St. John’s Abbey issues list of clergy ‘likely’ to have abused minors

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(SC Times) COLLEGEVILLE — St. John’s Abbey released a list Monday of 18 monks and priests who it believes “likely have offended against minors.”

The list includes several names that previously have been released by the abbey; some are deceased and some are living at the abbey under “supervised safety plans.”

The abbey said Monday that it was voluntarily releasing the names after inquiries from the Times and after a lawsuit filed against the abbey demanded the release of a list as a condition of the lawsuit.

“This list reflects our best efforts to identify those who likely have offended against minors,” said Brother Aelred Senna, spokesperson for the Abbey. “That task often is complicated by the passage of time, the deaths of some of those involved and sometimes incomplete accounts of the past. Even so, we are including all 18 names to provide as complete of a list as we can to acknowledge the pain suffered by victims. This list underscores our commitment to being transparent in our policies and procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse.”

The list includes nine monks who are living at the abbey under supervised safety plans, seven monks who are deceased and two men who have been “dispensed from their religious vows” and no longer are connected to the abbey, according to Senna.

Those listed are:

Michael Bik
Andre Bennett (deceased)
Robert Blumeyer (deceased)
Cosmas Dahlheimer (deceased)
Richard Eckroth
Thomas Gillespie
Francis Hoefgen (no longer a monk at the abbey)
Othmar Hohmann (deceased)
Dominic Keller (deceased)
John Kelly (no longer a monk at the abbey)
Brennan Maiers
Finian McDonald
Dunstan Moorse
James Phillips
Francisco Schulte
Allen Tarlton
Pirmin Wendt (deceased)
Bruce Wollmering (deceased)

The release comes after a Ramsey County judge ruled recently that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis could release a list of priests with credible allegations of sexual misconduct against them. The Diocese of St. Cloud said last week that new Bishop Donald Kettler was reviewing the diocese’s history of response to sexual abuse allegations before he decided whether to release a list.

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St. John’s Abbey issues list of clergy ‘likely’ to have abused minors
David Unze
St. Cloud Times
December 9, 2013

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Topics: 2013 Abbey List, Aelred Senna, Allen Tarlton, Andre Bennett, Brennan Maiers, Bruce Wollmering, Cosmas Dahlheimer, Dominic Keller, Dunstan Moorse, Finian McDonald, Fran Hoefgen, Francisco Schulte, Jim Phillips, John Kelly, Othmar Hohmann, Pirmim Wendt, Richard Eckroth, Robert Blumeyer, Thomas Gillespie

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