Rubén Rosario: 800 claims and counting as child sex-abuse law nears expiration

Posted on May 18, 2016
Posted in Jared Scheierl, Jeff Anderson, Patrick Noaker

Over 800 and counting. That’s the rough number of lawsuits or notices of claims filed by St. Paul lawyer Jeff Anderson’s firm on behalf of alleged survivors of childhood sexual abuse since the state’s Child Victim Act went into effect May 25, 2013.

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10 Years Later, Abbot Klassen Still Hiding Abuse Claims

Posted on May 10, 2016
Posted in Agustin Cerezo, Baldwin Dworschak, Desmond O'Conner, John Klassen

In February of 2006, a representative of the Archdiocese of New York called Saint John’s Abbey to report that a former Saint John’s Abbey monk/priest, Father Agustin Cerezo Murillo, had been credibly accused of multiple allegations of sexual abuse while serving at Saint Anselm’s Church in the Bronx (New York) in the late 1960’s.

For over ten years, Abbot John Klassen has deceived the Saint John’s community and failed to advocate for – and validate the abuse suffered by – Father Cerezo Murillo’s victims.

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Another St. John’s Priest Accused Of Abuse

Posted on May 9, 2016
Posted in Michael Bik

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A St. John’s priest accused of sexual abuse allegedly told his victim it was required as a part of the confirmation process.

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Suit Names Former Prep School Teacher

Posted on May 9, 2016
Posted in Michael Bik

(SC Times) A former student at St. John’s Prep has sued the school, St. John’s Abbey, the Order of St. Benedict and the Rev. Michael Bik, accusing Bik of sexually abusing him in 1998.

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St. John’s Monk Accused Of Abuse

Posted on May 9, 2016
Posted in Michael Bik

St. Cloud, Minn. (KNSI) – A St. John’s Abbey Monk is being named in a civil lawsuit accused of abusing a student in 1998.

The suit names Father Michael Bik and St. John’s Abbey as defendants.

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Media Advisory Regarding Michael Bik

Posted on May 8, 2016
Posted in Michael Bik

Announce the filing of a civil lawsuit naming St. John’s Abbey and Father Michael Bik as defendants. The suit is being brought by Doe 497, a survivor who was sexually abused by Bik when he was a 15 or 16 year old Sophomore at St. John’s Prep School in 1998.
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Lawsuits Accuse Backous of Abuse

Posted on April 29, 2016
Posted in Tim Backous

(SC Times) Two lawsuits filed Thursday in Stearns County accuse former St. John’s Prep headmaster Rev. Timothy Backous of sexually abusing two children, one in the early 1980s and another in 1990.

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Statement Regarding Timothy Backous

Posted on April 28, 2016
Posted in JoAnn Weber, Michelle Soldo, Tim Backous

My name is Patricia Chiapusio-Riedl. My son was a member of the St John’s Boys Choir in 1990. In June of 1990 I went with the Boys Choir as a chaperone on their summer tour to Europe. We left on June 5, 1990 and returned on June 19, 1990. While on the tour we spent most nights in motels, a few nights in host family’s homes and the remainder of nights in guest rooms at Melk Abbey (monastery) in Melk, Austria. The dates we stayed at the monastery were June 13, 14 and 15, 1990.

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Priest Accused Of Sexual Abuse, Again

Posted on April 28, 2016
Posted in Tim Backous

St. Cloud, Minn. (KNSI) A recently reinstated priest at St. John’s Abbey, who was cleared of sexual abuse allegations in an internal investigation, is being named in two civil lawsuits, and is again being accused of abuse.

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Father Andert Removed from Prep School’s Melk Reunion Page

Posted on April 12, 2016
Posted in Dennis Beach, Jason Griffith, Jerome Tupa, Melk, Tom Andert

In the past 24 hours, Father Tom Andert’s name was removed from the “Melk Reunion” page on the St. John’s Prep School Web Site.

