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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There are several stories here:

1. In 2002, two former St. John’s Prep School students brought claims of sexual abuse against Br. Phillips. Br. Phillips allegedly fondled both of these victims, and sodomized one of the victims with his thumb. St. John’s Abbey settled these two claims of sexual abuse (and possibly several others) against Br. Phillips.

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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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“We use the word “community” quite a bit in places like ours but forget its most elemental meaning – caring for each other.” – Blog Entry by Fr. Tim Backous, September 2, 2009

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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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(Fox 9) ST. PAUL, Minn. – A man who says he was sexually abused by an instructor at St. John’s Preparatory School in Collegeville is filing a Ramsey County lawsuit against the school, the religious order of monks that runs it, and his alleged abuser.
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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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Today (November 10, 2009) marks the seven year anniversary of Joshua Guimond’s disappearance from the St. John’s University campus in Collegeville, Minnesota.
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Press Release [ View as PDF ]

October 29, 2009 Press Release – “Justice for Josh” March

* Joshua Guimond disappeared while at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN in 2002.
* November 7, 2009 is the inaugural “Justice for Josh” march and will take place at noon.
* St. John’s recently denied a request by the Guimond family to mark the anniversary with an on-campus walk to raise awareness, claiming such an event “would not be productive”.
* The seven year anniversary of Joshua’s disappearance is November 10th.
* Supporters will meet near St. John’s University at noon, followed by a march at the Stearns County Sheriff’s office at 2pm.
* Several facts and new information regarding Joshua’s disappearance will be made public during the event.
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Dear Oblates of St. John’s:

Many, many thanks for your generous gifts—both from the summer and now from your
Advent Retreat—that I can put to use to buy flowers & other décor for the Abbey Retirement
Center Chapel & Dining Room. (more…)

“Saint John’s is pleased to announce that the most ambitious capital campaign in its history, One Generation to the Next, has come to a successful close, bringing unprecedented support and new opportunities for current and future generations of students, faculty and scholars.”

Link: http://www.sjualum.com/supportSJU/campaign/Pages/default.aspx

Total Raised: $168 Million

Webmaster’s Note:

Amount raised to assist victims of predator monks/employees: $0
Amount raised to tighten security on predator monks/employees: $0
Amount raised to raise awareness about predator monks/employees: $0

Special thanks to Abbot John Klassen for delaying the announcement of monk offenders.

Three new names added to “The List”: Othmar Hohmann, Cyril Gorman, Anthony Ruff

Regarding Bruce Wollmering… we have received information regarding harassment claims against Wollmering and his dismissal from the University. The Abbey and University allegedly covered up the harassment claims, failed to report the claims to the proper authorities and allowed Wollmering to stay on as an instructor, then resign at the end of the semester. Wollmering has also allegedly admitted to relationships with at least three university students.
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SHOREVIEW – A national support group for people molested by clergy plans to pass out leaflets in protest today outside a Shoreview church where a Collegeville monk worked for two years.
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After a new search of its files, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has found records indicating that a man did come forward eight years ago alleging he was abused as a teenager in the 1970s by the Rev. Michael Bik, before the priest was ordained.
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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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In 2002, under pressure of publicity and threatened lawsuits, the Abbey finally acknowledged “creditable accusations” of abuse – enacted over decades – against 13 monks. Anxious to keep the cases out of court, it negotiated a settlement with the victims’ lawyer that avoided the criminal justice system. Patrons of the first handwritten and illuminated Bible since the invention of the printing press now function under the eye of a lay watchdog panel.
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The Times Editorial Board has called on the St. John’s Abbey External Review Board to “share with the public what they know, their opinions on whether (Pat) Marker’s claims have veracity and if abbey leaders did do all they could to protect potential victims. (Times Our View “Abbey needs to address allegations with public,” Aug. 25.)
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Members of a church sex-abuse survivors group will distribute pamphlets at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Anoka on Sunday morning informing parishioners that a former teacher of the parish school was recently identified as an accused abuser.
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A former Minnesota man who was a 1983 victim of sexual abuse at St. John’s Preparatory School in Collegeville, MN is challenging local Catholic officials to explain why they shared a nine year silence about abuse allegations against a priest. He is also requesting that leaders with the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and St. John’s Abbey take immediate steps to notify all potential victims of the cleric and former teacher.
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The latest round of sexual misconduct allegations involving Catholic clergy with ties to Central Minnesota hinges on two very familiar themes – truth and trust.
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COLLEGEVILLE – A former St. John’s Preparatory School student launched a Web site Wednesday to help molestation victims and challenged Catholic officials in a letter to defend delays in notifying potential victims.
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BehindthePineCurtain.com was launched by Pat Marker in 2002 as the “Abuse Disclosure Project.” It was taken down by the former St. John’s Preparatory School student and clergy molestation victim when he joined the St. John’s Abbey external review board. Marker resigned from the board Friday. The Web site was relaunched Wednesday under a new name, billed as a resource for people interested in the history of sexual abuse and misconduct in Collegeville.
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In 1997, the Archdiocese and Abbey learned of allegations of sexual abuse against Fr. Michael Bik. The public and potential victims should have been notified. They were not and Fr. Michael Bik continued his work at St. John’s Prep School.
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