BehindThePineCurtain.com | Abuse, Secrecy and Deception at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN

Backous Not Under Consideration

Posted on December 14, 2010

Posted in Tim Backous

According to Sister Jeanne Weber, chair of the Mount Marty College Board of Directors, Fr. Timothy Backous from St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota is no longer being considered for the position as the new president of Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota. Backous was considered the front-runner and had reportedly told staff members at Saint John’s Prep School that the job was his.

An Open Letter from One Catholic Priest…

Posted on December 12, 2010

Posted in John Klassen, Opinion

“Surely, everyone wishes that this crisis would be resolved for the good of all. Unfortunately, however, I find that some people are saying that the victim / survivors should simply forgive and move on with life. Yet such an expectation overlooks what seems to me to be the necessary sequence of events for forgiveness and peace to happen.”

Letter to the Winona Daily News (Re Abbot Klassen)

Posted on December 12, 2010

Posted in John Klassen, Opinion, Review Board

St. John’s Abbot John Klassen promised my family and other survivors as a part of an agreement they would create a model of prevention, healing, reconciliation and an external review process created by and through the survivors’ community. Another empty promise that left many questions and victimized the survivors again.

Monk Photos

Posted on December 10, 2010

Posted in Photos

Photos of the monks at Saint John’s Abbey are available upon request.

St. Cloud Times… Top Stories of 2010

Posted on December 10, 2010

Posted in Francisco Schulte, John Klassen, Pedophilia, San Antonio Abad

An article about St. John’s Abbey that appeared in the June 9 edition of the St. Cloud Times is up for consideration as one of the top stories of 2010.

The Long Wait to Die

Posted on December 4, 2010

Posted in Francisco Schulte, San Antonio Abad

ATLANTA — There are more than 3,000 inmates awaiting execution nationally, but only 40 or so are executed across the country in a typical year. Mark McClain will be one of those 40 if he is executed as scheduled Tuesday for killing a pizza store manager in Augusta for about $100 during a robbery.

(Book Review) The Case of the Pope: Vatican Accountability…

Posted on December 1, 2010

Posted in Canon Law, Pope Benedict XVI, Reading List

What has made a bad situation worse, as the eminent QC Geoffrey Robertson argues in this coolly devastating inquiry, is canon law – the church’s own arcane, highly secretive legal system, which deals with alleged child abusers in a dismayingly mild manner rather than handing them over to the police. Its “penalties” for raping children include such draconian measures as warnings, rebukes, extra prayers, counselling and a few months on retreat. It is even possible to interpret canon law as claiming that a valid defence for paedophile offences is paedophilia.

Celebrate Positive Choices Month

Posted on December 1, 2010

Posted in Tim Backous

[Webmaster’s Note: St. John’s Abbey has been under scrutiny for years because its members have done far more to protect the community’s reputation than help victims of misconduct. Fr. Tim Backous explains the thought process that allows this to occur.]

“…we choose to act one way and avoid another not because it will get us fame, fortune or power but because it is good for the community.” – Fr. Tim Backous

Father Paul Marx Forced Out (Autobiography)

Posted on November 17, 2010

Posted in Paul Marx, St. John's

In 1980 the authorities at St. John’s Abbey and St. John’s University, by underhanded means, forced Father Marx to leave Collegeville and his Human Life Center and carry on his pro-life work elsewhere. The full story of this persecution is told in this book.

Missing SJU Student is Remembered

Posted on November 15, 2010

Posted in Aubrey Immelman, Joshua Guimond

The eighth anniversary of the disappearance of SJU student Joshua Guimond came this week.

A Way of Life, A Way of Faith

Posted on November 13, 2010

Posted in Dennis Beach, Don Talafous, Tim Backous

Why on earth would a grown man subject himself to obedience, stability and something called “conversatio morum” unless he was a bit looney? – Tim Backous, OSB

Johnnie portrays poor first impression

Posted on November 12, 2010

Posted in Opinion, St. John's

“Don’t go here, this place is a shithole”

Oprah: 200 Survivors of Sexual Abuse

Posted on November 9, 2010

Posted in Recommended Web Sites

A landmark Oprah Show event that’s never been done before. Two hundred men courageously stand together to reveal they were all molested.

Updated: Speculating on the Death of Fr. Bruce Wollmering

Posted on November 1, 2010

Posted in Bob Guimond, Bruce Wollmering, Chuck Loesch, David Klingeman, Jacob Wetterling, John Klassen, Joshua Guimond

“One of our monks ah passed away. He fell or we believe he fell but ah there’s some trauma.” – Shawn Vierzba from St. John’s Life Safety reports the death of Father Bruce Wollmering to the Stearns County Sheriff on February 4, 2009.

Theories/Tips

Posted on November 1, 2010

Posted in Jacob Wetterling, Joshua Guimond, Tips

If you have a theory… or a tip involving misconduct at St. John’s or related to the disappearances of Jacob Wetterling or Joshua Guimond, please call law enforcement or leave a message here.