According to an email sent by Aaron Raverty on August 2nd:

“In our continuing effort to be responsible and to clarify our position and use of terminology, the abbey’s response team, in cooperation with legal counsel, has written this “Statement on the Legal Status of Accused Monks” that will be posted on the abbey website.”

Two days after it was put up, however, Michael Ford’s statement was removed from the St. John’s Abbey web site.

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“As long as St. John’s has this man on the payroll, I will no longer give my money to St. John’s,” Busch wrote. “I will not support lies and false statements and half truths about anyone.”

[Webmaster's Note: This quote is not about Abbot John Klassen, Prior Tom Andert or any of the offending monks and other personnel at St. John's Abbey, St. John's University or St. John's Prep School in Collegeville, Minnesota. Perhaps if more people withheld money for legitimate reasons [ Like this Alum ] , the Abbey would fully disclose the crimes committed by its members and representatives, and reach out to victims.]

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COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — Liturgical Press recently published Demythologizing Celibacy: Practical Wisdom from Christian and Buddhist Monasticism by Father William Skudlarek OSB. In September 2007 the Abbot Primate appointed Father William, a monk of Saint John’s Abbey, General Secretary of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Drawing on the monastic interreligious dialogue, Father William considers the Buddhist view of celibacy, which is not mythologized as a response to a divine call or as a superhuman way of life. He examines their regard for it as simply — and profoundly — a path to freedom, peace, and happiness. As Christians become aware of the benefits of celibacy for monks who observe it without reference to the Gospel, they may be able to appreciate all the more its importance and value for those who wish to follow Christ as celibates, and in this way come to share in the freedom of the children of God.
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From September, 2006:

Marker: “Extensive research shows more monks will be named and more victims will come forward”
Klassen: “That is totally an unfounded, false statement. I mean false”

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COLLEGEVILLE – A member of the St. John’s monastic community continued to work at St. John’s Preparatory School for five years after he was accused of sexual misconduct.
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COLLEGEVILLE (AP) – The Rev. John Eidenschink, a former St. John’s abbot who admitted he sexually abused two abbey monks, has died.
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In the wake of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic church, diocese across the country have set up policy review boards. Two boards in central Minnesota are beginning their work, one at St. John’s Abbey and the other at the St. Cloud Diocese. Their purpose is to monitor the church’s policies and response to sexual abuse. Church officials say the boards have been thoughtfully developed. They say many have a mix of non-Catholic as well as Catholic members, abuse victims and law enforcement officials. But victims’ rights groups are less optimistic. They doubt the review boards will have the power to make any real change in church policy.
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In this season of hope, we once again prepare ourselves to show hospitality to Jesus, who is born into our world as the Christ and the Prince of Peace. “Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth!” In a world that continues to be filled with the joys and sorrows of the human condition, God invites us to rise above the noise of life and to make a place in our hearts for this powerful message. Then we will find in the new year a greater realization of the promise of that holy night.
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Brother Isaac Connolly, a former dean of students at St. John’s University, took a leave from the St. John’s Abbey after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced this spring, the campus community learned Wednesday.
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Catholics around the country learned new things about their communities when clergy sex abuse cases received fresh attention this spring. One small parish in central Minnesota discovered that in one 30-year span, three of its clergy turned out to have records of sexual abuse. All three had come to them from nearby St. John’s Abbey. Today the men live at the abbey, where they are stripped of their priestly duties and restricted in their daily routines. No new victims of sexual abuse have come forward in St. Joseph, but the case raises new questions about the safety of parish children during those years.
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Two St. John’s Abbey priests on restriction for sexual misconduct have stepped down from abbey jobs in which they interacted with the public, an abbey official confirmed Tuesday.
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Note: The following letter was written by Father Allen Tarlton, a monk at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, MN. The letter was sent to the members of the Abbey’s Oblate Program. Included with the letter from Tarlton was a letter of support from Abbot John Klassen. Abbot Klassen knew, when he wrote his letter, that Father Tarlton had more than the one victim (read victim’s statement). In fact, at the time this letter was written, Tarlton was known to have had acted inappropriately with at least six University and Prep School students. That number is now over a dozen. The Abbey has settled complaints with several of Tarlton’s victims.
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Note: The following letter was written by Abbot John Klassen, in support of Allen Tarlton and a letter Tarlton wrote to the members of the Oblates program. Abbot Klassen knew, when he wrote his letter, that Father Tarlton had more than one victim. In fact, at the time this letter was written, Tarlton was known to have had acted inappropriately with at least six University and Prep School students. That number is now over a dozen. The Abbey has settled complaints with several of Tarlton’s victims. The Abbot also knew that other claims made in Tarlton’s letter were inaccurate.
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COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — For decades, there were dark secrets behind the walls of the monastery. But now Abbot John Klassen wants to make it clear the abbey will no longer follow a code of silence on allegations of sexual abuse by monks.
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COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — Thirteen to 15 monks or priests live and work under restrictions at St. John’s Abbey after being accused of or admitting to sexual abuse, the abbot for the monastery said.
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Since his election as Abbot in 2000, Abbot John Klassen, OSB, has continued the Abbey’s commitment to openness and asserted his determination to assure that “no remnants of the veil of secrecy remain.”

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The revelation that a former St. John’s abbot committed sexual abuse in the 1970s rocked the local community this week and left the monastery in a state of shock.
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James Wiseman: Dan, you rightly said that monasteries can be places of healing or hiding and are probably a little of both. I think that you could perhaps help us answer Chodron’s question from the first session this morning, in one respect, at least. I very much admired your own community, because when sexual abuse scandals hit St. John’s about ten years ago your abbot and your community did not sweep it under the rug, but started an institute to help people deal with this abuse. Could you say a little bit about the work and how helpful and effective you have found it to be?
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Br. Isaac Connolly, dean of students and director of residential life, is on an administrative leave for the 2000-01 academic year. During the year, Br. Isaac will be visiting other college and university residence life programs to study residential learning communities. In Br. Isaac’s absence, his responsibilities are divided among other staff members as noted below.
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