The pants had to come down a bit “so you can see yourself better”. I could tell by his breathing he was masturbating–I couldn’t see him because of the mirror. There was no genital touching but he did touch my lower stomach area.

[Webmaster's Note: Source requested anonymity. Information was provided via email and a phone conversation. Father Dominic Keller was a drama coach and professor from 1926 to 1973. He was also a member of the Associate Board of Trustees. Keller died in 1978.]

[Webmaster's Note: The Resource Center for Religious Institutes (RCRI) and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) share a small building in Silver Springs, Maryland. Rev. Dan Ward, an outcast monk from Saint John's in Collegeville, Minnesota runs the RCRI. At least four men have come forward with accusations of misconduct by Rev. Dan Ward. View ]

Vatican orders crackdown on US nun association

The Vatican orthodoxy watchdog announced Wednesday a full-scale overhaul of the largest umbrella group for nuns in the United States, accusing the group of taking positions that undermine Roman Catholic teaching on the priesthood and homosexuality while promoting “certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”

An American archbishop was appointed to oversee reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which will include rewriting the group’s statutes, reviewing all its plans and programs — including approving speakers — and ensuring the organization properly follows Catholic prayer and ritual.

The Leadership Conference, based in Silver Spring, Md., represents about 57,000 religious sisters and offers programs ranging from leadership training for women’s religious orders to advocacy on social justice issues. Representatives of the Leadership Conference did not respond to requests for comment.

The report from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the organization faced a “grave” doctrinal crisis, in which issues of “crucial importance” to the church, such as abortion and euthanasia, have been ignored. Vatican officials also castigated the group for making some public statements that “disagree with or challenge positions taken by the bishops,” who are the church’s authentic teachers of faith and morals.”

Church officials did not cite a specific example of those public statements, but said the reform would include a review of ties between the Leadership Conference and NETWORK, a Catholic social justice lobby. NETWORK played a key role in supporting the Obama administration’s health care overhaul despite the bishops’ objections that the bill would provide government funding for abortion. The Leadership Conference disagreed with the bishops’ analysis of the law and also supported President Barack Obama’s plan.

Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, said in a phone interview that the timing of the report suggested a link between their health care stand and the Vatican crackdown. The review began in 2009 and ran through June 2010, a few months after the health care law was approved. The report does not cite Obama or the bill.

“I can only infer that there was strong feeling about the health care position that we had taken,” Campbell said. “Our position on health care was application of the one faith to a political document that we read differently than the bishops.”

When the Vatican-ordered inquiry was initially announced, many religious sisters and their supporters said the investigation reflected church officials’ misogyny and was an insult to religious sisters, who run hospitals, teach, and play other vital service roles in the church. Conservative Catholics, however, have long complained that the majority of sisters in the U.S. have grown too liberal and flout church teaching.

Around the same time of the doctrinal review of the Leadership Conference, the Vatican ordered an Apostolic Visitation, or investigation, of all American congregations for religious sisters, looking at quality of life, the response to dissent and “the soundness of doctrine held and taught” by the women. The results of that inquiry have not been released.

The report released Wednesday paints a scathing portrait of the Leadership Conference of Women’s Religious as consistently violating Catholic teaching.

Investigators cited a speech by Sister Laurie Brink at an annual assembly that argued that religious sisters were “‘moving beyond the church’ or even beyond Jesus.” Brink is a professor at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She did not respond to an email request for comment.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the Leadership Conference had submitted letters that suggest that sisters in leadership teams “collectively take a position not in agreement with the church’s teaching on human sexuality.”

In programs and presentations, investigators noted “a prevalence of certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”

“Some commentaries on ‘patriarchy’ distort the way in which Jesus has structured sacramental life in the church,” the authors of the report wrote. The investigation also found that while the Leadership Conference has emphasized Catholic social justice doctrine, the group has been “silent on the right to life from conception to natural death, a question that is part of the lively public debate about abortion and euthanasia in the United States.

The reform will be managed by Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain and could stretch over five years.

Nick Cafardi, a canon lawyer and former dean of Duqesne Law School, said he has worked over the years with many nuns and that the description in the report does not reflect his experience with them. Cafardi is an Obama supporter.

“I don’t know any more holy people,” Cafardi said of American religious sisters. “I see a lot more holiness in the convents than I see in the chancery.”

Source… Here

Vatican orders crackdown on US nun association
Rachel Zoll
The Associated Press
April 20, 2012

1. ”During my visit, I spent the night in a guest room at the monastery. The night of my stay, Fr. Ward entered the guest room while I was in bed. After some conversation Fr. Ward walked over, sat on the edge of my bed and kissed me on the mouth for an extended and altogether uncomfortable period of time.”

2. “As he kissed me, I also felt him rub his obviously aroused genital area against me. I had never been kissed or touched by a man in this way before, and it was repulsive to me. And I could not understand what prompted it.”

3. “When I reported the situation to Abbot Kelly he listened but then dismissed me saying I was over exaggerating and it would all pass by… I could not believe this as I was consoled by another monk at the time and he had told me that Kelly had known about Ward from a previous case had done nothing about it.”

4. Fr. Dan Ward believed that a well-rounded and mature monastic needed to have an open-minded view of sexuality. The conversation started to become more physical as he began to be aroused by the topic. I rejected his advances and strong sexual initiatives. I immediately left his room and went and got sick. The next morning I went to see XXXXXX and told him of the incident. His response simply was to get over it that Father Ward has great power … and if I wish to continue being a monastic I would just have to accept his behavior.

[Webmaster's Note: The Resource Center for Religious Institutes (RCRI) and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) share a small building in Silver Springs, Maryland. Rev. Dan Ward, an outcast monk from Saint John's in Collegeville, Minnesota runs the RCRI. At least four men have come forward with accusations of misconduct by Rev. Dan Ward.View ]

Vatican blasts American nuns, calls for reforms

(CNN) – The Vatican is turning up the heat on a group of nuns it says are operating outside of the Roman Catholic Church’s doctrines.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, the church’s doctrinal watchdog, on Wednesday announced the conclusion of a years-long “doctrinal assessment” investigation of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents 80% of the Catholic nuns in the United States.

The “assessment reveals serious doctrinal problems,” said the report, which called for major reforms.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith appointed Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle to institute those reforms.

The report singled out a Washington, DC social justice group called Network, which is run by nuns and the Resource Center for Religious Institutes, which assists members with financial and legal resources.

The Vatican report, made public by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the doctrinal assessment began in part because of the group’s dissent on the Holy See’s teaching on the ordination of women and human sexuality. The Catholic Church ordains only men to be priests and says sex is to be reserved for between a man and woman who are married in the eyes of the church.

The assessment said that a Leadership Conference of Women Religious conference yielded “manifest problematic statements and serious theological, even doctrinal errors,” that went unchallenged. It also said the event promoted “radical feminism”and decried the “prevalence of certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith in some programs and presentations sponsored by the LCWR…”

While the assessment praised the social justice work of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Network and the Resources Center for Religious Life, it said the groups were “silent on the right to life from conception to natural death” and on the Church’s view on “family life and human sexuality.”

The report also took note of public statements from the nuns that opposed the Catholic Bishops. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious and Network vocally disagreed with the Bishops’ conference’s position on the Affordable Care Act, which they supported and the Bishops did not.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith called the current doctrinal and pastoral positions of the groups “grave and a matter of serious concern,” because of the global influence of the groups.

Pope Benedict XVI approved the request from the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith to intervene and the implementation of their recommended changes, the doctrinal office said in its assessment.

Some of the changes to come include a revision of the LCWR statutes, a review of programs including their annual general assembly, and a review of their ties with Network and Resource Center for Religious Institutes.

Cardinal William Levada, a former Archbishop in the United States and now the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, said in a statement that the the Vatican process is aimed at “fostering a patient and collaborative renewal of this conference of major superiors in order to provide a stronger doctrinal foundation for its many laudable initiatives and activities.”

The sisters, for their part, expressed surprised at the findings. “Because the leadership of LCWR has the custom of meeting annually with the staff of CDF in Rome and because the conference follows canonically-approved statutes, we were taken by surprise,” the Leadership Conference of Women Religious said in a statement.

“This is a moment of great import for religious life and the wider church,” the statement continued. “We ask your prayers as we meet with the LCWR National Board within the coming month to review the mandate and prepare a response.”

Vatican blasts American nuns, calls for reforms
By Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor

News Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Michael Hemesath, professor of economics at Carleton College, has been appointed the 13th president of Saint John’s University by the university’s Board of Regents. He will begin his official duties on July 1, 2012. A 1981 SJU graduate, Hemesath is the first lay president in the 155-year history of the institution.

“The selection of a lay president represents a new era in the long history of Saint John’s University, yet I want to emphasize the continuity that will be at the heart of this transition,” Hemesath said. “A Saint John’s education has been transformative for generations of young men precisely because of the Catholic Benedictine heritage that makes this institution a rare and wonderful gift to higher education. The privilege of serving as Saint John’s 13th president is both tremendously exciting and humbling. The Saint John’s community both shaped and shapes me, and it is a rare gift to be able to lead my alma mater through this important transition in the relationship between the monastery and the university.”

Hemesath, 53, graduated summa cum laude from SJU with a degree in economics and received his master’s and doctorate in economics from Harvard University. He has been on the economics faculty at Carleton since 1989 and has served as faculty president since 2009. Before coming to Carleton, he was on the faculty for two years at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. His wife, Elizabeth, teaches in the religion department at St. Olaf College, and they have a son, Cameron.

“I was reminded throughout the search process of the many groups who care deeply about this place, this institution, from the members of the monastic community, to the many alumni around the world, to the staff and faculty and the student body,” Hemesath said. “It is clear that I will have exceptional support from the community as we build a strong and vibrant future for Saint John’s.”

“The Board selected Dr. Hemesath because he is passionate about Saint John’s University’s ability to transform young men’s lives through its commitment to the liberal arts and its embodiment of Benedictine values, and because of his outstanding background as a scholar and faculty leader at Carleton College,” said Ann Huntrods, chair of Saint John’s Board of Regents. “Dr. Hemesath is uniquely qualified to lead Saint John’s at this historic time. It is apparent that Dr. Hemesath understands the importance of the ties between the university and the abbey even as their relationship evolves.”

In addition to teaching micro and macroeconomics, Hemesath teaches courses on international economics, Soviet and post-Soviet economics and health economics. His research interests focus on the challenges facing the former communist countries as they reform their political and economic systems. This research has taken him to Russia and given him the opportunity to teach in the master’s degree program at Kiev-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Hemesath participated in the Pew Fellowship in International Affairs at Harvard in 1990-91, and has been using cases in his courses ever since. Hemesath is currently the director of EthIC, the Ethical Inquiry at Carleton program. The program is designed to develop curricular and co-curricular activities that encourage the exploration of ethical issues throughout the Carleton community.

Hemesath is also deeply committed to off-campus studies programs. He has directed three Associated Colleges of the Midwest programs in Krasnodar, Russia, and has been faculty director for Carleton’s Economics Seminar at Cambridge University five times, most recently in summer of 2007.

“On behalf of the Saint John’s community, I extend a warm welcome to Dr. Hemesath,” said the Rev. Robert Koopmann, OSB, 12th president of Saint John’s University. “I am confident he possesses the personal skills and professional experience needed to lead this great institution. He brings with him a thorough understanding of contemporary higher education and a deep appreciation for the Benedictine values that are so important to our community.”

“I am delighted that Saint John’s University has chosen Dr. Hemesath as its next president, and I am eager to begin our partnership in leading these two great institutions,” said MaryAnn Baenninger, president of the College of Saint Benedict. “His background and qualifications are stellar. More importantly, he has high aspirations for SJU, as I do for CSB. I believe that together our leadership will guarantee a bright future for CSB/SJU.”

