Thank you to the parishioner who provided the video of Father Jerome Tupa’s message to those attending the 10:00am mass at the Church of Saint Joseph on Sunday, January 13, 2013.
Father Tupa, like his superior Abbot John Klassen and Bishop John Kinney, failed to address recent credible allegations against two priests (Father Dan Ward and Father Othmar Hohmann) who worked at the Church of Saint Joseph.
Below are some of the comments received regarding the St. Joseph Update.
Saint John’s Abbey recently increased the number of known sex offenders from the monastery from eighteen to twenty-three. [ View ] However, the monastery refuses to name the five newly ordained offenders — and has taken the names of the original eighteen offenders off of the abbey web site.
Despite receiving a detailed letter describing misconduct by Father Jerome Tupa, no one from the diocese (or from Saint John’s Abbey) has made an attempt to learn the details of Tupa’s alleged misconduct.
The informational event planned for Sunday morning has been postponed due to inclement weather.
How different might Saint John’s had been if monks like Father Jerome Tupa left the monastery to pursue their own selfish pleasures and allowed individuals such as these two men, who were called to monastic life, remain!
Patrick, I am very impressed with the courageous and articulate story in this woman’s letter. It is so similar a story to mine. As you know I was also in the Hansel and Gretel play; I was Gretel in the third act of the play, sharing the role with my twin sister.
“We all regret the fact that it happened because of the injury it caused, and I think the monastery is very determined to make sure that message is front and center.” – Father Timothy Backous – November, 2012
You are invited to join a group of concerned individuals planning to meet in Saint Joseph before and after the 8am and 10am masses on Dec 16, 2012 to distribute information and discuss the decision by the Saint Cloud Diocese to NOT disclose to the parishioners in Saint Joseph that yet another former pastor, Father Dan Ward, has been credibly accused of sexual misconduct.
(New York Times) John Gagliardi, who won more games (489) and coached more seasons (64) than anyone in the history of college football, announced his retirement Monday, nine days after wrapping up his 60th season at Division III St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.
Three excerpts from a statement signed and notarized on November 10, 2012:
Saint John’s Abbey quietly admitted, via a revamped web site in the summer of 2012, that at least 23 members of its community had been credibly accused of sexual abuse or misconduct.
An alleged sexual assault involving a CSB student and an SJU student was recently reported to Saint John’s Life Safety Services. The assault is alleged to have occurred in an on-campus SJU student residence sometime between 9/1/12 and 9/2/12. The College and University have implemented the Joint Complaint Procedure for Sexual Assault Violations Involving Students in response to this complaint. A report was also made to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Department and they are conducting their own separate investigation into this matter.
In light of the current investigation underway by law enforcement, I would like to know who authorized the (near complete) scrubbing of [BM’s] name from the SJU Athletic Department web site.
[Webmaster’s Note: This email is a follow-up to a September 28, 2013 letter [ View ] to SJU President Michael Hemesath and others.]Father Dan Ward has influenced decisions made by other Benedictine monasteries, including Saint Martin’s Abbey in Lacey, and other religious orders and organizations. The result: Suspected and/or credibly accused offenders like Father Luke Travers (St. Mary’s), Father Edward Receconi (St. Martin’s), Father Tom Andert (St. John’s), Abbot Douglas Nowicki (St. Vincent’s), Brother Karl Walczak (Christian Brothers / O’Dea) and even Father Dan Ward himself have been able to prey on unsuspecting targets.
The organization representing lawyers practicing Catholic Church “law” recently allowed a man with numerous allegations of sexual abuse to speak to its membership at its Chicago conference.
