Bruce Wollmering, though accused of misconduct and having admitted to relationships with students, has won an award!
Second Place for Best Essay in a Religious Order Magazine: The Abbey Banner, Spring 2007, “Gardens Galore from Eden to the Abbey,” Bruce Wollmering, OSB, Richard Oliver, OSB, and David Klingeman, OSB.
“This story is a blend of history, faith, and the resurgence in popularity of local produce, and that resurgence’s impact on the abbey.”
It good to see his name finally among the list. I know he is long since passed away but at least there is some sort of recognition of his ongoing crimes in the 80’s. I was one of his conquests in the 80’s during a TECH retreat in Belle Plain.
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — Liturgical Press recently published Demythologizing Celibacy: Practical Wisdom from Christian and Buddhist Monasticism by Father William Skudlarek OSB. In September 2007 the Abbot Primate appointed Father William, a monk of Saint John’s Abbey, General Secretary of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Drawing on the monastic interreligious dialogue, Father William considers the Buddhist view of celibacy, which is not mythologized as a response to a divine call or as a superhuman way of life. He examines their regard for it as simply — and profoundly — a path to freedom, peace, and happiness. As Christians become aware of the benefits of celibacy for monks who observe it without reference to the Gospel, they may be able to appreciate all the more its importance and value for those who wish to follow Christ as celibates, and in this way come to share in the freedom of the children of God.
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“In September 1991, Bishop Jerome Hanus of St. Cloud, Minnesota, established a sexual misconduct policy for all personnel of the diocese.” Unlike the policies of Salt Lake City and Davenport, it was not focused solely on child victims, but dealt with “vulnerable persons,” which could include vulnerable adults.”
Fr. Alan Tarlton, 80, is the Abbey’s only African American monk. He was not always alone.
When Tarlton was ordained in 1955, there were four other African Americans priests, but, eventually, the abbey sent them off to do missionary work in the Bahamas, Kentucky and Indianapolis — leaving Tarlton to work as a prep-school English teacher and FR in Benet Hall alone, as the University’s sole African American educator for years.
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St. John’s Abbey Benedictine establishment at Collegeville, MN, the largest Benedictine monastery in the western world, adjacent to St. John’s University and St. John’s Preparatory School. At least 14 of the abbey’s nearly 200 monks have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct.
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Oblate/Monk Matching Program Update:
Father Bruce Wollmering, Abbey Produce Garden Coordinator, would like to thank the following oblates, CHARLES NICOLOSI, MARTIN STACHNIK, and BETTY MOE for helping on multiple occasions.
Dunstan Moorse, a monk with almost a dozen victims, offers another recipe to the members of the Oblate program.
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The following analysis by Julie Seifert, at the time a senior psychology major at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn., was published as the Your Turn column “Guimond analysis maintains mystery” in the St. Cloud Times on November 20, 2007.
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A St. John’s Abbey priest whose role on a review board brought criticism last month hasn’t served on the board since early 2007, according to a letter issued this week by the leader of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville.
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There simply was no “intensive internal investigation.” Interrogation of a frightened teenager is not investigation. I received the following from a principle who was on the scene in 1994: “How can you have an investigation without anyone talking to us? We know that what we heard from (Ned) was clearly inappropriate behavior between a Headmaster and a student; Andert’s actions were abusive. If they can’t see that and act appropriately the Abbey has a big problem, and needs some outside help.”
A Twin Cities-based lawyer is calling for a St. John’s Abbey monk to be removed from an external review board that examines clergy abuse because he says the monk was once involved with sexual misconduct.
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Beginning with this issue, The Oblate will be issued quarterly. It also has a new editorial team: Fr. Allen Tarlton has graciously offered to serve as the editor emeritus and continues to offer his wisdom and guidance to Bjorn Gustafson and Joel Rainville, now serving as co-editors and Mary Fran Karanikolas as layout editor. In order to better foster a sense of community, the editors would like readers to provide feedback and material submissions. – The Oblate (2007)
The Oblate: Our Sense of Place
http://www.osb.org/oblate/pdf/075102.pdf
Br. Benet Tvedten, OSB, Oblate Director at Blue Cloud Abbey in South Dakota, has graciously permitted the editors of The Oblate to reprint his article on the recent Oblate Directors’ Biennial Meeting at St Martin’s Abbey in Lacey, Washington. Fr. Greg Miller, OSB, and Fr. Allen Tarlton, OSB, also attended this meeting.
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30th Sunday in Ordinary Time / 22nd Sunday after Pentecost
Feast of Sts. Simon & Jude, Apostles & Martyrs (Anglican Calendar)
Bryan forwarded me an email he received from a friend of his earlier today on a particular matter that is causing me grief even though I’m halfway across the world. I share in the pain and questioning that is undoubtedly going on at the moment in this community.
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Dear Students, Parents, Regents, Alumni and Friends,
I have just received information that there will be a news conference this afternoon concerning allegations against one of the members of Saint John’s Abbey who served as Saint John’s Prep Headmaster in the early 1990’s. I wanted to assure you all that these allegations are from the past and have been previously investigated. The leader of our community, Abbot John Klassen, is prepared to respond and we will provide that response.
Cruising along Interstate 94 near St. Cloud, motorists often spot a giant slab of concrete jutting upward amid the Stearns County fields.
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This letter was written September 30, 2007 to Lee Hanley, a public relations person at St. John’s and an old friend. I had received numerous complaints about my alma mater from around the country. I wanted it to get to the current Abbot who had appeared to be dedicated to improving monastic behavior by setting up an External Review Board to work with the monastery to help young people be safe. I hoped it might stave off some problems. It did not. This and the following article is a personal dialogue.
From: http://www.richardsipe.com/Dialogue/Dialogue-15-2007-09-30.html
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