Hemesath is the first layperson to be appointed to a full presidential term at Saint John’s University. Daniel Whalen ’70 served as interim president from 2008-2009.

News Release
Michael Hemesath named 13th president of Saint John’s University
April 10, 2012

According to abbey-roads.blogspot.com [ Link] the Naked Retreat [ Link ] has been cancelled.

Reported Email from Fr. Bob Pierson OSB:

Dear Mr. X: Thank you for your message. After reviewing the content of the retreat, it is clear that the program is not consistent with the purpose and mission of the Abbey Guesthouse. Therefore, the retreat has been cancelled.

Fr. Bob Pierson OSB
Guestmaster
St. John’s Abbey Guesthouse
PO Box 2015
Collegeville, MN 56321-2015

Abbey Guesthouse Screenshot

[Webmaster's Note: This is an update to our March 18, 2012 post [View] ”Students & Monks Invited to Touch” ]

A screenshot of the Abbey web site’s original post, however, is available (see below).

Information regarding the retreat is still available at the presenter’s web site… Here.

Abbey Guesthouse Screenshot

[Webmaster's Note: This is an update to our March 18, 2012 post [View] ”Students & Monks Invited to Touch” ]

“The retreat leader, Bob Pileggi (above), loves facilitating connection through presence practices – so that we can feel more fully alive, empowered to express ourselves, and connect authentically with others.”

CSB/SJU students & monks are invited to attend the retreat together.

Saint John’s Retreat Web Site… Here

When a Teacher of God Takes Off His Clothes… Here

Abbey Guesthouse Screenshot

[Webmaster's Note: This is an update to our March 18, 2012 post [View] ”Students & Monks Invited to Touch” ]

From Holy Wisdom Monastery… for disaffected local Catholics [ View ]

When the sisters disassociated from Rome, Bishop Morlino asked them to no longer celebrate Mass at the site so as not to cause confusion, said Brent King, a diocesan spokesman. “Many people had visited (the monastery) over the years, and the bishop felt it would take time for people to understand that it was no longer a Roman Catholic institution,” King said, adding the bishop “was in no way unfriendly toward their desire to start a non-Catholic ecumenical community.” 

From Brother Paul Richards, OSB on Sabbatical [ View ]:

The sisters have several connections to St. John’s including a long friendship with St. John’s University president Father Robert Koopmann, OSB, who spent his sabbatical at Holy Wisdom Monastery and has returned numerous times to give concerts. Brother Paul visited Father Koopmann when he lived at Holy Wisdom Monastery and came to love the rhythm of the day at the monastery, and the Madison area.

According to the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin [ View PDF ]:

Since Holy Wisdom Monastery is an ecumenical monastery without juridical status in the Roman Catholic Church, it should be clear that neither the liturgy, teaching, or governance at Holy Wisdom Monastery is part of the Catholic Church. 

From Ecumenical monastery in Wisconsin charts a new way [ View]:

Benedictine Fr. Dan Ward, the canon lawyer who handled legal matters, said the two Catholic nuns “risked a lot”–the risk of the hierarchy saying no, the risk of violating the tradition of the Benedictine order, the risk of misusing the resources they had. He also commended Smith “for the risk she took in sharing in the crazy vision of these women and then joining with them.”

From How to Leave the Church AND Keep the Deed [ View ]:

RCRI is an organization formed by the merger of two religious resource groups sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. At their National Conference on October 23, participating religious leaders will have the opportunity to attend a workshop called “Going Non-Canonical”. It will be led by the former sister from Wisconsin, Mary David Walgenbach, and Benedictine Father Dan Ward, the canon lawyer who helped the Benedictines of Madison quit the Church. 

Webmaster’s Note: Father Dan Ward, a Saint John’s Abbey monk and with multiple allegations of misconduct [ More ], now works in Silver Springs, Maryland.

[Webmaster's Note: According to a recent article [ View ] Br. Paul Richards and Fr. Robert Koopman have spent sabbaticals at Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Holy Wisdom Monastery provides church services for disaffected local Catholics

Alice Jenson’s faith took an irreversible turn six years ago.

It was Nov. 5, 2006, and she was contributing to Mass at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Madison as a lay person, reading Bible passages from the lectern.

The same day, Madison Bishop Robert Morlino required all priests to play a recorded message from him explaining his position on three issues state residents would vote on that week, including a ban on same-sex marriage, which he supported.

When the priest hit “play,” Jenson walked out.

“It was the first time I’d ever outwardly gone against what I was raised to follow,” said Jenson, 67.

She found a new religious home at Holy Wisdom Monastery, a former Roman Catholic monastery in the town of Westport, just outside Madison. Its Sunday service, offered by the sisters who live there, retains many elements of a traditional Catholic Mass but diverges in sometimes startling ways.

Women can lead the service and preach the sermon. Gay relationships are warmly embraced. All parishioners, not just Catholics, can consume the communion wine and bread because the service is ecumenical, meaning welcoming of all Christian traditions.

It’s an alternate universe of sorts — what some think a Catholic Mass might look like today if the liberal spirit of Vatican II in the 1960s had taken root and flowered.

“We’re doing what the hierarchical church was afraid to complete,” said Jim Green, a longtime Holy Wisdom parishioner who is gay and describes himself as “a Catholic in exile.”

The service, called Sunday Assembly, is attended by people from many denominational backgrounds but has become especially popular with Catholics displeased with Morlino or church doctrine in general. Membership doubled in five years to 335, and parishioners estimate a majority are Catholics who left their regular parishes.

Detractors say the parishioners strayed too far from Catholicism to warrant the label.

Approach evolves

Though many self-described Catholics attend Holy Wisdom, it’s no longer an official Catholic Mass.

A little history: In the 1950s, a group of Benedictine nuns opened a high school at the site for girls in the Madison Catholic Diocese. Benedictines belong to a monastic religious order regulated by the canon law of the Catholic Church. Masses at the site were led by Catholic priests, often provided by the diocese.

In 1966, the nuns closed the school and turned the buildings into a Christian retreat center. The sisters, spurred by the Benedictine tradition of hospitality, gradually made the service more inclusive to all Christians. Lay people, especially women, took on greater roles.

In 2000, the Benedictine sisters went a step further, welcoming a Protestant woman to live with them. “When we chose to open our community to Protestant women, it meant other doors closed,” said Sister Mary David Walgenbach, the monastery’s head.

The sisters sought independence from the Catholic Church, and the Vatican granted it in 2006. Consequently, they no longer are tied to the local diocese. They remain affiliated with a Benedictine federation, but they have a special status, not a full membership, because of their ecumenism.

Bishop’s request

When the sisters disassociated from Rome, Bishop Morlino asked them to no longer celebrate Mass at the site so as not to cause confusion, said Brent King, a diocesan spokesman.

“Many people had visited (the monastery) over the years, and the bishop felt it would take time for people to understand that it was no longer a Roman Catholic institution,” King said, adding the bishop “was in no way unfriendly toward their desire to start a non-Catholic ecumenical community.”

The sisters understood the bishop’s position and stopped calling the service a Catholic Mass in 2006, Walgenbach said. Priests ceased to lead the service.

Today, the sisters describe the Sunday Assembly as being “for the celebration of Eucharist,” a term most commonly used to refer to Catholic communion. However, Walgenbach said some Protestant churches also use it. To many people, the service still has the essence of a Catholic Mass.

“You wouldn’t know it wasn’t a Catholic church, except for the person officiating,” said parishioner Pat Hobbins-Kemps, 64. A lifelong Catholic, she said she left her regular parish partly out of a lack of opportunities for women to lead.

Finding a home

Trisha Day, 66, said she came to Holy Wisdom after growing tired of sermons that focused on politically charged issues such as abortion and homosexuality while saying little about social justice and the poor.

Jeanne Marquis, 68, found Holy Wisdom after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. “I needed someone to talk about forgiveness instead of retaliation,” she said. “I needed a place where I was encouraged to ask questions.”

Ann Baltes, 44, a lifelong Catholic, said she sought a place where she and her husband, Bill Rosholt, a Lutheran, could participate in communion together.

Are these parishioners still Catholic? The answers vary.

Jenson says she’s not. “Too much divides us.”

Day calls herself “a transitional Catholic,” unsure where she’ll end up. Green said his Catholic identity can’t be taken from him. “The church is the people of God, not the institution,” he said.

Joanne Kollasch, one of the three Benedictine sisters who live at the monastery, said she “is a Catholic and will remain a Catholic,” adding, “I don’t like to be thought of as less Catholic because I’m ecumenical.”

Said Walgenbach: “The Catholic spirituality is bigger than the Roman Catholic Church.”

Both sisters said they respect the Catholic Church and Morlino and don’t seek controversy.

Detractors

Syte Reitz, a member of Madison’s Cathedral Parish who blogs about Catholic issues, said disaffected Catholics are free to start their own churches, but they shouldn’t confuse people by suggesting they still are faithful Catholics.

“Does it matter whether they are errant Catholics or not Catholics?” asks Reitz. “No matter what we label them, the laws of right and wrong and of morality still stand, and they and others will suffer from the mistakes that they make.”

Reitz said because a male priest is not presiding over the Eucharist, the bread is not being turned into the body of Christ, thus depriving attendees of the Catholic Church’s central sacrament.

King, the diocesan spokesman, said for Catholics to fulfill their obligation to attend Mass on Sundays, they must attend a Catholic Mass validly offered by an ordained Catholic priest.

Does the Holy Wisdom service qualify?

“In charity, we must respond that it does not,” he said.

Holy Wisdom Monastery provides church services for disaffected local Catholics
Wisconsin State Journal
February 28, 2012

Source: http://host.madison.com/…

Rest and Relaxation at Holy Wisdom Monastery—Brother Paul Richards, OSB on Sabbatical

Balance.

How do we find balance in our hectic lives? One way is by taking a break from our ordinary lives, and going to a quiet, peaceful place. Many people come to Holy Wisdom Monastery in search of this peace and quiet and leave feeling rested and renewed. Brother Paul Richards, OSB is spending a sabbatical from his work at St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota, at Holy Wisdom Monastery from October 2011 until May 2012. And he is finding the rhythm of the day at the monastery provides him the rest and relaxation he is searching for.

Why does a Benedictine brother need a sabbatical? Doesn’t the Rule of Benedict highlight a balance of daily work and prayer? Then why does Brother Paul need a break from his work? As with any job, the stress and high demands placed on us can be draining, so a change of pace and a change of place is needed.

I talked with Brother Paul about his journey to community life, the work he does at St. John’s and what he is doing on his sabbatical. This is what I found out.

Were you always called to community life?

No.

“While I was a student at St. John’s, I was attracted to the monk’s life.”

Brother Paul grew up in northern Minnesota in the iron mining district with 13 siblings. He was interested in music and attended St. John’s University because of their strong music program.

He received his undergraduate degree from St. John’s University in choral music and a degree from the University of Iowa in conducting. He became a novitiate in 1978 at St. John’s Abbey and finished a 4 year trial period in 1982. He founded the St. John’s Boys’ Choir and directed the choir for 25 years, performing nationally and internationally.

In 2003 Brother Paul founded the St. John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps and currently serves as director. The mission of this Volunteer Corps is “to provide a student or alumnus of St. John’s University with nine to twelve months of volunteer service at a Benedictine monastery while he participates in the monastic life of that community, supporting the life and the apostolic work of the host monastery.”

In addition to directing the Volunteer Corps, he is the director of formation at St John’s Abbey, where 12 men are in formation, which is sometimes a high stress area of work.

Why did you come to Holy Wisdom Monastery?

