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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During his junior year (1993-1994) at St. John’s Preparatory School in Collegeville, MN, [Victim] was dealing with issues at home, issues typical of a boarding school student, and the pressures of being a third generation Johnnie. In addition to these pressures, [Victim] was struggling with his sexuality and how to tell his parents that he was gay.
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Saint John’s Abbey was well represented at this Congress. Timothy Kelly, OSB, was there as the American Cassinese Congregation’s president. William Skudlarek, OSB, updated the Congress on thework of the Monastic Interreligious Dialog (MID). Michael Naughton, OSB, presented a report as the priorof Sant’ Anselmo. Anthony Ruff, OSB, and Francisco Schulte, OSB, served as simultaneous translators for German and Spanish/Italian presentations, respectively.
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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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ST. PAUL – The state Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a former St. John’s Preparatory School student who accused a St. John’s Abbey priest of sexual abuse.
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STATE OF MINNESOTA IN COURT OF APPEALS
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ST. CLOUD, Minn. – A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former St. John’s Preparatory School student accusing a St. John’s Abbey priest of sexual abuse, saying it was filed too late.
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* There was a misstatement in the article on St. John’s in Collegeville, Minn. (NCR, Dec. 13). I served as the first chair of the board of St. John’s Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institute in 1994-96. I did feel that the commission of the institute was eventually “compromised,” as the author notes, but certainly not because “one of the board members was an alleged abuser.” When I entered office I was fully aware that several of the board members were survivors of abuse and others were recovered offenders along with the health care professionals and pastoral theologians. I have unqualified and continued respect for the members of the board.
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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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The Rule of Saint Benedict teaches, “Receive everyone as Christ.” I am deeply sorry that some members of the Saint John’s monastic community have violated such a fundamental part of our commitment by engaging in abusive sexual behavior with people in our schools and parishes. They have not simply broken their vow of chastity, but have inflicted serious harm on their victims.
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St. John’s Abbey was told in the late 1980s that the Rev. Richard Eckroth had allegedly sexually abused a boy years earlier.
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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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from Abbot Timothy Kelly’s response to a Professor of the University:

. . . we try to stress three points:

1. Sexual abuse and sexual exploitation by monks are immoral and will not be tolerated within the Saint John’s community.
2. As a monastic community, we must support and care for victims and their families.
3. We cannot change the past, but we are doing everything possible to prevent abuse now and in the future. We hope to do even more as we learn more about sexual abuse and exploitation.

. . . What we have done is to face the issue squarely, answered truthfully and sincerely.

Addresses and Statements by Abbot Timothy Kelly, OSB
Saint John’s Abbot – 1990-2000