“I have obtained the list of the seminarians that are very interested in this program that you have brought to our attention. As I talked and discussed this with them, they all agreed that this can be time well spend, and that they too will enjoy themselves.”

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(MPR) St. Cloud, Minn. — The Catholic Church in St. Cloud has called for healing after allegations of sexual misconduct by a former deacon, and the St. Cloud Diocese held a public meeting on Sunday at which church officials wanted to hear from the community about other potential victims.

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(Star Tribune) ST. CLOUD, MINN. – Expressing anger and frustration, people who say they were abused as children nearly 40 years ago by a former deacon and prominent child welfare advocate shared their stories Sunday during an unusual “listening session” arranged by Catholic church officials in St. Cloud.

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(SC Times) A listening session Sunday at Church of the Holy Spirit regarding Michael Weber lasted three hours, and the St. Cloud diocese has scheduled a second session for Dec. 19.

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(Fox 9) A long time advocate for children is facing allegations that he sexually abused children decades ago. Sunday night, the St. Cloud diocese held a listening session to let other potential victims come forward and answer questions from parishioners.

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(SC Times) The Church of the Holy Spirit in south St. Cloud will host a listening session Sunday afternoon about accusations of sexual misconduct against Michael W. Weber, who was a deacon at the church in the late 1960s.

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(Star Tribune) Catholic Church officials will hold a public meeting Sunday to air allegations that a prominent Minnesota child welfare advocate sexually abused two boys around the time he served as a deacon at a St. Cloud church more than 40 years ago.

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Another victim has come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by Michael Weber. At the time of the misconduct, Weber was a transitional deacon with the St. Cloud Diocese and was likely living at St. John’s Abbey while attending the St. John’s Seminary.

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View All Posts Regarding Michael Weber

An updated version of this post is available… Here

Michael W Weber: Allegations

It has been alleged that Michael Weber sexually abused at least five minors (three girls and two boys) prior to and while he was a deacon at Holy Spirit Church (Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota) between September, 1969 and February, 1970.

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 met at least one of his victims through the “big brother” 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.

In 1969 or 1970, one of Weber’s victims reported misconduct to a counselor. Soon after, Weber (then an ordained transitional deacon with the St. Cloud Diocese) withdrew from the School of Theology, the St. Cloud Diocese and asked the Vatican to be laicized.

Circa 2001, the St. Cloud Diocese gave money to one of Weber’s victims after a meeting at the chancery.

In 2009, the St. Cloud Diocese was made aware of another Weber victim. An official with the diocese reported Weber to the St. Cloud Police Department and notified both Saint John’s Abbey’s Abbot John Klassen and 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.

In 2010, Weber resigned from his position at Volunteers of America – Minnesota when yet another victim allegedly contacted at least one board member at VoA.

Michael W Weber: Subject of Police Reports

St. Cloud Police Department; Case #09052904 (2009)
Crow Wing County Sheriff; Case #11017808 (2011)
Benton County Sheriff’s Department; Case # 1120010 (2011)

Michael W Weber: Background

Born     June 25, 1944

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
Lived at Saint John’s
Attended Saint John’s School of Theology (SOT)

1969 – 1970

Transitional Deacon with the St. Cloud Diocese

On track for summer, 1970 ordination with the St. Cloud Diocese

Deacon at Church of the Holy Spirit (St. Cloud, MN) (9/69 – 2/70)

Wore priest’s collar, referred to as “Father Mike”

197_

Withdraws from St. Cloud Seminary Program

Withdraws from St. John’s School of Theology  

Petitioned & granted laicization (from Rome)

1972

MA from the U of Chicago School of Social Service Administration

Circa 2001

St. Cloud Diocese sends Victim #2 a letter and check for $2000 following a meeting with church officials at a diocesan office.

Oct, 2009  

Victim #2 and/or Victim #5 report misconduct to St. Cloud Diocese

Report filed with St. Cloud Police Department (Case #09052904)

2009

St. John’s Abbey’s Abbot John Klassen notified  is writing and on multiple occasions (via mail and telephone) regarding misconduct by Weber. The Saint John’s Abbey External Review Board was also made aware, in a letter from the St. Cloud Diocese, of Weber’s misconduct.

2010

Victim #5 reportedly contacts one or more members of the Volunteers of America Board of Directors about Michael Weber.

Weber resigned his position as President and CEO of Volunteers of America – Minnesota.

Michael W. Weber: Current 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

According to the St. Cloud Diocese, Michael Weber resigned from Volunteers of America – Minnesota in 2010 after one of his victims called a VoA board member. If you have information regarding Weber’s misconduct or his resignation from VoA, please use the Feedback link, above.

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(SC Times) The allegations of sexual misconduct by former Church of the Holy Spirit deacon Michael W. Weber include an accusation that he fondled a boy he met when Weber was a “big brother” to the boy in St. Cloud in the late 1960s.

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