To rest.

Brother Paul came here in search of rest from the demands of multiple jobs, and he is getting just that. The sisters have several connections to St. John’s including a long friendship with St. John’s University president Father Robert Koopmann, OSB, who spent his sabbatical at Holy Wisdom Monastery and has returned numerous times to give concerts. Brother Paul visited Father Koopmann when he lived at Holy Wisdom Monastery and came to love the rhythm of the day at the monastery, and the Madison area. When Sisters Mary David Walgenbach, Joanne Kollasch and Lynne Smith invited Brother Paul here for his sabbatical, he jumped at the chance. His days are filled with rest, prayer, exercise, bread baking, healthy eating, reading and community with the sisters and guests at the monastery.

“I’ve nurtured and nourished my spiritual life here and I hope to hang on to those things and keep doing them once I return to work.”

He’s also made significant progress in his job with the Volunteer Corps. During his sabbatical, he visited the Bahamas to help set up a volunteer site for next year and he is heading out this week to Africa to visit four of the current volunteers.

“One of the unexpected outcomes of my stay at Holy Wisdom is that in my capacity as director of the Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps, I am helping Belmont College in North Caroline start their own Benedictine Volunteer Corps. One of the sites where they hope to place volunteers is with the Benedictine women in Nairobi, Kenya. Sister Mary David opened that door.”

Sister Lynne told me that she also benefitted from having Brother Paul here. “I talked with him a couple of times about St. John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps, to exchange ideas from his experience with our ideas for the Benedictine Sojourner experience at Holy Wisdom Monastery.”

Brother Paul looks forward to returning to Holy Wisdom Monastery after his trip to Africa and continuing his quest for balance, so he can return to St. John’s energized and ready to jump back into his community life and work.

To learn more about the St. John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps visit www.sjbvc.org.

February 22, 2012

Rest and Relaxation at Holy Wisdom Monastery—Brother Paul Richards, OSB on Sabbatical

Source: http://benedictinewomen.org/2012/rest-and-relaxation-at-holy-wisdom-monastery-brother-paul-richards-osb-on-sabbatical/

Suit filed against former St. Joseph priest
James Urbanic acknowledges he ‘acted inappropriately’
St. Joseph News-Press
February 8, 2012

A civil suit has been filed against a former St. Joseph priest who was removed from public ministry last June.

The Rev. James Urbanic has been accused of molesting a boy in the mid-1970s at St. Francis Xavier, where he was the associate pastor, and at Bishop LeBlond High School, where he was a religion teacher. The victim was a student.

The priest was removed from active ministry by the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Missionaries of the Precious Blood after two victims, including the one who filed suit Wednesday, came forward with allegations that were found to be credible. In June, Rev. Urbanic acknowledged the abuse in a statement, stating “early in my priesthood I acted inappropriately.”

According to a statement from Rebecca Summers, spokeswoman for the diocese, Rev. Urbanic has since been under the supervision of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, a religious order for which he’s been a member since he became an ordained priest in 1971.

The civil suit against Rev. Urbanic was filed Wednesday in Buchanan County and names both ministries as plaintiffs.

Rev. Urbanic is alleged to have inappropriately touched the victim when he was 15, during one-on-one basketball games and in his rectory.

However, the victim has only recently put together fragmented memories of the alleged abuse.

“During one of these occasions, Fr. Urbanic invited him to lay on the bed so the Priest could admire his body,” the suit alleges. “Urbanic laid on the boy and fondled him, rubbing his body against the Plaintiff.”

The suit also claims officials allegedly knew of additional abuse and victims as early as 1975, but no action was taken.

Barbara Dorris, outreach director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said the victim is now in his mid-50s and lives out of state. The man decided to file suit even after Rev. Urbanic was suspended from the ministry to protect other potential past or future victims, she said.

SNAP is also calling on Bishop Robert Finn to come to Bishop LeBlond, a school that has employed two known “predator priests,” to encourage any potential victims to come forward.

“Actions are what protect the kids. We’re still right back at the beginning that this victim had to file a civil lawsuit to demand accountability,” Ms. Dorris said. “Finn’s a powerful man in this diocese. He can do these things.”

The diocese is encouraging any person who has information about sexual abuse of a child, either past or present, to make a confidential report to law enforcement and the ombudsman, Jenifer Valenti.

Rev. Urbanic also served at St. James in Liberty, Mo., and Sacred Heart in Warrensburg, Mo.

Source: http://www.newspressnow.com/news/30413209/detail.html

[Webmaster's Note: The following  piece appeared in the January 31, 2012 edition of the St. Cloud Times [ View].  More info regarding Gagliardi’s silence is available…. Here ]

Your Turn: Gagliardi Part of SJU’s Problem
St. Cloud Times
January 31, 2012

Last year, St. John’s University football coach John Gagliardi finally commented publicly on the topic of sexual misconduct (“Gagliardi shocked by Penn State scandal” — St. Cloud Times, Nov. 9.) Gagliardi was asked to comment because the alleged sexual abuse occurred at Penn State University, where Gagliardi’s friend and coaching legend Joe Paterno roamed the sidelines.

Gagliardi was reportedly “shocked” at the news and, when asked about suspect Jerry Sandusky, Gagliardi said he that did not know “if there was enough punishment in the world for a guy like that.”

Local allegations

Both comments seem fair until you consider that:

Penn State University, where Paterno coached, there is one suspected perpetrator (Sandusky) facing more than 50 charges of abuse.

St. John’s University, where Gagliardi coaches, there are 18 suspected perpetrators with (do your own math) allegations of abuse.

In April, St. John’s University Chancellor Abbot John Klassen released the names of 18 monks (members of the St. John’s Abbey monastic community) with credible allegations of sexual misconduct. The list, it is worth noting, did not include several other members of the St. John’s community (including other monks, visiting faculty and lay personnel) with credible, even published, allegations of sexual misconduct.

But for comparison’s sake, let’s call it 18.

Consider that each of the 18 men lived in a monastery attached to the building that houses the St. John’s University’s admissions department, several classrooms, a bookstore and the campus cafeteria which shared by students (high school and college), faculty, as well as children from sports and academic camps in the summer.

Each of the 18 monks on the list was on campus at some point during Gagliardi’s 59-year reign as football coach. At least seven of the 18 taught at St. John’s Preparatory School, where Gagliardi’s children attended high school. One of the men was chairman of the psychology department, another worked in the health center and at least two were resident advisers, living with male students in the college dorms. One even drove bus for the football team, according to a former player.

Nine of the men remain on campus. The published allegations against these nine include acts every bit as heinous and despicable as those alleged against Sandusky — perhaps even more so when one considers the spiritual adviser role assumed by the monks at St. John’s.

No comment

Gagliardi, however, has yet to make a public comment about the perpetrators who shared the St. John’s campus with his players, his children and now his grandchildren. The victims of these perpetrators, and the perpetrators themselves, deserve to hear from the most respected man in Collegeville that “there is not enough punishment in the world for guys like that.”

But Gagliardi hasn’t sent that message to the perpetrators at St. John’s. And he had an altogether different message for victims and their supporters.

In a published article about the death of Paterno last week, Gagliardi claimed that Paterno’s connection to the scandal was “undeserved” and that “the Pontius Pilate group hastened his death.”

Those who seek accountability, including victims and their supporters, are not a Pontius Pilate group, just as a legendary football coach is not Jesus.

Gagliardi demonstrated extremely poor judgment with his words and his unconscionable comparison. He has offended victims of sexual abuse and their supporters, further embarrassed an already tainted St. John’s community and, for far too long, has looked the other way when, like Paterno, he had a moral obligation to do more.

John Gagliardi should immediately apologize to victims of sexual abuse and, for the health and future of his St. John’s community, Gagliardi should step down as football coach. He has become part of the problem on a campus still searching for solutions.

This is the opinion of Patrick J. Marker, a graduate of St. John’s Preparatory School and a survivor of clergy sexual abuse.

January 31, 2012
St. Cloud Times
Original Article and Comments… Here

John Gagliardi Comments on Abuse (1067 Miles Away)
Posted January 24, 2012; Most Recent Update: January 31, 2012

Last week, Saint John’s University football coach John Gagliardi again spoke on the record about sexual misconduct.

The long history of sexual misconduct in Collegeville? No.

As he did back in November [ View ] , Gagliardi spoke about sexual misconduct at Penn State.

The first articles regarding sexual misconduct in Collegeville were made public in August of 1991. [ View ]

In the 20+ years since then, Gagliardi has never offered a public comment on the problems — and the victims — in his own back yard.

Literally (and figuratively)… Gagliardi’s own back yard.

Note: In this photo from approximately 1975, a group of children gathered outside John Gagliardi’s home. [ View ] For obvious reasons, we cannot disclose how many of the nineteen children in the photo were victims of sexual misconduct at Saint John’s.

But John Gagliardi has chosen to not address the misconduct issues so close to home.

Instead, in a TwinCities.com article [ View ] regarding the death of Joe Paterno, Gagliardi said:

“I don’t know why [Joe Paterno] even should have been connected to that thing (scandal). It’s sad he’s attached to that thing. I don’t know all the (facts). He wasn’t the guy, the culprit. I really feel pretty saddened about it.”

and

“I just wish they had not hastened his death with all the stress they heaped on him at the end. Underserved, I feel. It was a Greek tragedy, and the Pontius Pilate group hastened his death. He had to die of a broken heart.”

Don’t know why Paterno should have been connected? Undeserved? Greek tragedy? The Pontius Pilate group?

Note: Pontius Pilate is best known as the judge at Jesus’ trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus. [ Wiki ]

Did Gagliardi just compare Joe Paterno to Jesus, and those who thought Paterno should have done more to Pontius Pilate?

According to a January 24, 2012 Philadelphia Inquirer article [ View ] Gagliardi is “convinced that attempts on the part of some critics to link [Paterno] too closely to the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal are misguided.”

John Gagliardi is a great coach with an amazing resume.

John Gagliardi is also a hypocrite… and a coward.

In April of 2011, Saint John’s University’s Chancellor Abbot John Klassen released a list of eighteen monk offenders. [ View ]

Gagliardi knew many, if not all, of the men on the list. Brother John Kelly (after he was removed from the high school on campus for sexual misconduct) drove bus for Gagliardi’s football team… and the other seventeen worked in and around campus as teachers, nurses, resident advisors, and priests.

For decades, the monks and other personnel at Saint John’s propositioned and/or molested friends of Gagliardi’s children, his football players and other vulnerable targets on campus.

Note: At least two of John Gagliardi’s football players have reported sexual misconduct by monks from Saint John’s Abbey. Another player was propositioned by a visiting priest, on campus to teach a course at Saint John’s University.

Approximately 250 individuals have alleged some form of misconduct involving personnel from Saint John’s.

Note: Using the most conservative of estimates (based on three known reports) at least twenty of Gagliardi’s players have been victimized. A conservative estimate on the number of actual victims on campus is a staggering, almost unbelievable, number.

Few people believe that that Abbot Klassen’s list of eighteen monk offenders [ View ] is a comprehensive list of monk perpetrators.

In fact, Klassen’s list does not include the names of two monk offenders mentioned in a news conference the same day the letter was released. The list also does not include the names of several other monks who have had credible allegations made against them, including the current prior of Saint John’s Abbey — and big Johnnie football fan — Rev. Tom Andert [ More ].

The most shocking thing about Saint John’s list of eighteen monk offenders…

At least nine of the men on the list remain on campus today. [ View ]

How are these nine men supervised? See for yourself… Here.

Acts of misconduct allegedly perpetrated by these men include sodomy and masturbation of a minor.

In the Gagliardi household, however, there is a term for some of the people who brought allegations of misconduct against monks at Saint John’s.

