Philly Priest’s Shocking “Altar” Ego
Father David Buffum led a double life as the host of a sexually explicit podcast. The Archdiocesan priest created sexually explicit and disturbing content under the name D.M. Zultowski while assigned at St. Katherine of Sienna in Philadelphia and SS. Peter and Paul in West Chester.
While composing homilies, Father Buffum was crafting a steaming pile of hypocrisy.We’ve linked one of his 2020 episodes below. It’s titled, ‘Porn and Blowjobs.’ Aside from presenting offensive material, an unnerving angry undercurrent runs through his monologue in this and other episodes.
Priest’s “Altar” Ego Homily Is a ‘Porn and Blowjobs’ Podcast Episode
Just recently, Kathy Kane and a couple of Catholics4Change moms discovered and quickly confirmed Buffum’s dual identity. Using a headshot photo, the priest promoted his online filth across social media platforms. Kane and the moms are organizing screenshots and screen recordings of the priest’s online activity during his active ministry.
This discovery calls into question the Archdiocese’s “improved” psychological screening for seminarians and priests. Buffum was ordained in 2019 after attending St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Does the Archdiocesan Office for Investigations use Google?
Kane shared the findings with the Archdiocese before publishing this post. Will parishioners finally be informed now that we have brought our findings public? How long has the Archdiocese known of Buffum’s depraved antics while in ministry? His photo using his alias was on multiple platforms, it did not take much effort to uncover the double life.
Buffum was assigned to St Katherine’s from 2019 to 2022. His assignment at SS. Peter and Paul began in June 2022 and ended in September 2023. This was his last known clerical assignment, and his name no longer appears in the Archdiocesan clergy directory.
Timeline of Father David Buffum as D.M. Zultowski
May 2019 – Archbishop Chaput ordains Father David Buffum, who graduated St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia after transferring from St. Joseph Seminary in Brooklyn.
June 2019 – Buffum is assigned to St. Katherine of Siena, Philadelphia
October 2020 – A Facebook page is created using a photo of Buffum and the name D.M. Zultowski. A podcast series titled “Story and Cocktail Hour” is launched using the same name. He pairs a cocktail with a perversion in each episode.
February 2021 – An Instagram account is created using the name D.M. Zultowski along with photos of Buffum. The self-proclaimed fan of horror, posts his artwork. Religious symbols appear in the disturbing images. There are inappropriate jokes and memes to lighten the mood.
June 2022 – Buffum is transferred to SS Peter and Paul in West Chester. His social media accounts remain active and he publishes a book under his pen name.
September 2023 – Buffum is no longer at SS Peter and Paul. His name disappears from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s clergy directory. The pastor of SS Peter and Paul posts a reflection in the parish bulletin. It is titled, “Not Another Kind of Clay,” and conveys priests are mere men and sinners. He closes with “please pray for your priests.” The reason for Buffum’s departure is unclear to parishioners.
2025 – The Archdiocese has not informed parishioners of Buffum’s obscene online activity during his ministry in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Podcast Episode
Profanity, perversion, and sexual themes. Please do not listen to the podcast within earshot of children.Podcast was recorded and posted in November 2020 using the name D.M. Zultowski. At that time Fr David Buffum was assigned to Katherine of Siena, Philadelphia.
Catholics4Change 
What screening? The vatican is ADAMENT that the only criteria for priesthood is male and breathing.
Am I surprised NO does it make me physically sick YES! Thank God for those women that checked him out and what a disgrace for the art should Philadelphia to not have checked on this pervert.. it never ceases to amaze me the ineptness, and the sheer callousness and depravity that this Archdiocese with no regard for children. I have posted for years on Catholics for change and I will continue saying till I am blue in the face. Your children are not safe in Catholic schools.
Kathy â¦.he is no longer a priest
Hi Sylvia, His last known assignment was September 2023> Nothing from the Archdiocese that we can find that he has been laicized. Also no leave of abscence listed, his name simply disappeared from the clergy list.
