Broken Rites research has ascertained that Max Blumenthal (born in 1936) began his Catholic Church career in New South Wales as a member of the Marist Brothers (a religious order which provided reverend Brothers for Catholic schools); later (at the age of 38) "Brother" Max upgraded his career by becoming ordained as a priest ("Father" Max) to work in parishes. Father Max eventually retired from parish appointments. In February 2021, aged 85, he appeared in court charged by police with having indecently assaulted a young boy in the mid-1980s.The alleged victim, now a mature-aged adult, had recently contacted police.
The Broken Rites background research was based on two documents:
*The Marist Brothers' official list of all Brothers, who have ever worked (as a Marist Brother) in Australia, includes: "Maximus BLUMENTHAL, born 10 January 1936."
*A list of ordinations says that the date when Brother Max became Father Max was 20 April 1974. Father Max's parishes were in the diocese of Bathurst, which covers an extensive region in central western New South Wales. (The cathedral for this diocese is located in the city of Bathurst.)
On 19 February 2021, police arrested Max Blumenthal at a Sydney residence. He was taken to Sydney's Waverley Court, where the charges were filed with a magistrate.
Robert Maximus Blumenthal, 85, is charged with two counts of sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 10 and three counts of sexual intercourse with a person between 10 and under 16 who was under authority.
The case was adjourned pending further gradual steps in the NSW court system. Meanwhile, Max Blumenthal is released on bail.