They are called, “liars”.

According to one family member:

“XXXX is a liar and I know that for a fact”

“The story about XXXX are lies”

“the XXXXX are liars, I know for a fact”

This same Gagliardi family member also claimed that they knew even more about offending monk Rev. Allen Tarlton. “ohhhhhhhhh yes,” they commented in November of 2011.

They know even more??

Another Gagliardi family member commented, “Most of the people on the list I have been well aware of being pretty evil people.”

With whom have they shared all of this information?

Well, they shared the “liar” information with Abbot Klassen.  The same Abbot Klassen who covered up of the crimes committed by Rev. Bruce Wollmering because of the effect that making Rev. Wollmering’s name public would have on the capital campaign and enrollment. [ More ]

The information about Rev. Allen Tarlton and the concerns about bus driver Kelly, though?

What have the Gagliardis done with this information?

It is worth asking… What have John Gagliardi and his family EVER done to stop abuse, support the victims, and end the secrecy and silence regarding misconduct at Saint John’s?

Aside from an unconfirmed story that John Gagliardi, in the early 1980′s, met with the abbot to request that he “keep his monks away from my players”, there is no record or indication that Gagliardi has ever spoken out on behalf of victims and against sexual misconduct.

When Saint John’s University student Joshua Guimond disappeared in 2002, [ View ] the Gagliardis made no public statement. Guimond is still missing.

When abuse settlements were announced in 1992, 2002 and 2011, the Gagliardis were silent.

It is time for John Gagliardi to make a statement regarding the crimes and continued coverup of misconduct in Collegeville.

Either that, or shut up regarding the Penn State scandal and Joe Paterno.

Below is the original post from November 9, 2011. It was edited [ View ] out of respect for John Gagliardi and a family member who claimed his health was failing and the post “will kill him”.

It is time for Gagliardi to step down as coach, apologize for his recent comments, apologize for looking the other way for so many years, educate his family on the trauma of sexual abuse, insist that the monastery and university provide a full accounting of sexual and other misconduct, and provide a full accounting of his own knowledge of misconduct in Collegeville.

It is time to do the right thing.

May he then enjoy his family during his remaining days without the self-inflicted stress and guilt that Joe Paterno may have lived with during his final days.

Patrick Marker
BehindthePineCurtain.com
January 24, 2012

Updated January 26, 2012
Updated January 29, 2012

John Gagliardi’s Attention Misguided
Originally Posted November 9, 2011 

Gagliardi lives less than a mile from Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, home to over a dozen sex offenders. 250 children and vulnerable adults have been victimized within a mile of Gagliardi’s home.

And his first public comments regarding sexual misconduct were about Penn State?

“It’s just awful,” Gagliardi was quoted in the Saint Cloud Times [ View ], “Just awful. If they’re true, I don’t know if there is enough punishment in the world for a guy like that.”

[Update: Gagliardi also commented on the Penn State scandal... Here]

It is worth repeating… Gagliardi lives less than a mile from Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, home to over a dozen sex offenders. 250 children and vulnerable adults have been victimized within a mile of Gagliardi’s home. [ View ]

Gagliardi could have, but didn’t speak about the list of the eighteen offending monks that was released by Saint John’s Abbot John Klassen in April [ View ]. Each of the eighteen men on the list roamed the campus during Gagliardi’s tenure.

As a father and grandfather, Gagliardi could have spoken about the steps he took the first time he became aware of misconduct by the monks and other personnel on campus. Or the second time. Or the third time. He could have, but has never spoken publicly about the six offenders (Griffith, Kelly, Moorse, Schulte, Tarlton, Taylor) who worked at Saint John’s Preparatory School where his son attended from 1981-1985. [ View ]

Gagliardi could have, but did not speak out in support of at least two Johnnie football players whose lives and football careers were affected by sexual misconduct by monks on campus.

Gagliardi could have, but did not speak about his athletic department’s coverup of misconduct by Saint John’s monk Fr. Bruce Wollmering in 2003. [ View ]

Gagliardi could have, but did not speak out on behalf of the more than 250 victims of sexual misconduct in his own town of Collegeville, Minnesota.

Instead, Gagliardi spoke about sexual misconduct at Penn State University [ View ].

Gagliardi’s compassion for the victims and distain for the offender (Jerry Sandusky) at Penn State is commendable.

When will Gagliardi speak out in support of those victimized in Collegeville? And when will Gagliardi speak out against those men and women who have, and continue to cover up and enable misconduct to flourish in his own backyard?

There are two leaders in Collegeville: Abbot John Klassen and coach John Gagliardi, but not necessarily in that order.

Abbot Klassen has proven to be dishonest, deceptive and insensitive. Klassen is just another compromised monk in a monastic house built on compromise and held together with desperate public relations moves.

John Gagliardi has proven only to be silent… until now. And when Gagliardi finally spoke about misconduct, he spoke about a target 1067 miles away. His remarks were insensitive to the victims of misconduct in Collegeville.

Which reporter will have the guts to ask Gagliardi what he knows about the history of misconduct at Saint John’s? What did he do, and who is he holding accountable, to stop the misconduct at Saint John’s?

The threat has not passed. Those in leadership must do everything they can to protect children, students and other vulnerable targets.

To date, they have not.

The alleged misconduct took place on a houseboat during an overnight camping trip at Camp Foley.

More details will be available soon.

“That whole firing business, I thought that was a group of people who were acting like modern-day Pontius Pilates … the way the board handled it,” John Gagliardi says. “I’ve always admired Joe Paterno, and always will.”

The man who has coached at Division III St. John’s (Minn.) for 59 years — and earned a record 484 victories in 63 seasons overall — met Paterno just once, and the two corresponded only a few times beyond that. But theirs was a natural kinship.

They were born 50 days apart in 1926, Gagliardi in early November and Paterno shortly before Christmas, and both traced their ancestry to the southern Italian region of Calabria. On separate college campuses, they became marvels of their sport. For their success. And for the length of time they sustained it.
Paterno surpassed Eddie Robinson’s Division I record of 408 wins in his final game in late October. He was 84. Gagliardi won No. 409 in 2003. He had just turned 77, and would win the last of his four national championships — the first two in the NAIA, the next two in the NCAA’s D-III — at the end of that season.

Now 85, Galiardi and St. John’s are coming off a 6-4 season and their first back-to-back playoff misses since the late 1980s. The Johnnies’ final game, a 61-0 rout of Hamline (Minn.), came three days after Paterno was let go amid a sexual abuse scandal and series of dismissals and forced leaves at Penn State.
The coaches’ first contact came, as Gagliardi recalls it, when Paterno’s teams were going through a rough stretch in the early 2000s. He sent Paterno a supportive note: “Sort of like, ‘I’m sure you’ll come back.’ ”

Not until a national coaches’ convention in Nashville in January 2009 did they finally get together. After a presentation featuring Paterno and former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, Gagliardi was brought out to meet Paterno in front of a crowd of some 3,000 coaches. Dozens pressed the stage to take pictures with their cellphones.

“I had a chance to talk to him a little bit off stage. He had to fly back right away, but we exchanged a few notes,” Gagliardi says. “That was very nice. I enjoyed it.”

A photo of their meeting sits in his office today. Gagliardi sent a copy to Paterno shortly after the convention, cracking wise in an attached note: “A couple of southern Italians, and neither of us look a day over 80.”

When word came Sunday of Paterno’s death, “I felt pretty saddened about it, really,” Gagliardi says. “But I don’t know that I have the right to feel that way. He’s got family, and he’s got close friends. And every guy who ever coached for him, I’m sure, feels a very deep loss. I’m just kind of an outsider.

“The fact that our lives kind of paralleled each other since 1926 is kind of interesting. I always took it as a source of satisfaction, but I didn’t dare mention it to anybody. It sounds like bragging or something. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t ever want to push myself on going there, to (visit Paterno at) Penn State. I was tempted to do it, but I never did.”

So from a little more than 1,000 miles away, he followed Paterno’s late-career arc. Then, its stunning collapse. And finally, Paterno’s passing.

“It’s like a Greek tragedy,” Gagliardi says.

“I feel a deep loss. I don’t know how those people who condemned him feel. They should feel horrible.”

Contributing: Thomas O’Toole

Paterno contemporary feels ‘pretty saddened’
January 24, 2012
Steve Wieberg
USA TODAY

THE OBITUARIES have it wrong. Joe Paterno, the Penn State coaching legend who was 85 when he died Sunday morning of complications from lung cancer, was not the last dinosaur of his profession. He was not the last of his kind.

In Collegeville, Minn., a picturesque hamlet located 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis, there is someone whose accomplishments as a football coach and as a nurturing mentor to his players rival that of JoePa, and in some instances are even more astounding. His name is John Gagliardi, and he is the winningest college football coach of all time. It’s just that this other octogenarian icon (Gagliardi, 85, was born 50 days before Paterno) has done his winning at the NAIA and NCAA Division III levels, for the most part out of the glare of the national spotlight.

But while Paterno’s 409 victories is a Division I record that probably never will be broken, it’s even more certain that Gagliardi, for 63 years a head coach, the last 59 of which have been at St. John’s University, has set the bar so high – his career mark is 484-133-11, and he’s still active – that no coach could come remotely close to it. If Gagliardi sticks around through the 2013 season, he conceivably could become the first member of the 500-win club, of which he no doubt would be the only member forever.

Gagliardi was 22 when he was named head coach at Carroll College in Montana.

“I did a study once of how many coaches stay in it for 15, 20, 25 years and up,” Gagliardi, who won NAIA national championships in 1963 and ’65 and Division III national titles in 1976 and 2003, said during a telephone interview with the Daily News.

“There aren’t that many, and particularly so when you’re talking about coaching at the same place. I know I didn’t plan on staying in it as long as I have. I never imagined I’d be in it even 30 years. When you’re 22 years old, you don’t think about what you’ll be doing at 60 or 65, much less 85. It seems like something a million miles away.”

Gagliardi personally crossed paths with Paterno only twice, but, perhaps as much as anyone not a member of JoePa’s inner circle, he has an insightful perspective of the life and times of someone he admits to always having admired. And that respect was returned in kind by Paterno, who saw in Gagliardi’s paternalistic approach to his job much of what he tried to imbue into the Penn State program.

“John is what the coaching profession is all about,” Paterno said in 2009. “He’s loyal to his institution. He’s loyal to his players. He’s had a tremendous influence on not only the players that have played for him, but the people who have played against him. He’s been a wonderful example.”

Gagliardi is aware of the controversy attendant to the last several months of Paterno’s career and life, and he is convinced that attempts on the part of some critics to link him too closely to the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal are misguided. Paterno might have made errors in judgment, Gagliardi conceded, but a man of his integrity never would have participated in a coverup.

“It’s very sad, and a tragedy his career ended the way it did,” Gagliardi said. “For him to go from the top of the heap to being pushed out like that [by Penn State's Board of Trustees] . . . I can’t help but believe it contributed to his death.

“I’m not going to comment on [the Sandusky scandal] without knowing all the details, but it does seem that there was a rush to judgment concerning Joe. It’s just hard for me to believe he didn’t always try to do the right thing. I had great respect for him before any of this came out, and I still do. That will never waver.

“What bothers me is that it seems like there are so many people who just wanted to throw him under the bus. Did they forget all the man did to help his players, his school, his community? It’s pretty sad, frankly.”

There are those who have tried to draw parallels between Paterno and Gagliardi, but he said the differences between them are as obvious as the similarities.

“What I’ve done is like operating a very small but successful business in a small town, and what Joe did was like being CEO of Walmart or some big corporation,” Gagliardi said. “You just can’t compare the two. I’ve never coached in Division I and never really wanted to. I’m happy where I am.

