Media Advisory/News Conference
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 12:30
New Lawsuit says Former St. John’s Abbot Timothy Kelly abused altar boy in 1966
The priest then co-founded Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institute at St. John’s in 1993, saying:
“Sexual abuse and sexual exploitation by monks are immoral and will not be tolerated within the Saint John’s community…”
What: At a news conference Tuesday in St. Paul, attorneys for a New York man will announce a new Lawsuit against St. John’s Abbey and the Order of St. Benedict based in Collegeville, Minnesota. Also appearing at the news conference will be a two former Benedictine monks associated with St. John’s Abbey.
The lawsuit identifies Abbot Timothy Kelly, founder of the Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institute at St. John’s and a leading advocate for confronting the clergy abuse crisis, as the perpetrator of sexual assaults against Plaintiff John Doe in 1966 and 1967 then Father Timothy Kelly was an associate pastor at St. Anselm’s church in Bronx, New York. Abbot Kelly is now deceased.
Copies of the civil complaint will be available on Tuesday at approximately noon, under “Case Resources” at: www.AndersonAdvocates.com
WHO: Attorney Jeff Anderson; Canon Lawyer and former Benedictine monk and priest Patrick Wall; and author and former Benedictine monk and priest, Richard Sipe
Jeff Anderson is widely recognized as a pioneer in sexual abuse litigation and a champion of survivors of childhood sexual abuse. In nearly four decades as a litigator Jeff has represented thousands of clients and has tried over two hundred and fifty jury trials to verdict. Known for his optimism, energy and compassion for clients, Jeff is credited with being instrumental in exposing the large scale cover-up of pedophile priests in the early 1980’s. As one of the first trial lawyers in America to publicly and aggressively initiate lawsuits against sexual predators—and the institutions that conceal and protect them—Jeff’s efforts have obtained justice for thousands of survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Contact: Jeff Anderson cell 612.817.8665 office 651.227.9990
Patrick J. Wall, a canon lawyer and world-renowned expert on the Catholic Clergy Abuse Crisis, has been a senior consultant at Manly & Stewart since 2002. A former Roman Catholic Priest and Benedictine monk, Wall was born a devout Irish catholic in Saint Paul and raised in Lake City, MN, where he played sports and sang in the choir like every other kid. Patrick then went to Saint John’s to play football where stayed and eventually became a monk.
Wall personally knew and worked with Timothy Kelly, and because of assignments from Kelly, became expert in clerical sexual abuse of children by the age of 33. Wall says he found Kelly unreceptive to the concerns of victims and the culture of “monks disease” (childhood sexual abuse over the centuries has taken on many names but n the context of the monastery it is called monks disease). He has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s of divinity degree from Saint John’s University in Minnesota. In 2007, he received an LL.M in Canon Law from the Cardiff University School of Law in Wales.
www.manlystewart.com/attorney/patrick-j-wall
A.W. Richard Sipe is devoted full time to research into the sexual and celibate practices of Roman Catholic bishops and priests. That path now leads him to the study of the sexual teaching of the church and its effects on behavior—especially sexual abuse of minors by clergy—and the tangle of sexual problems that some people claim are blocking every religious agenda and destroying beyond repair the credibility of the Catholic Church in sexual matters. He has spent his life searching for the origins, meanings, and dynamics of religious celibacy. His six books including his now classic A Secret World and Celibacy in Crisis explore various aspects of the questions about the pattern and practice of religious celibacy. He spent 18 years serving the Church as a Benedictine monk and Catholic priest. In those capacities he was trained to deal with the mental health problems of priests. Both as a priest and married man he has practiced psychotherapy, taught on the faculties of Major Catholic Seminaries and colleges, lectured in medical schools, and served as a consultant and expert witness in both civil and criminal cases involving the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests.
www.richardsipe.com
WHEN: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 12:30 P.M.
WHERE: Offices of Jeff Anderson & Associates, 366 Jackson Suite 100 St. Paul, MN
Note: Copies of the civil complaint will be available on Tuesday at approximately noon, under “Case Resources” at: www.AndersonAdvocates.com
