Category Archives: Jerome Thiesen

Fr. Allen Tarlton… Abbot Theisen Knew in 1979

We received documents this evening showing that, in 1993, Abbot Jerome Theisen claimed that Fr. Otto Weber reported abuse by Fr. Allen Tarlton in 1979.

More Deception from St. John’s Abbey [re Schulte]

At least four claims made in the St. John’s Abbey “Statement on Father Francisco Schulte” (May 18, 2010) [ View ] are blatantly false or contradict other statements made by the Abbey:

NC brothers claim abuse by monk, sue Minn. order

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two brothers who say they were sexually abused by a priest affiliated with a Minnesota abbey filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the religious order that runs the abbey and its preparatory school, as well as their … Continue reading

Abbey Statement on Father Francisco Schulte

From that time through June of 2002, Father Francisco was living at Saint John’s Abbey with “prudent, non-risk” limitations on his ministry.

1985 Dunstan Moorse Abuse Incident

[Victim] is now 22 years old and his date of birth is [Date]. He went to St. Johns Prep School and graduated from there in June of 1986. In the beginning of his senior year he was having some concerns … Continue reading

Letter from Richard Sipe

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 … Continue reading

A Letter from Abbott John Klassen, O.S.B. ’67

Last June I pledged to you to do all in my power to lead Saint John’s monastic community through a period of healing and reconciliation, and all 183 of our confreres joined me in that pledge. Because you are an … Continue reading

Decades Of Abuse And Secrecy At St. John’s Abbey

As allegations of sex abuse and coverup in the Catholic Church shook the nation this year, St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., confronted its own dark past. Former students came forward, some for the first time, to talk about what … Continue reading

Lawsuit Widens Claims of Abuse

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.

Accused Priest Transferred To Benilde

Documents from St. John’s Abbey show that a priest accused of sexually abusing students was transferred to teach at a Twin Cities parochial high school in the late 1980s.

Report: Documents Show Abbot Transferred Accused Priest to School

The former abbot of St. John’s Abbey knew it was a risk to transfer a priest accused of sexually abusing students to a teaching position at a Twin Cities school, internal abbey documents show.

St. John’s Abbey let priests keep post after allegation

St. John’s Abbey was told in the late 1980s that the Rev. Richard Eckroth had allegedly sexually abused a boy years earlier.

Clergy Sexual Abuse at Saint John’s Abbey and in the Catholic Church

“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.” – [Webmaster’s Note: This is not true.]

Former Abbot Abused 2 Monks

The Rev. John Eidenschink, former St. John’s abbot, has admitted that he sexually abused two abbey monks, one before he was elected abbot in 1971 and another during his eight-year tenure, current Abbot John Klassen said Friday.

Abbot John Klassen – Letter to Friends and Constituents

Dear Friends of Saint John’s, The last months have been filled with painful stories about sexual abuse committed by priests and religious. The fact that the stories are most often about events which occurred years, even decades ago, does not … Continue reading

Homily for the Funeral of Jerome Theisen

The picture given to us of God by Jesus in the gospel we have just heard is the picture reflected in the very life of Christ himself, for Christ Jesus is the exact image of the invisible God through whom … Continue reading

How an abbot is elected

The Rule of Saint Benedict has a lot to say about the spiritual qualifications of an abbot. But this sixth-century guide to monastic life has less to say about the actual election process that will be followed as the monastic … Continue reading

Bittersweet News

Weather predictions for 19 September warned of the first killing frost of 1992. But abbey members were numbed by other factors, more deeply felt, as well.

Brother at St. John’s Abbey named in sex abuse lawsuit

A brother at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., has been accused of sexually abusing a young man who was a student in the prep school and St. John’s University in the 1980s.

Abbey to Continue Presence in the Bahamas

The Benedictine presence in the Bahama Islands engrossed the mo- nastic community once again during the annual week of retreat and renewal, 31 May to 5 June. With the close of this calendar year the apostolic administratorship of Abbot Jerome … Continue reading