“Maybe that’s because the stress and the expectations are so much greater at a school like Penn State. At St. John’s we might have 10,000 people at a game sometimes. Joe’s teams routinely played before 100,000. I could see where that kind of pressure could wear on a coach after a while.”

So why did Paterno stay in it as long as he did?

“I guess Joe was like me in that he liked what he was doing,” Gagliardi said. “That helps a little bit. But that isn’t all there is to it, is there?

“I remember in the early 2000s when his teams stumbled a little bit [with four losing seasons in 5 years from 2000 to 2004]. They were trying to push him out the door. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past. It doesn’t matter if you’re Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden, Eddie Robinson or John Gagliardi. Even I live in fear of that a little bit. And when you get to be a certain age, somebody’s always going to say the game has passed you by.”

Read Full Article and Comments… Here

Longtime Division III coach Gagliardi shared much in common with Paterno
BERNARD FERNANDEZ
Philly.com
January 24, 2012

Gagliardi on Paterno: ‘Pontius Pilate group hastened his death’

John Gagliardi had recruits in his office today. It was business as usual for the 85-year-old St. John’s coach who hold the record for college football wins (484). Gagliardi interrupted his visit with recruits when he received a phone call to discuss Joe Paterno, the former Penn State coach whose 409 victories are the most in major college football.

Paterno died Sunday after suffering from lung cancer, broken bones and what former Nittany Lions player Matt Millen claimed was a broken heart from the scandal that rocked Paterno’s program and cost him his job.

Over the years, when asked when he would retire, Gagliardi often mentioned he and Paterno were only a month apart in age and Paterno still was going strong. That changed in November when Paterno was fired after the shocking news that one of his former assistants was an alleged pedophile. Paterno was criticized for not doing enough once he learned of the allegations.

Considering their ages and accomplishments, it made sense to ask Gagliardi about Paterno.

BS: How should Paterno be remembered?

JG: I don’t know why he even should have been connected to that thing (scandal). It’s sad he’s attached to that thing. I don’t know all the (facts). He wasn’t the guy, the culprit. I really feel pretty saddened about it. I wish I could say I was a close friend. The amazing part is, we were both born in 1926, a month apart, and both our ancestors were from southern Italy. It was a one-way admiration thing. I don’t even know if he knew I existed. I admired him the way you’d admire any great guy. And I always will admire him. I just wish they had not hastened his death with all the stress they heaped on him at the end. Underserved, I feel. It was a Greek tragedy, and the Pontius Pilate group hastened his death. He had to die of a broken heart.

BS: That’s what Matt Millen said.

JG: I feel pretty bad about it.

BS: Did his death hit you especially hard because you’ve been contemporaries for decades?

JG: Yes. I’ll say it did. It’s almost like losing a close friend.

BS: How well did you know him?

JG: We exchanged notes a number of times. That’s about it. I wish I knew him better. I’ve never been a guy to foist himself on someone else. I’ve had the good fortune to be invited to different campuses, like Ohio State and the U of Tennessee, and they had me to speak. Unfortunately, I never went to Penn State.

BS: Is Paterno’s death a reminder how quickly things can change?

JG: Yeah. It’s kind of amazing. Who would have thought early in the season or even midseason, or when he broke the record, that this would come to pass? That he’d be fired? That was unheard of. I can’t imagine the stress the poor guy had after that. His death, my God, it’s unbelievable.

BS: Did you talk to him after the scandal broke?

JG: No, I didn’t. I thought he had enough on his plate. I don’t know how you could even get through to the guy.

BS: Do you have any plans of retiring?

JG: Until I retire, I guess you’ve got to keep asking it. I’ll keep answering it and say, “No.” I hate to even mention it, but everything is going to come to an end. If his (Paterno’s) life had to come to an end, everybody’s has to. I have to enjoy every day I can.

BS: Does Paterno’s death make you think about your own mortality?

JG: I’ve thought about that for a long time. I’ve attended a lot of funerals, and every time I’ve realized, “My God. This is the end of another life.” It’s hard to believe sometimes. I always kidded about there’s no way I can coach for another one or two more decades. Now I have to run that down to one or two more months. (Laughs.)

BS: Retirement works for some people, but are there some people who should never retire?

JG: Unfortunately, (Paterno) said that. He said he doesn’t golf, doesn’t fish, doesn’t do all these things. He said he likes what he’s doing, and he’d keep doing it. I think if all this tragedy had not fallen upon him, he might still be alive and still coaching. I’ve always been a big believer that unrelenting stress is a killer. I’ve had a lot of stress, but fortunately it ends at the end of the football season.

BS: How is your health?

JG: It’s good. We had a little scare with my wife. We thought it was the flu. We took her to the hospital, and they put in a pacemaker. We didn’t know she was having a problem with her heart. It’s a reminder anything can happen to anybody.

Read Full Article and Comments… Here

Gagliardi on Paterno: ‘Pontius Pilate group hastened his death’
Bob Sansevere
January 23, 2012
Pioneer Press / TwinCities.com

Father Theophile Brown, OSB, son of the late Thomas Harvey and Sarah Etta Brown, completed his elementary and high school education in Richmond, Virginia in 1992. A member of the former St. Joseph’s Church, Jackson Ward, Father Theophile entered St. John’s University and Seminary, Collegeville, Minnesota, in 1946, to study for the priesthood. He professed his vows as a Benedictine, July 11, 1950, at St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville.

In 1952, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education, Philosophy, and the Classics at St. John’s University, Collegeville.

Father Theophile was ordained to the priesthood at St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, on May 19th, 1956. After his ordination to the priesthood, he was assigned to St. Augustine’s Monastery in Nassau, the Bahamas, where he was Prior for ten years. He also taught at St. Augustine’s High Schoo and assisted at parishes in Nassau for 38 years.

In September 1961, Fr. Theophile obtained his Master of Arts Degree in Latin at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Continuing his studies abroad, Fr. Theophile obtained a Diploma d’Etudes de Civilization at the University of Paris (Sorbone) and a Diploma de Langue Francaise, Institut Catholique, Paris, in July 1975. Fr. Theophile completed his Master of Arts degree in French at Middlebury College, Vermont, in 1985. He completed a theological renewal program at the North American College, Rome, in 1992.

Fr. Theophile returned to Richmond, in 1994, to teach at Benedictine High School. He transferred his vows from St. John’s Abbey to Mary Mother of the Church Abbey in Richmond. At the Richmond Abbey, Fr. Theophile served in various capacities: Novice Master, Junior Master, Director of Liturgy, Organist, Chaplain to the Little of Sisters of the Poor, and assisting various parishes in the Richmond Diocese on weekends.

***

The monks of Mary Mother of the Church Abbey are mourning the loss of their beloved brother, Fr. Theophile (Waldorf) Brown who passed away the morning of December 24th, 2011.

THURSDAY, Dec 29th
12:00 – 3:00pm: Viewing at Little Sisters of the Poor
04:15pm: Reception of the body at the Abbey
07:30pm: Wake

FRIDAY, Dec 30th
10:00am: Mass of Christian Burial at the Abbey
Burial in Abbey Cemetery
Reception after the burial

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. Theophile

For any questions, please call the abbey at 804-784-3508

According to the individual, Weber told the (then) sixteen-year-old that the touching was OK because he (Weber) was becoming a priest. Weber told the young man that if people had questions about sex, he (Weber) needed to be able to answer their questions. Weber told the young man to not tell anyone else because they (other young men) would be jealous.

This person is aware of at least one other victim.

Br. Paul Richards

Fr. Francisco Schulte

Among the monks attending Christmas Eve mass at St. John’s Abbey were Br. Paul Richards and Fr. Francisco Schulte. According to the mother of one of the monks at St. John’s, Br. Paul Richards left the monastery [ View ] following at least one allegation of misconduct.

Fr. Francisco Schulte, on the other hand, is a serial predator who allegedly abused boys in Puerto Rico, Minnesota, North Carolina and Mexico.

Br. Paul Richard and Fr. Schulte served together on the Saint John’s Prep School staff during the 1981-1982 school year.

While chaplain at the Prep School in 1983, Fr. Francisco Schulte warned at least one student [ View ] to stay away from another sexual predator, Fr. Dunstan Moorse (aka “the killer priest”).

It is believed that one of Schulte’s victims is on death row.

In June of 2011, a federal lawsuit was filed in Minnesota [ View ] against the Order of St. Benedict and St. John’s Abbey. The New York man who filed the lawsuit in June had knowledge of two additional victims.

Details regarding Victim #4 will be available soon…

Despite the victims having unanimously communicated to their “advocates,” at their first opportunity, that the format of the meeting was not working for them, the session continued as planned. As such, the victims were not given an opportunity to address the community until a full one hour and 45 minutes into the session, and then only at the prompting of another participant.

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

View Full Article and Comments Here

View All Posts Regarding Michael Weber

Michael W Weber: Allegations

At the 4pm mass on November 12, 2011, Holy Spirit’s Rev. Tom Knoblach announced that a listening session had been scheduled [ View ] to discuss an allegation of sexual misconduct by former deacon Michael Weber. On November 13, 2011, Knoblach announced that there were multiple allegations.

Weber allegedly sexually abused or engaged in inppropriate conduct with at least ten individuals, all minors (including at least five girls) between 1967 and 1970.

Weber allegedly met at least one of his victims through a “big brother” type program while he was a “St. Cloud Diocesan Seminarian at St. John’s Seminary”. Weber first expressed interest in the “big brother” program in March of 1967 when he was living among other seminarians and monks at Saint John’s Abbey. The program was to be run through a NAIM chapter (support group for widows) in the St. Cloud Diocese.

View 1967 letter showing Michael Weber’s interest… Here

All Posts Regarding Michael Weber… Here

Michael Weber’s Saint John’s Connection… Here

According to separate police reports filed on November 8, 2011, Weber sexually abused two minor males in 1968. One of the boys (V1) was abused at a cabin (possibly at Camp Foley) near Brainerd. The other (V2) was abused at Weber’s parents’ home in Foley. Each of these men has alleged that a minor female member of their own family was also abused by Weber (V3 and V4).  Other family members corroborate this information.

According to a police report filed in Benton County (#1120010) one of Weber’s victims (V2) reported Weber’s misconduct to Mr. Roger Haire, a counselor at North Junior High School in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The young man and his mother were referred to and subsequently met with Jim Graeve, a counselor with Caritas, a counseling organization that was then, and is still run, by Catholic Charities.

Following the meeting with Mr. Graeve in 1969, Weber did not contact the young man (V2) again.

Weber, then a transitional deacon with the St. Cloud Diocese, had arranged to do his pastoral work at Holy Spirit Church in St. Cloud. Weber was at Holy Spirit from September of 1969 until February of 1970. This just happened to also be the parish of one of his victims (V1).

Weber continued to visit the home of his young victim (V1) despite the knowledge of diocesan employees. According to a police report filed in Crow Wing County (#11017808), Weber visited the boy’s home on several occasions during which he touched the boy inappropriately.

According to a statement from one of Weber’s alleged victims, Weber (a 1966 graduate of Saint John’s University) showed up at a 1970 Christian Family Ministry camping trip with other Saint John’s University affiliated families at a lake near Alexandria, Minnesota. Weber was joined by Dan Carle (SJU ’61), a therapist from Catholic Charities.

On Saturday, Michael Weber joined a group of children on the basketball court. He befriended a six-year old boy, giving him a piece of grape bubble gum. Later, he took the boy to a beach where he held him tight and sang, “Put Your Hand in the Hand” over and over.