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St. John’s Abbey Hit With Two New Clergy Sex Abuse Cases

Posted on April 12, 2016
Posted in Tom Andert

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — Fighting through tears on Tuesday, Todd Belrose recounted 35 years of pain resulting from alleged clergy sex abuse by Father Thomas Andert.

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Ex-prior abused St. John’s Prep students

Posted on April 12, 2016
Posted in Tom Andert

(SC Times) Two lawsuits filed Tuesday name St. John’s Abbey’s former prior the Rev. Tom Andert as an abuser of two former students in the 1970s and early ’80s.

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Andert Named in Two Lawsuits

Posted on April 11, 2016
Posted in Tom Andert

Announce the filing of two civil lawsuits naming St. John’s Abbey and Father Tom Andert as defendants. One of the survivors, sexually abused by Fr. Andert when he was 14 years old, will speak publicly using his name at tomorrow’s press conference. The second survivor, Doe 324, was sexually abused by Fr. Andert in approximately 1970-1971.
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Abbey Admits: Andert Victim Never Interviewed

Posted on April 11, 2016
Posted in Dennis Beach, John Klassen, Review Board, Tom Andert

A February 6, 2016 press release from St. John’s Abbey [ View ] claimed that allegations of sexual abuse against Father Tom Andert were found to be unsubstantiated after “a six-month-long, comprehensive investigation into the claims.”

However, according to a February 12, 2016 article in The Record (College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University Student Newspaper) the abbey’s investigator never interviewed the victim.

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Klassen: Allegation against Andert is unsubstantiated

Posted on February 8, 2016
Posted in Allen Tarlton, John Klassen, PR Machine, Review Board, Tom Andert

(SC Times) Allegations of sexual abuse against the former prior of St. John’s Abbey have been found to be unsubstantiated, according to Abbot John Klassen.

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Abbey Statement Regarding Father Tom Andert

Posted on February 6, 2016
Posted in Allen Tarlton, John Klassen, Review Board, Tom Andert

Allegations of sexual abuse brought last year against the Rev. Thomas Andert, OSB, have been found to be unsubstantiated. The conclusion comes at the end of a six-month-long, comprehensive investigation into the claims.

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Abuse allegations ‘unsubstantiated’ against former St. John’s Abbey prior

Posted on February 6, 2016
Posted in Allen Tarlton, John Klassen, PR Machine, Review Board, Tom Andert

(MPR) Sexual abuse allegations against the former prior at St. John’s Abbey were found to be unsupported after a 6-month investigation, Abbey officials said Thursday.

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29 Questions for Abbot John Klassen, OSB

Posted on February 3, 2016
Posted in Agustin Cerezo, Allen Tarlton, Angelo Zankl, Anthony Smithwick, Bede Parry, Ben Spanier, Dan Ward, Francisco Schulte, Isaac Connolly, John Eidenschink, John Klassen, Mel Taylor, Michael Brunovsky, Notker Wolf, Othmar Hohmann, Paul GoPaul, Steve Lilly, Terry DeSutter, Thomas Gillespie, Tim Backous, Tom Andert

A list of questions for the open forum “regarding sexual abuse” to be held at 3:00pm today on the campus of Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

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Employee Open Forum with Abbot John

Posted on February 2, 2016
Posted in 2016 Abbey File Release, John Klassen

CSB, SJU, and OSB faculty, staff, and administration are invited to attend an Open Forum with Abbot John Klassen about sexual abuse issues recently in the news, including the voluntary release of files of monks who credibly have been accused of sexual abuse of minors. Abbot John will start with brief opening comments and then the session will be open for any questions you may have.

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2,000 Area Students On Campus in Collegeville

Posted on February 1, 2016
Posted in Donald Kettler

COLLEGEVILLE — About 2,000 students from Catholic schools throughout Central Minnesota are expected to attend a noon Mass on Wednesday officiated by St. Cloud Diocese Bishop Donald Kettler at the St. John the Baptist Abbey Church. The mass is part of Catholic Schools Week, a national celebration of Catholic education, and is hosted by St. John’s Preparatory School.

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