New Rockford, North Dakota.

“After much discernment, Rev. Roger decided to leave active ministry as a priest of the Roman Catholic Church. He attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN where he completed a B.S. In Nursing. Rev. Roger worked as a pediatric nurse, then as an administrator for the Pediatric Specialty Clinics at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and then similarly at Seattle Children's in Bellevue, WA,” the website says.

“While in Seattle, Rev. Roger was an active member at St. Mark's Cathedral, where he was received into The Episcopal Church. Rev. Roger moved to San Diego in July of 2008, where he has held nursing director positions for Sharp Healthcare, St. Paul's Senior Services and as a clinic director for Family Health Centers of San Diego. Rev. Roger currently teaches nursing at San Diego State University, and will continue doing so in a part-time capacity,” it adds.

The website explains that Haenke’s transition to the Episcopal Church in San Diego “was strengthened by his active ministry in St. Paul's Cathedral.” It adds, “After several years of discernment and preparation, Rev. Roger was received as an Episcopal priest in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego by Bishop James Mathes on May 26, 2017. While preparing to be an Episcopal priest, Rev. Roger completed an eight-month pastoral field education assignment at St. John's, Chula Vista.”

Haneke served a summer internship with St. Andrew's, Encinitas, before starting a curacy with Holy Cross, Carlsbad in September, 2017. In February 2019, he was named Interim Vicar of Holy Cross. He was later also elected to the diocesan Executive Council.

The website says that Haenke “has a passion for walking with others on their journey of faith” and is “constantly in awe and celebrates with joy the action of the Divine in people's lives.”

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