Later, Weber allegedly asked the boy’s parents if the he could spend the night. Weber abused the six-year old boy (V5) in the tent that evening and/or the next morning. On Sunday morning, the boy ran from Weber’s tent, noticibly shaken. He ran into Liturgical Press employee, who directed him to his parents’ tent.

V5′s parents confronted Weber and/or the therapist on Sunday, then left the campground.

On Monday, the parents of the boy (V5) met with therapist Dan Carle back in St. Cloud. The therapist told them that he had been counseling Weber and said that “I guess he wasn’t ready”. The therapist told the parents to not make a big deal of the incident because at six years old, the boy “probably wouldn’t remember”.

The parents reportedly told the therapist that they would go to the police if Weber remained with the church.

Around the same time, Weber reportedly withdrew from the Saint John’s Seminary master’s program.

A full two years later, in April of 1972, Weber asked the Vatican to be laicized, a step required because Weber was an ordained transitional deacon with the Saint Cloud Diocese. The Vatican request was granted in July of 1972.

In September of 1972, Weber married Carol Schneiderhan and in December of 1974, they had their first child, a boy. Another child, a girl, would follow in 1977. Weber’s third child, a boy, was born in 1985.

According to the diocese, there are notes from 1998 or 1999 in the diocesean files regarding misconduct by Weber. The notes refer to one (v7) or two (v8) victims.

In 2004 (previously documented on this site as “circa 2001″), one of Weber’s victims (V1) contacted the St. Cloud Diocese. The diocese gave the victim money.

In 2009, one of Weber’s victims (V1) contacted the diocese again, making them aware of another victim (V2).

Roxann Storms, the Victim’s Assistance Coordinator with the St. Cloud Diocese contacted the St. Cloud Police Department and filed a verbal report (#09052904). At the time that the report was made in 2009, Ms. Storms was aware not only of V1 and V2, but of another victim (V6). In fact, this other victim (v6) told Ms. Storms that they were aware of yet another Weber victim (VX).

Also in 2009, Roxann Storms contacted both Saint John’s Abbey’s Abbot John Klassen and the records department at Saint John’s University.  Early in 2010, she reportedly contacted Abbot Klassen again, as well as the Saint John’s Abbey External Review Board.

Despite their knowledge of his misconduct, Saint John’s allowed Weber to act as mentor for young men and women through the Saint John’s University Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship, a position that Weber held since 2005.  Weber also served on the Saint John’s University alumni board for a period of time.

In 2010, one of Weber’s victims (v6) told Ms. Storms that they planned to contact a Volunteers of America board member to make them aware of Weber’s past behavior. An internal investigation was reportedly conducted at VOA and Weber resigned from his position as President and CEO of Volunteers of America – Minnesota in December of 2010, effective March of 2011.

Michael W Weber: List of Alleged Victims

V1: Minor male on camping trip (1968; Crow Wing County)
V2: Minor male at Weber’s parents’ home (1969; Foley, MN)
V3: Minor female at child’s home (196?; St. Cloud, MN)
V4: Minor female at child’s home (196?; St. Cloud, MN)
V5: Minor male on camping trip (1970; Douglas County)
V6: Female (per diocese) (Unknown; Unknown)
V7: Unknown (per diocese notes in 1998-1999) (Unknown; Unknown)
V8: Unknown (per diocese notes in 1998-1999) (Unknown; Unknown)
V9: Minor female at child’s home, multiple occasions (196?; St. Cloud, MN)
V10: Minor male on camping trip (1967; Camp Foley)

Weber propositioned, sexually abused or attempted to abuse at least three other individuals.

V11: Minor male (1967; Camp Foley)
V12: Minor male (1968; Camp Foley)
V13: Minor female at child’s home (1969; St. Cloud, MN)

Michael W Weber: Subject of Police Reports

#1 St. Cloud (MN) Police; Case #09052904 (2009)
#2 Crow Wing (MN) County Sheriff; Case #11017808 (2011)
#3 Benton County (MN) Sheriff; Case # 1120010 (2011)
#4 Douglas County (MN) Sheriff; Case #11-10244 (Filed December 3, 2011)
#5 St. Cloud (MN) Police; Case #Unknown (Filed December 9, 2011)

More police reports will likely be filed in December.

Michael W Weber: Timeline

Born     June 25, 1944

1962     Graduates high school from Crosier Seminary (Onamia, MN)

1963-1968 Camp Counselor at Camp Foley in Pine River, MN

1964     Completes two years of college at Crosier Seminary (Onamia, MN)

1965-1966 Volunteers at St. Cloud Children’s Home

1966     BA from St. John’s University (Collegeville, MN)

1967 – 1970

“St. Cloud Diocesan Seminarian at St. John’s Seminary”
Seminarian with St. Cloud Diocese
Attended Saint John’s Seminary (Now School of Theology*Seminary)
On track for summer, 1970 ordination with the St. Cloud Diocese
Wore priest’s collar, referred to as “Father Mike”

1969

Ordained; Transitional Deacon with the St. Cloud Diocese

February, 1969 – March, 1970

Pastoral Studies; Church of the Holy Spirit (St. Cloud, MN)

1970

Withdraws from St. Cloud Seminary Program
Withdraws from Saint John’s Seminary (Now School of Theology*Seminary)

1972

Petitioned for laicization from Rome (April, 1972)

MA from the U of Chicago School of Social Service Administration

Granted for laicization from Rome (July, 1972)
Marries Carol Schneiderhan (September, 1972)

1972 – 2010

Various Committees and Positions (See Below)

2010

One of Weber’s victims (v6) contacted one or more board members at Volunteers of America Board about Michael Weber. An internal investigation is conducted. Weber resigns his position as President and CEO of Volunteers of America – Minnesota, effective March 2011.

2011

In November of 2011, Weber resigned from the following positions:

Chairman of the Board; Rainbow Research (Minneapolis, MN)
Mentor; Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship (Collegeville, MN)
Board of Directors; Greater Twin Cities United Way

Michael W. Weber: Recent Roles

Chairman of the Board; Rainbow Research (Minneapolis, MN) 

Resigned

Rainbow Research has demonstrated background and experience in designing and conducting evaluations of programs and services dedicated to the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of children, youth, and families.

http://www.rainbowresearch.org/whatwedo/08publicsafety.html

http://www.rainbowresearch.org/whoweare/board/weber.html

Mentor; Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship (St. John’s University) 

Resigned

The Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship is an entrepreneurship education resource that provides classes, coaching and assistance to entrepreneurs. It builds relationships among and between CSB/SJU students, faculty, alumnae/i, and community members to create and strengthen the entrepreneurial spirit.

http://www.csbsju.edu/center-for-entrepreneurship.htm

http://www.csbsju.edu/Center-for-Entrepreneurship/About-the-Center/Whos-Who/Centor-Mentors/Mike-Weber.htm

Board of Directors; Greater Twin Cities United Way

Resigned

Greater Twin Cities United Way is governed by a 51-member volunteer Board of Directors. They guide United Way’s senior leadership staff to achieve the strategic goals of the organization.

https://www.unitedwaytwincities.org/about_us/leadership/board_of_directors/

Michael W. Weber:  Previous Roles

 President and Chief Executive Officer of Volunteers of America – Minnesota

Michael Weber will step down from his role effective March 31, 2011. Weber has held the position since 1997.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2010/12/10/volunteers-of-america-minnesota-ceo-to.html 

Associate Director and acting Executive Director of the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse

The Battered Child‬ by Mary Edna Helfer, Ruth S. Kempe, Richard D. Krugman

Director; Hennepin County Community Services Department

One such study conducted in the Minneapolis area found that between 14% and 26% of homeless adults were former foster care children, explained Michael Weber, Director of the Hennepin County Community Services Department, during joint hearings examining Foster Care, Child Welfare, and Adoption Reforms (1988).

http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume10/j10_10_20.htm

http://www.liftingtheveil.org/fosref14.htm

Chairperson of the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect

The board recently selected Michael W. Weber of Minnesota as Chairperson and Randell C. Alexander, M.D., of Iowa as Vice- Chairperson. August 31, 1995

http://scienceblog.com/community/older/archives/A/hhs1206.html

Co-chairman; Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging

But to make that happen before there is a crisis, “we need to figure out what we agree on, what is most needed, and we need to get pretty creative about it,” warned Mike Weber, co-chairman of the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging.

“There’s a new voice for Minnesota’s aging population” (StarTribune 12/12/2006)

Michael W. Weber: Other Roles & Awards

• Director of the Program for the Community Protection of Children, a program of the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago
• Assistant Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
• President of the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators
• Chairperson of the Intensive Family Preservation Services National Network
• National advisory committee of the Children’s Division of the American Human Association
• Member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators
• Member of the national advisory board of the Intensive Family Preservation Services National Network
• Member of the National Commission on Child Welfare and Family Preservation
• Member of the National Commission on Family Foster Care
• Recipient of the 1990 Vincent DeFrancis Award from the American Humane Association
• Recipient of the 1993 Award for Excellence in Public Child Welfare Administration

The victim, identified in the complaint as John Doe HT, alleges the Diocese of St. Cloud kept quiet about Weber’s sexual abuse history, thus contributing to the abuse he suffered.

The lawsuit alleging negligence and fraud was announced by St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson, who has a history of taking on sexual abuse cases involving the Catholic Church.

The now 47-year-old victim, who FOX 9 will identify only as Terry, said his life was changed forever when he was molested.

“In approximately the summer of 1970, when I was 6 years old, I was sexually abused by Mike Weber,” Terry said via speakerphone at a news conference with Anderson.
In November, the FOX 9 Investigators revealed other accusations leveled against Weber by two men who told police they were molested in the mid 1960s. Terry said those allegations prompted him to come forward.

Investigators: Advocate Accused of Sex Abuse

The filed lawsuit claims Terry was invited to sleep in Weber’s tent while at a camping trip for Catholic families. The lawsuit says Terry’s parents trusted the then-seminarian and a counselor named Dan Carle, who vouched for Weber.

The suit claims that Carle admitted to the boy’s parents that he had been treating Weber for pedophilia days after Terry slept in the tent, but he told FOX 9 News he doesn’t remember saying that.

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Child Sex Lawsuit Filed Against Weber, St. Cloud Diocese
Virginia man alleges sexual abuse by former deacon
Updated: Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011, 4:41 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 13 Dec 2011, 11:15 AM CST
FOX 9 News

Michael W. Weber was named as the alleged abuser in a suit filed in Hennepin County District Court. The suit was filed on behalf of a man identified only by his first name, Terry.

The suit alleges that Weber sexually assaulted Terry during the summer of 1970.

“What brings us here years after the abuse is the cover up of it… And the failure of the Diocese officials … to act,” said Jeff Anderson, the attorney representing Terry.

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Lawsuit against St. Cloud Diocese alleges sexual assault, cover-up
by Conrad Wilson, Minnesota Public Radio
December 13, 2011

Identified as “John Doe HT” in the complaint, the man alleges he was 6 years old when Michael W. Weber molested him during a camping trip in 1970 at a lake near Alexandria, Minn. At the time, Weber was a deacon at Church of the Holy Spirit in St. Cloud.

“It’s my sincere desire Michael Weber be held responsible for his crimes,” said the man, who resides in the state of Virginia and who identified himself as Terry when he spoke to reporters in St. Paul by telephone. “Hopefully, this can save some other kids from having to go through the same thing.”

The suit was announced by St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson, who has filed multiple sex abuse suits against Catholic clergy, the Twin Cities archdiocese and the Vatican.

The suit, filed in Hennepin County District Court, is the first against Weber, 67, since allegations emerged last month accusing him of molesting two boys about the time he served as the church’s deacon from 1969 to 1970. The lawsuit, which names the Diocese of St. Cloud and Weber as defendants, says the diocese knew of Weber’s alleged behavior but did not report it to police.