We’ll see a Diocesan act of swift disappearance to 0 explanation. I am triggered solely by one fast audible sick Podcast. A former victim to Survivor.. goal listening is “to hear BUFFUMs voice in a quiver” (nerves 0) quiver. An other comfort-able priest with 2 pairs of shoes. Perp G. Marsico much loved any stage show or bright-light performance and D. Buffam – same. Prankster-priest not turning water in to wine as ordained and sheltered to show. My disgust continues to this day their sheer gull to live one double-life.
He is still a predator.
Ages ago, Richard Sipe uncovered the pronounced psychosexual immaturity in seminarians and priests, and the clerical culture of secrecy and deceit. What is truly “profane” and a “perversion” is the ongoing clerical resistance to radical reform. The ultimate blowjob.
I firmly believe the Statute of Limitations (SOL’s) be removed completely as a law that protects the sexual predator and rapist.
I have started a FB page (Its So Obvious – Motivational Speaker) with this goal in mind as well as others and am looking to collaborate with many people and organizations in helping each other.
If anyone in this organization is interested in collaborating please reply to me on this email or IM me on my FB account.
Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Marilyn
While I have no intention to listening to his podcast, I suspect that if it had anything to do with the exploitation of children, you would have reported that fact. Instead, what you have reported on is an ex-priest and his non criminal but immoral past time. Had there been any criminal behavior, the archdiocese in its usual mode of self protection, would have reported this fact.
I suspect that someone simply stumbled upon the fact that Buffum and Zultowski are one and the same person. There is no crime here. Why would the archdiocese have investigated him if there were no complaints against him? If there had been complaints an investigation would have been done and if evidence of a crime was discovered then he would have been removed.
As it is, it appears that Buffum left active ministry of his own accord probably because he never had genuine faith from the start. It is all very sad….mostly sad for him….because he has jeopardized his own salvation. However, it appears that he harmed no minor or committed any crime. He has been gone from ministry for well over 16 months. There really is no story here.
It is a bit disturbing that you see no story here because while Buffum was in active ministry he posted the obscene podcasts as well as other disturbing content online. You don’t think his former parishioners deserve to know what was going on while he was the priest at their parish? If a local school principal retired but then was found to have had a disturbing on line presence while he was the principal, you don’t think people would want to know who exactly it was that had been running their school? I’ve already heard from former parishioners thanking us for the information. One said he was simply gone and she had no idea why. Do you know if there was an investigation or complaints? You can contact John Delaney at jdelaney@archphila.org to find out,but he won’t tell you.
And you are correct if the material we uncovered exploited children we absolutely would have reported, as we have a reported to Child Line and the local police over the past thirteen years.
Sorry you see no story here, the parents most likely feel otherwise. Actually you should take a listen to the podcast and then decide. I was actually quite shaken yesterday after listening to the obscene and demented series, knowing that he was assigned to two Archdiocesan parishes.
How can you see no story here? If my sons had been altar boys to this man, or if any of their Catholic school religion teachers had a pornographic online presence I would have reported that to the school or parish and made parents aware. Equating immorality with illegality is itself “obscene.” If his was a private penchant for adult porn, that’s one thing. But he was creating and distributing porn on multiple public platforms: blogs, videos, books. That is hardly the same thing. And, as any parent of teenage boys knows only too well, the online porn industry does contribute to harm of “children” … underage, impressionable, adolescents.
Mona, the podcast series is one of the most disturbing things I have ever listened to. He is now a writer of erotic horror. The book he published while in ministry was not erotic horror. It was something about a lonely priest who I believe finds love on a trip… I am going to order it to read to get further insight. The podcasts provide a peek into a very scary place that was his mind ANY parent would want to know this. His artwork was also disturbing, mixing horror with religious symbolism.
I suspect that if you listened to his podcasts you might think differently. I suspect if you had a child, a spouse or a friend who was exposed to his ministry while he created this content, you might think differently. But maybe not.