{"id":3113,"date":"2011-03-28T19:36:27","date_gmt":"2011-03-29T02:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.behindthepinecurtain.com\/wordpress\/?p=3113"},"modified":"2011-03-29T07:40:15","modified_gmt":"2011-03-29T14:40:15","slug":"st-johns-prep-sexual-abuse-lawsuits-settled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.behindthepinecurtain.com\/wordpress\/st-johns-prep-sexual-abuse-lawsuits-settled\/","title":{"rendered":"Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Settled"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Fox 9) ST. PAUL, Minn. – A settlement has been reached with St. John’s Abbey in nine alleged sexual abuse cases involving 10 monks or priests at St. John\u2019s Prep in Collegeville, Minn.<\/p>\n

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The alleged abuse occurred between the 1960s and 2004.The accused clergy all taught at St. John’s Preparatory School or were assigned to parishes, attorney Jeff Anderson told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

Jerry McCarthy said he was a teenager when he was sexually attacked by Father Brian Wollmering, a counselor at the school. He kept it a secret for 40 years until he read Wollmering\u2019s obituary in the newspaper a year ago, but then he filed a suit against St. John\u2019s Abbey.<\/p>\n

Anderson said survivors demanded that abusers no longer be kept secret.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople like this were given cover by their superior not for months, not years — but decades,\u201d said McCarthy.<\/p>\n

No longer, however, as the abbey named 17 monks — four of them dead — who have been credibly accused. Furthermore, Anderson said St. John\u2019s Abbey agreed that any confidentiality agreements on all previous settlements should be tossed.<\/p>\n

McCarthy said it\u2019s a good step, but it will take a lot more for him to have faith in the abbey again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they haven’t been harsh enough on the ones that have had credible accusations against them,\u201d said McCarthy. \u201cI don’t even know why they’re still in the monastery; I don’t know why they put up brick walls and protect these people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anderson announced the settlement Monday, but did not disclose terms.<\/p>\n

The settlement requires St. John’s to send a letter to anyone who attended the St. John’s Preparatory School, disclosing the names of offenders against minors.<\/p>\n

Abbot John Klassen sent that letter to the St. John\u2019s community on Monday, naming the monks alleged to have committed the sexual abuse in the settled cases. Klassen wrote:<\/p>\n

I have written to you before on the issue of sexual abuse on three previous occasions. Some of you may have been affected by sexual abuse or may know of others who have been. I am posting this open letter to you because I wish to publicly acknowledge that the following monks have had credible allegations of sexual abuse, exploitation, or misconduct brought against them while they were working in one of the apostolates of Saint John\u2019s Abbey, or before they were a member of the abbey. I release the names due to recent settlements with eleven courageous survivors.<\/em><\/p>\n

Brother John Bennett
\nFather Michael Bik
\nBrother Issac Connolly
\nFather Cosmas Dahlheimer
\nFather Richard Eckroth
\nAbbot John Eidenschink
\nFather Thomas Gillespie
\nFather Fran Hoefgen
\nBrother John Kelly
\nBrother Steven Lilly
\nFather Brennan Maiers
\nFather Finian McDonald
\nFather Dunstan Moorse
\nBrother Jim Phillips
\nFather Francisco Schulte
\nFather Allen Tarlton
\nFather Brian Wollmering<\/em>
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\nFour of these men are deceased, three are no longer at Saint John\u2019s, and the other live within the constraints of a safety plan and supervision.<\/em><\/p>\n

Under the settlement, the Order of Saint Benedict agrees to perform the following actions:<\/p>\n