Minneapolis attorney Francis Rondoni, who represents Weber, did not return phone calls on Tuesday seeking comment. Jane Marrin, a diocese spokeswoman, declined to comment, saying the diocese has not yet reviewed the suit.

Rondoni has previously said that it’s difficult for Weber to respond “to purported allegations that are more than 40 years old.”

Weber “has been a leader in the community here for many decades and has a spotless reputation. And this is very concerning to him,” the lawyer said.

Diocese airs allegations

The St. Cloud diocese held a “listening session” at Church of the Holy Spirit on Dec. 4 to air allegations from two St. Cloud men who said they were abused by Weber in 1969, when they were 11 years old. Four other alleged victims came forward at the session, including Terry.

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St. Cloud diocese sued for alleged abuse
StarTribune
Rose French
December 13, 2011

The lawsuit is another blow to an otherwise stellar career that saw Weber, a Foley native and St. John’s University graduate, hold high-ranking positions in agencies focused on protecting children from abuse and neglect.

The allegations in the lawsuit, filed in Hennepin County and announced at a news conference Tuesday by attorney Jeff Anderson, reference three male victims who have accused Weber of sexually abusing them from 1968-1970.

“We have good information of five victims that have credibly disclosed” abuse against them by Weber, Anderson said. “We believe there are more.”

Some of the abuse is alleged to have happened at Weber’s family home in Foley. The Virginia man accuses Weber of abusing him during an Alexandria camping trip in the summer of 1970 that the boy’s family took with other Catholic families.

The Virginia man, known in court documents at John Doe HT, identified himself to reporters Tuesday by his first name, Terry. He was 6 at the time of the alleged abuse. The civil complaint accused Weber of establishing a relationship with Terry by offering him bubble gum. Weber asked the boy to stay in his tent with him, and the boy’s parents allowed the boy to do that because they trusted Weber. Part of that trust was based on the belief that Weber was a religious leader, a deacon who wore a priest’s collar when he met Terry’s parents.

Terry accuses Weber of sexually abusing him during the night, and when Terry woke up in the morning he ran screaming from the tent, according to the lawsuit.

In an interview Tuesday, Terry said he was at a Dec. 4 listening session at Church of the Holy Spirit in St. Cloud, where Weber worked as a deacon in late 1969 and 1970. The listening session was scheduled after the diocese received what it called “credible allegations” against Weber.

A woman at the session stood and told a story of a camping trip in the summer of 1970 in Alexandria. She told the audience that she recalled hearing a young boy scream during the night at the camp.

“I stood up and said that was me,” Terry said in an interview Tuesday.

Shortly after the tent incident, he told his parents what happened, and his parents met the next day with a counselor from Caritas Family Service Agency who was a friend of Weber’s.

The lawsuit accuses the counselor, identified as Dan Carle, of telling the boy’s parents that Weber “was sick and that he had been counseling” Weber. Carle allegedly remarked that Weber “wasn’t ready” and that Carle had “gambled and lost.” Carle also acknowledged to the boy’s parents that he had treated Weber for pedophilia, according to the lawsuit.

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Victim discusses case against St. Cloud diocese, former deacon
St. Cloud Times
David Unze
December 13, 2011

Dan Carle

“My parents took Dan Carle’s advice. As a family, we didn’t speak directly about the abuse until I confronted my parents while I was in treatment at the age of seventeen.  On several occasions over the past 30 years, we have discussed and tried to deal with all of the effects of the abuse (addictions, relationship problems, etc.) but rarely the abuse itself.” – Victim of Michael Weber

The quote above is from a statement received from a 1970′s victim of Michael Weber.

The victim continued:

“I have since learned that, at the time of the abuse by Michael Weber, Dan Carle was employed by the St. Cloud Diocese as a Marriage and Family Counselor for Caritas Family Service Agency and have attached to this statement a reference to this position and his term of employment.”

After graduating from Saint John’s University in 1961, Dan Carle spent three years (1961 to 1964) as a corrections counselor with the Minnesota State Department of Corrections. From 1964 to 1974 he was a therapist with Catholic Charities in St. Cloud. From 1974 to present, records indicate that Carle has been associated with several private counseling centers in the St. Cloud area including:

Family Counseling and Parenting Center
Carle Institute for Strength-Based Management
Family Counseling Associates
Center for Family Counseling
Center For Family Counsel

As a private counselor, Dan Carle met with at least one family victimized by a Saint John’s Abbey monk. According to a woman who was a minor during counseling:

“I felt Dan Carle was inappropriate at times.  During one family meeting he asked my parents how often they were sexual. We were all kind of horrified at that question. He also shared that he and his wife did not always lock the door when they were being intimate.”

In 1998, Dan Carle lost his social work license due, in part, to boundary issues.

Evidence of Carle’s boundary issues may have appeared eight years earlier:

Dan Carle, a friend who counsels the Wetterlings, says the family displays no vindictiveness. “They seem to have a quality of being able to forgive … to hope,” he says. “There is a spiritual dimension to this family deeper that I understand.” - AP, February 8, 1990

… and six years later:

Entire complaint available… Here

Our View: Listening sessions give voice to all

(SC Times) St. Cloud Bishop John Kinney has long taken a lead role in helping the Catholic Church reach out and help its victims of sexual abuse. In 1993, he led the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse. In 2002, he was a key voice when the bishops formulated the church’s Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

But according to diocese spokeswoman Jane Marrin, even Kinney is breaking new ground with a second diocesan “listening session” regarding Michael Weber, a deacon in 1969 at Church of the Holy Spirit in St. Cloud.

The first session was Dec. 4 after the diocese received credible allegations against Weber. He is accused of sexually abusing at least three boys in the late 1960s. Weber, 67, is a Foley native.

“This is unusual,” Marrin said Monday. “But there were a lot of unanswered questions after the first session.” About 35 people attended along with eight counselors and the Diocesan Response Team.

One of several goals of the second session is to provide answers to those questions, Marrin said, so the diocese is encouraging those who attended Dec. 4 to return.

Listening sessions are somewhat unique to Kinney. While the bishops’ charter provides requirements for Catholic leaders nationwide, it does not require listening sessions.

Marrin said Kinney created those years ago, and the diocese continues to embrace them for three primary reasons. They provide assistance and support to victims and parish members. They provide a format for talks. And they may identify and help other victims.

Marrin stressed that participants can remain anonymous. Media coverage is not allowed, but she did explain how the sessions are run.

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Our View: Listening sessions give voice to all
Dec. 13, 2011
St. Cloud Times

Attorney Jeff Anderson has scheduled a news conference in St. Paul to talk about a lawsuit against the diocese and against Michael Weber, who was a deacon at Church of the Holy Spirit in St. Cloud in late 1969.

Weber, a Foley native and St. John’s University graduate, has been accused of sexually abusing at least three boys in the late 1960s.

The St. Cloud diocese conducted a three-hour listening session regarding Weber on Dec. 4, and a second session is scheduled for Dec. 19.

The diocese schedules listening sessions when it receives a credible allegation against an ordained individual involving a minor or vulnerable adult.

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Former St. Cloud deacon Weber focus of lawsuit
St. Cloud Times
December 12, 2011

In 1964, Weber enrolled at Saint John’s University.

In 1966, Weber graduated from Saint John’s University.

In 1967, Weber enrolled in (what is now called) the Saint John’s University School of Theology*Seminary.

In 1967, Weber showed interest in a “big brother” type program [ View ] with other St. John’s Seminary students.

In 1967, Weber allegedly molested a child whose parents had Saint John’s ties.

In 1967, Weber allegedly propositioned a child whose parents had Saint John’s ties.

In 1968, Weber allegedly abused a child whose parents had Saint John’s ties.

In 1968, Weber allegedly abused a child whose mother relied on the Saint John’s Seminary to provide a “big brother” for her son.

In 1969, Weber’s misconduct was reported to therapist Jim Graeve (SJU ’57).

In 1970, Weber’s was being counseled by therapist Dan Carle (SJU ’61). [ View ]

In 1970, Weber allegedly abused a child whose parents had Saint John’s ties.

In ????, Michael Weber served on the Saint John’s Alumni Board.

In 2005, Weber became a mentor at the Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship.

In 2009, the St. Cloud Diocese contacted Abbot John Klassen regarding Weber.

In 2010, the Saint John’s Abbey External Review Board learned about Weber.

In 2011, Weber resigned as a Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship mentor.

Cost of a Coverup: A Million Dollars in 2002

According to an abbey financial report dated December 7, 2002:

“Saint John’s Abbey resolved and settled various sexual abuse claims against it through monetary and non-monetary agreements. The legal, media and settlement payment expense was approximately $1,000,000. This expense is reflected in the alms and donations line item, and it was funded from the building and replacement reserve, and fund balance reserve. The settlement of these cases has severely reduced Saint John’s Abbey financial flexibility and strength.”

This information is not consistent with other statements [ View ] made by abbey personnel.

Thank you to the monk who made this and other documents available.

Academic Search Inc. will assist in the search to find the successor to the Rev. Robert Koopmann, who is retiring. The goal is to have Koopmann’s replacement selected by March; that person will start their job next summer.

Koopmann became president of St. John’s University in July 2009, replacing interim President Dan Whalen, who stepped in when Brother Dietrich Reinhart unexpectedly announced his retirement due to health reasons.

The presidential search committee will be assisted by Jacqueline Doud and Maya Ranchod Kirkhope of Academic Search Inc.

And that search will be different this time. In the past, all candidates for the job have come from the monastery.

“It’s an open search,” Abbot John Klassen said. “There’s still a Benedictine preference. That is, if we have a monk candidate who is a strong candidate and the search committee feels that this individual is going to be a strong candidate, that person would most likely be brought forward. But we are looking broadly and nationally.”

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SJU hires search firm to seek its next president
December 11, 2011
St. Cloud Times

View as PDF… Here

Student’s Letter to Abbot John Klassen
December 1, 2011

Dear Abbot Klassen,

It has come to my attention that the Board of Regents is gathering tomorrow to discuss an appropriate response to the Penn State scandal. There are a number of disturbing claims circulating on the internet and through student gossip about the history and current state of our own institution’s misconduct violations. In many instances, you have been named as a head figure in an alleged cover-up of a number of these violations. As a student, I am curious as to why our administration has not actively addressed these issues. It is unfair that we have to sift through gossip to understand a very serious problem that has apparently been occurring for many years. My colleagues and I have come to a conclusion about the course of action we would like our administration to take:

1) Full disclosure of alleged offenders on campus.

2) A public statement by the administration of the exact protocol that is being followed in current and future alleged abuse cases.

3) Make the prevention of abuse a main issue in the upcoming presidential selection.

Please discuss these three points with the board tomorrow. Hopefully you, as well as the other board members, can understand the student concern and confusion surrounding this issue. We would greatly appreciate a summary of the board’s response to the actions outlined above.

Sincerely,

Noah Jeffrey

Last month, allegations surfaced that Michael Weber, 67, of Foley, was involved in sexual misconduct in the late 1960s, sometime during the four or five months he was deacon at the Church of the Holy Spirit in St. Cloud.

Rick Stolpman was among those who spoke out.

Sitting at a booth in a St. Cloud Perkins restaurant just before Sunday’s meeting at Holy Spirit, Stolpman flipped through childhood photos he stored on his iPhone, some including Weber, whom he met as part of a “big brother” program through St. John’s University in Collegeville, when Stolpman was in the fifth grade.

The two were friends for two years, before Stolpman said Weber took him to a hockey game.

“He took me to a Minnesota Northstar hockey game in the spring in ’69. And after the game he said, rather than wake up my mother and disturb her, he was going to take me out to Foley and I could sleep at his parents’ house.”

