Since the “Meet the Monks” section [ View ] was launched in May, the 721 monk profiles have been viewed a total of 64,478 times.

The most “popular” monks in June and July:

1. Fr. Francisco Schulte (1479 Views)
2. Fr. Thomas Gillespie (1468)
3. Fr. Tom Andert (1367)

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Since 1961, St. Joseph Parish in St. Joseph, MN has been home to some of St. John’s Abbey’s most notorious perpetrators of abuse and misconduct. In addition to sending pedophiles and other deviants to the parish, the past two Abbots (Timothy Kelly and John Klassen) have misled the St. Joseph congregation on matters of abuse in their parish.

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At St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, several members of the Order of St. Benedict live under restrictions imposed by Abbot John Klassen. Some members faced with the possibility of restrictions have taken leaves from the order to consider whether they wish to remain members of the order. Klassen said in 2002 that as many as 15 monks or priests were on restriction at the abbey, including former Abbot John Eidenschink. Klassen last month declined an interview request from the Times to discuss the current state of the abbey and the monks on restriction.

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As a young boy growing up in St. Joseph, Minnesota and later, an an employee at St. John’s University and tutor at St. John’s Prep School, Daniel A Rassier had contact with several monks from St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota.

Pedophile priests Fr. Cosmas Dahlheimer [ More ], Fr. Brennan Maiers [ More ] and Fr. Tom Gillespie [ More ] all worked at the church in St. Joseph. Colleagues of Dan Rassier, including Fr. Bruce Wollmering, Fr. Michael Bik, Fr. Tom Andert and others [ More ] have also been accused of misconduct.

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Since the new “Meet the Monks” section [ Go There ] was launched earlier this month, visitors have viewed the 720 monk profiles a total of 21,563 times.

The most “popular” monks:

1. Br. Isaac Connolly (528 Views)
2. Fr. Michael Bik (476 Views)

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According to multiple sources, St. John’s Abbey’s offending monks:

- Br. Jim Phillips < - Sodomy; At least two victims
- Br. Andre Bennett <- Died 2007
- Fr. Cosmas Dahlheimer <- Died 2002
- Fr. Richard Eckroth
- Fr. John Eidenschink <- Died 2004
- Fr. Thomas Gillespie
- Fr. Brennan Maiers
- Fr. Finian McDonald
- Fr. Dunstan Moorse <- At least nine victims
- Fr. Allen Tarlton
- Br. Isaac Connelly
- Fr. Michael Bik
- Fr. Bruce Wollmering <- Died 2009
- Fr. Robert Blumeyer <- Died 1983
- Br. John Kelly <- In Twin Cities
- Fr. Francis Hoefgen <- In Twin Cities
- Fr. Francisco Schulte <- Fled to Rome in 1987 following abuse allegations. Taken off of restriction by Abbot John Klassen in 2003.
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St. John’s Abbey Benedictine establishment at Collegeville, MN, the largest Benedictine monastery in the western world, adjacent to St. John’s University and St. John’s Preparatory School. At least 14 of the abbey’s nearly 200 monks have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct.
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This article was completed on November 4, 2007. The former SJP student noted in this essay has vetted it along with the families involved. I quote them directly from their most recent statements and have reviewed my notes from the time of the first reports. This is an example of how complicated and long lasting are the effects of betrayal by the trusted. A sad aspect is the divided loyalties that gnaw at the hearts of good people. Secrecy feeds the fear, embarrassment and guilt for inappropriate clergy behavior. Catholic tradition records for centuries the problem of clerics who betray their trust and misuse their position of power. (Cf. Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes) Are there institutions of integrity and accountability to fight the problem from within?
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This letter was written September 30, 2007 to Lee Hanley, a public relations person at St. John’s and an old friend. I had received numerous complaints about my alma mater from around the country. I wanted it to get to the current Abbot who had appeared to be dedicated to improving monastic behavior by setting up an External Review Board to work with the monastery to help young people be safe. I hoped it might stave off some problems. It did not. This and the following article is a personal dialogue.

From: http://www.richardsipe.com/Dialogue/Dialogue-15-2007-09-30.html
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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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Accused clergy remain at St. John’s Abbey, schools Abbot releases information to end ‘culture of secrecy’ that aids abuse
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Webmaster’s Note: No mention of abuse in this obituary. There was an interesting statistic however: Over 250 novices and 35% of the current membership of the abbey learned from his words and example.
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A Minneapolis man who accuses St. John’s Abbey of “harboring pedophiles” has filed a court action demanding the removal of 11 monks and priests from St. John’s property.
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Its reputation for learning and liturgy, publishing and holiness, ecumenism and even bread-making are legendary and have grown over its 146-year existence, making St. John’s Abbey here — with its impressive abbey church and signature bell tower — a jewel in the Minnesota prairie landscape.
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Collegeville – An apology, validation and a promise to ensure sexual abuse won’t happen to another child or adult. These, for many survivors of clergy sexual abuse, are far more important than financial settlement.
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From baptism to first communion to weddings, Ray and Arlene Vogel marked their family’s milestones through their faith.

It defined the life they created in the house across the street from St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in St. Cloud.
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Under St. John’s policy, monks on restriction are to have no pastoral or teaching duties or unsupervised social contact with young people. They are not allowed to work in the prep school or university, use most campus facilities, or serve in parishes. They may not travel without permission. Some have been allowed limited travel.
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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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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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Minnesota’s Catholic bishops returned from Dallas with an explicit mandate to deal with sex abusers in the clergy. The “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” binds bishops around the country to the same “one-strike” policy.
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Declaring themselves victims of sexual abuse and claiming that St. John’s Abbey has covered up such abuse for decades, two former prep school students on Thursday sued the abbey and two priests already living under restrictions because of sexual misconduct.
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St. John’s Abbey officials have confirmed that a 14th member has been put on restrictions after being accused of sexual misconduct.
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COLLEGEVILLE – Stearns County Sheriff Jim Kostreba has asked St. John’s Abbot John Klassen to list the whereabouts from 1970 to 1990 of 13 Benedictine monks and priests accused of sexual misdeeds.
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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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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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