“The walkers that Rev. Finian McDonald “startled” while riding his bike around the Central Minnesota campus had it easy compared to the children and young adults that McDonald sexually assaulted as he taught, perfected, counseled and otherwise pretended to be a man of God — while his brothers and colleagues who knew better looked the other way.” – Admin
Rev. Finian McDonald’s Obituary: More Deception
You can read Rev. Finian McDonald’s obituary at Legacy.com [ Here ] or via the St. John’s Abbey Web Site [ Here ].
While the two obituaries aren’t identical, this sentence is included in each version:
“In his later years, various allegations of sexual misconduct subjected Finian to restrictions and therapy.“
Definition of Allegation: “an assertion made with little or no proof.” [ View ]
Abbot John Klassen and the monks of Saint John’s Abbey know the difference.
Rev. Finian McDonald was an admitted, serial, sexual offender. Credible reports of his abuse span from at least 1970 until approximately 2013 when he was sent to Missouri after an inappropriate encounter with a male on campus.
According an article in the November 24, 2015 edition of the StarTribune:
[McDonald’s file] includes a 2012 assessment of the Rev. Finian McDonald, who told a psychologist that he had about 200 sexual encounters as a priest. McDonald reported that his youngest victims were 13- or 14-year-old prostitutes in Thailand, that he had 18 victims while serving as a prefect at St. John’s dormitories, and that he had acted out sexually and abused alcohol during most of his 29 years as a dormitory prefect. Sexual encounters also occurred with adults. [ View ]
Abbot John Klassen and the monks of Saint John’s Abbey should know better than to misrepresent the evil done and pain caused by this man.
The abbey’s version of Rev. Finian’s obituary includes this lovely bit:
Father Finian described himself as “resident abbey humorist,” and loved “clowning” with his confreres. He brightened everyone’s day with his vivacious sense of humor. Besides regaling his confreres with his sharp wit, he enjoyed bicycling and startled many unwary walkers with toots from his handle-bar horn.
There is no doubt that, as the obituary reads, that Rev. Finian McDonald startled many unwary people during his time in Collegeville, MN.
Certainly, the walkers that Rev. Finian McDonald “startled” while riding his bike around the Central Minnesota campus had it easy compared to the children and young adults that McDonald sexually assaulted as he taught, perfected, counseled and otherwise pretended to be a man of God — while his brothers and colleagues who knew better looked the other way.
This obituary is yet another look in the other direction… another deception.