“No big deal,” he said to himself, thinking Weber would have a separate bedroom for him. But when they got to the house, Stoplman discovered he’d not only have to share a bedroom, but also a bed. Stolpman said that’s where Weber fondled him.

Stolpman said he later told his school counselor about the incident, but as far he knew, nothing came of it, and he never saw Weber again.

Weber, meanwhile, went on to hold various community roles, including leadership roles on the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators.

It was only after Stolpman heard Weber was working as a mentor with students at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University that he decided to go public. And he filed a police report last month.

“I found out that he was working out at St. John’s, and I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ And he was a mentor for children? And I said enough’s enough, you know?” Stolpman said.

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(MPR) With former deacon accused of sexual abuse, St. Cloud Diocese listens to accusers
by Conrad Wilson, Minnesota Public Radio
December 5, 2011

Four alleged victims attended the meeting at Church of the Holy Spirit and recounted abuse by Michael W. Weber, now 67, who served as a deacon at the church from 1969-70. According to Jane Marrin, a spokeswoman for the diocese, a fifth purported victim was represented by someone else at the meeting and a sixth wrote a letter claiming abuse that was noted at the meeting.

The gathering, which is rare but not unprecedented for a Catholic diocese, comes at a time when unpunished child sexual abuse by adults in positions of authority has been much in the public consciousness, especially after allegations against a former assistant football coach at Penn State University.

About 35 people attended the meeting, including family members of alleged victims as well as area Catholics.

“We understand that this is a very hurtful experience to live with all these years,” said Marrin after the four-hour meeting, which was not open to the media. “It’s a first step for us in trying to help them deal with this experience and how we can move forward from here.”

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A chance to air allegations of abuse
Rose French
Star Tribune
December 4, 2011

About 35 people attended along with eight counselors and the four-person Diocesan Response Team, said Jane Marrin, member of the response team and diocese spokeswoman.

The session was called after the diocese received what it called credible allegations against Weber, who was a deacon at Holy Spirit in late 1969. Weber, who went on to an award-winning career in child protection, is accused of sexually abusing at least three boys in the late 1960s. Weber, 67, is a Foley native and St. John’s University graduate who lives in the Twin Cities.

The second session was scheduled because “the statements and the concerns were so compelling,” Marrin said.

There were statements directly about Weber and many about what the diocese knew and when and what was done, she said.

“A majority of the concern was about why the diocese didn’t do anything sooner,” she said.

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St. Cloud diocese sets 2nd listening session on former deacon accused of abuse
Dec. 5, 2011
St. Cloud Times
David Unze

The allegations first surfaced in September 2009 when a victim’s advocate with the church notified police that two men came forward decades after.

Now the recent allegations that the former church deacon may have abused this position of authority and had continued to have access to minor children outraged some members of the congregation.

Michael Weber served as a deacon at Holy Spirit Church in St. Cloud more than 40 years ago. But the wounds from his alleged sexual abuse were very much in the present.

On Sunday afternoon at least five other victims – including one woman – came forward at the listen session to address concerns that the long-time child advocate may have actually molested children while working at the church.

The 67-year-old seminary drop out went on to have a distinguished career in public service.

He was on the board of directors at United Way and volunteered as a student mentor at St. Johns University. What was expected to last for about an hour went on into the night.

The meeting, initiated by the St. Cloud diocese as a way to let other potential victims come forward for support and healing.

Weber was the assistant commissioner of human services in the 1970s. During the 90s he ran a similar department for Hennepin County, which included the child protection unit.

Weber has yet to be charged with any crimes, but since the allegations surfaced he’s parted ways with St. Johns and is no longer on the board of directors at United Way.

Read more: Sexual Abuse Discussion at St. Cloud Church… Here

Sexual Abuse Discussion at St. Cloud Church: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

The listening session is set for 4 p.m.

Weber, who went on to an award-winning career in child protection, is accused of sexually abusing at least three boys in the late 1960s. Weber, 67, is a Foley native and St. John’s University graduate who lives in the Twin Cities.

He has not responded to repeated requests for comment about the allegations, which the St. Cloud diocese has said are credible.

Weber is accused of fondling a boy he met while serving as a “big brother” to the boy in St. Cloud in the late 1960s. That person filed a police report with Benton County in November detailing his accusations against Weber.

A report also was filed this month with the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office detailing a separate abuse allegation against Weber by a second victim.

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Church to host listening session after former deacon accused of abuse
December 3, 2011
St. Cloud Times

Michael W. Weber has resigned from the board of directors at the Greater Twin Cities United Way and other positions since the Diocese of St. Cloud announced in November it would hold the “listening session.”

Weber, 67, served as a deacon at Church of the Holy Spirit from 1969-70, when the abuse allegedly occurred. St. Cloud diocesan officials say they scheduled the meeting because the allegations were deemed credible. Media will not be allowed to attend.

Jane Marrin, a spokeswoman for the diocese, says church officials feel “a great sadness anyone has to have been living with such a hurtful experience for so many years” and want to do “what we can do pastorally to help them at this point … providing counseling, doing the listening session, certainly a public apology.”

Criminal charges have not been filed against Weber, but reports of the abuse have been filed with St. Cloud police and sheriff’s officials in Benton and Crow Wing counties. Charges against Weber aren’t likely because the criminal statute of limitations has expired, authorities say.

Minneapolis attorney Francis Rondoni, who represents Weber, said Wednesday he had not yet read the reports.

“What I can tell you is we are confident there’s not going to be any criminal charges here,” Rondoni said. “It is very difficult to respond to purported allegations that are more than 40 years old. He has been a leader in the community here for many decades and has a spotless reputation. And this is very concerning to him.”

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St. Cloud Diocese to air allegations of 1969 sex abuse
December 2, 2011
StarTribune
Rose French • 612-673-4352

Several victims of Michael Weber will be meeting on Saturday evening, prior to Sunday’s listening session.

Saint John’s was reminded of those allegations twenty-seven years later, in 2006, when Abbot John Klassen was contacted by Msgr. Desmond O’Connor from the Archdiocese of New York after O’Connor’s office was contacted by one of Fr. Cerezo’s victims.

Fr. Cerezo’s name was not included in a recent letter sent by Abbot Klassen. In fact, Abbot Klassen and the leadership at St. John’s Abbey decided to keep Fr. Cerezo’s name, and the credible allegations against him, from the public.

In June of 2009, another Saint John’s Abbey priest, Father Timothy Kelly, was publicly accused of sexual misconduct in the Bronx. Father Timothy Kelly would later become abbot at Saint John’s.

Abbot John Klassen, the spiritual leader at Saint John’s, has proven to be a deceptive administrator. Abbot Klassen’s refusal to be honest with regard to sexual misconduct is a terrible, and dangerous, example for the entire Saint John’s community.

Saint John’s Abbey priests assigned to parishes in the Bronx:

*** St. Anselm’s (Bronx, New York)

Father Agustin Cerezo
Father Timothy Kelly
Father Peter St. Hilaire
Father Stephen Wagman
Father Mel Taylor
Father Virgil O’Neill
Father Bartholomew Sayles
Father Burton Bloms
Father Don Talafous

*** St. Benedict’s (Bronx, New York)

Father Jordan Stovik
Father Emmanuel Kelsch
Father Edmund Hall
Father Julius Muggli
Father Edwin Stueber
Father Alban Fruth

***St. Benedict’s and/or St. Anselm’s (Bronx, New York)

Father Bernard Watrin
Father Sebastian Schramel
Father Patrick Okada
Father Robert Blumeyer
Father Terence Carroll
Father Damian Baker

Posted Jun 9, 2011
Updated: November 22, 2011

An updated version of this post is available… Here

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Also, if you worked with Michael Weber at the St. Cloud Children’s Home, we are interested in speaking with you.

Important Notice

There have been allegations of sexual misconduct involving a former Deacon, Michael Willard Weber. Because of these allegations, Bishop Kinney has asked a Diocesan Response Team to hold a Listening Session for the people of Holy Spirit Parish in which Deacon Michael Weber served. There will be a Listening Session at the Church of the Holy Spirit on Sunday, December 4, at 4:00 p.m.

Deacon Michael Weber served as a deacon at the Church of the Holy Spirit for 4—5 months from 1969—1970. You are invited to attend this Listening Session.

This session will have three primary goals:

1) to assure parishioners of Bishop Kinney’s support and assistance;

2) to offer a process whereby sexual misconduct issues/concerns can be voiced and discussed; and

3) to allow other potential victims the opportunity to come forward and receive assistance and healing.

The Diocesan Response Team will be present for any parishioners who wish to attend. The Listening Session will not be open to the news media to protect the privacy of individuals.

If you have questions or concerns, you are asked to contact Jane Marrin at the Chancery at 251-2340.

Source: http://content.seekandfind.com/bulletins/02/0040/20111120B.pdf

[Webmaster's Note: If you were a victim of misconduct by Michael W. Weber, please contact law enforcement, a counselor or an attorney. Please do not contact the St. Cloud Diocese. Diocesan personnel first learned of misconduct by Michael Weber in 1969. In the last 42 years, the diocese has made no attempt to reach out to Weber's victims.]

A Nun Comments on Archbishop Dolan’s Remarks

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is wrong when he comments [ View ] that the present Penn State scandal “over a former football coach accused of sexually abusing young boys ‘reopens a wound’ for the U.S. Roman Catholic Church.”

The “wound” Archbishop Dolan refers to has never closed. It is a “wound” that has continued to fester since the Archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts imploded in 2002.

Why?

Well for one thing the bishops of the United States have never really admitted, individually or collectively, to their part in covering up for clergymen known to be sexual predators of children and young people.

Yes, the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church has “a long way to go,” in making up for the egregious crimes that have been committed against children. “Failures” and “mistakes” are words that hardly begin to describe the agony thousands of children were left to go through while the few adults who dared to confront pastors or bishops over the behavior of rogue priests were bullied, harassed and intimidated into silence, often with threats of eternal damnation.

They were crimes and they were crimes against the very humanity of these innocent children.

Archbishop Dolan, you offered to work with “Penn State administrators on a national education campaign to stop abuse.”

Does your offer extend to working with advocacy groups in Pennsylvania whose goal is legislative reform? If it does there are several groups that were formed in response to the 2011 grand jury investigation on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia who are now working for reform in Pennsylvania.

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—Sister Maureen Paul Turlish SNDdeN
Advocate for Victims & Legislative Reform
maturlishmdsnd@yahoo.com

That allegation is part of a three-page investigation report the Times has obtained from the Benton County Sheriff’s Department. That report, which was written after an investigator spoke to the alleged victim on Nov. 9, outlines an incident in Foley at Weber’s parents’ home and also references a separate incident at a cabin in Crow Wing County in which the alleged victim in the Benton County case awoke to find Weber inside the sleeping bag of a second boy.

Both of the incidents happened in the late 1960s and were reported to the respective sheriff’s offices earlier this month.

Those reports were made before the St. Cloud diocese announced Saturday that there would be a listening session at 4 p.m. Dec. 4 at Holy Spirit because of the allegations against Weber. The diocese has said it considers the allegations it has received against Weber to be credible. It’s unclear if those allegations are the same ones that have been made to authorities in Crow Wing and Benton counties.

Weber has resigned from his position as chairman of the board of Rainbow Research in Minneapolis, and his biographical information has been removed from the firm’s website, said Barry Cohen, president and executive director at Rainbow Research. That follows Weber’s resignation in recent days from the board of the Greater Twin Cities United Way and his departure as a volunteer mentor in the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship.

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Reports to police, Benton sheriff detail claims against ex-deacon
St. Cloud Times
David Unze
Nov. 15, 2011