Pavilion blessed, Eucharistic devotions stressed at dedication

Posted on September 1, 2007
Posted in John Klassen, Tom Petters

A dictionary defines “pavilion” as “a part of a building projecting from the rest.” Those few words hardly do justice to the newly completed structure that does indeed project from the Abbey Church. The question remains, “What’s it for?”

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Ecumenical monastery in Wisconsin charts a new way

Posted on August 17, 2007
Posted in Dan Ward

Benedictine Fr. Dan Ward, the canon lawyer who handled legal matters, said the two Catholic nuns “risked a lot”–the risk of the hierarchy saying no, the risk of violating the tradition of the Benedictine order, the risk of misusing the resources they had. He also commended Smith “for the risk she took in sharing in the crazy vision of these women and then joining with them.”

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Controversial Conversations

Posted on August 1, 2007
Posted in Celibacy, Dale Launderville, Homosexuality, Jerome Tupa

“… the Catholic Church’s adamant opposition to gay marriage, coupled with its recent moves to restrict even celibate gay men from ordination, is a source of puzzlement if not scandal.” – CSB/SJU White Paper (August, 2007)

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Abbot John Names New Prior

Posted on June 15, 2007
Posted in John Klassen, Tom Andert

Collegeville, MN — Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B., has appointed Fr. Thomas Andert, O.S.B., to be prior of Saint John’s Abbey effective July 1, 2007. In a Benedictine abbey the prior is the abbot’s primary assistant in serving the monastic community. When the abbot is away from the monastery the prior assumes the abbot’s leadership role.
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Still Missing in the Midwest

Posted on March 20, 2007
Posted in John Klassen, Joshua Guimond

Wisconsin and Minnesota, 2002. Four young people, unknown to each other, go missing within an eleven-day period and a two hundred mile radius. The vanishings make national headlines. The stories ask the same question: coincidence or serial killer?

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Retreat Facilitator’s Past As Sex Abuser Resurfaces

Posted on February 6, 2007
Posted in Lynn Bauman, Ward Bauman, William Skudlarek

A group representing clergy sex-abuse victims criticized an Episcopal retreat center in Collegeville, Minn., on Tuesday for inviting a registered sex offender — the brother of the center’s director — to lead a retreat this weekend.

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Confronting the Past (Video)

Posted on February 2, 2007
Posted in Bob Schwiderski, SNAP

Fox 9 Twin Cities rebroadcast of Feb. 2, 2007 “Confronting the Past.”  Watch Jack Klein confront the priest that sexually abused him. Adamson was fired 15 minutes after the parking lot confrontation for false statements on his application for employment.  Of course neither the Diocese of Winona nor the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis warned the facility or the neighborhood. Enabling Bishops pictured.

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Ambassador Rood hosts St. John’s University Alumni

Posted on January 26, 2007
Posted in Benedict Leuthner, Finian McDonald, Mel Taylor

The U.S. Embassy issued the following press release:

On January 18th,. U.S. Ambassador John Rood hosted a reception at his residence for Bahamian alumni of St. John’s University in Minnesota. Because of the close relations between St. John’s and St. Augustine’s College in Nassau, Bahamians have been attending this Midwestern institution since 1932, claiming such graduates as Eugene Dupuch, Arthur Barnett, Leviticus Adderley, Andrew Curry, Monsignor Preston Moss, and at least 250 others in recent times.
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Fr. Francisco Schulte… 2007 Tour Guide

Posted on January 19, 2007
Posted in Francisco Schulte, Sacro Speco

We’ve now been home from Italy for over a week. We’re back at school, and life is so busy already that it’s sometimes easy to forget that it wasn’t so long ago that I was in Rome, walking along The Tiber with my friends or staring at the gorgeous mosaic on the dome of St. Paul’s Basilica. But–despite the hustle and bustle of college life at St. Scholastica, my last semester before graduation–I will never forget my trip to Rome over winter break.
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Monk or Friar?

Posted on January 1, 2007
Posted in Francisco Schulte

Special thanks to Francisco Raymond Schulte, a Benedictine Monk from St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota, for explaining the difference between a monk and a friar:
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The Star Gatherer

Posted on December 1, 2006
Posted in Jerome Tupa, Paul Richards

The world premiere performance of the commissioned opera The Star Gatherer, commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Saint John’s Boys’ Choir, was presented at Saint John’s on October 20 and 21. With music by Stephen Paulus, libretto by Gene Scheer, the production’s design inspired by the painting of Jerome Tupa, OSB, and conducted by Paul Richards, OSB, the opera focuses on the youthful transition from boyhood to young adulthood through the boys’ awareness that they will be defined not by what they have but by what they give away. Three full-house performances superbly showcased the remarkable talents of the Boys’ Choir.

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Sisters Say Brother Who Killed Himself Was Abused at St. John’s

Posted on September 26, 2006
Posted in John Klassen, Patrick Ryan, Paul GoPaul, Rita Prince, William Skudlarek

Collegeville, Minn. – Two sisters said Monday their brother killed himself in 1971 because of the trauma of being sexually abused by a visiting professor at St. John’s University.

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Sisters Ask Abbey for Information on Priest Accused of Abuse

Posted on September 25, 2006
Posted in Bob Schwiderski, Paul GoPaul, Rita Prince, SNAP, William Skudlarek

The sisters of a former St. John’s University student asked St. John’s Abbey today to confirm that a visiting professor sexually abused their brother in 1970.

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Urgent Announcement to Employees and Students (SJU)

Posted on September 25, 2006
Posted in Paul GoPaul, Visiting Clergy/Professors

Email from the Office of the President regarding Father Paul A GoPaul

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Sisters go public with abuse allegations at St. John’s University

Posted on September 25, 2006
Posted in Paul GoPaul, Review Board, SNAP, William Skudlarek

Collegeville, Minn. — Rita Prince and Terry Ryan stood beneath the massive concrete bell tower at St. John’s University in Collegeville, clutching a picture of their brother. In the 1960s-era photo, Patrick Ryan is dressed smartly in a black suit, his reddish-brown hair swept to the side.
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Chaphalkar’s Letter to the Editor

Posted on September 18, 2006
Posted in Jerome Tupa, John Klassen, Pat Marker, Raj Chaphalkar

Dear Editor,

In your article on St. John’s Abbey’s sex abuse allegations (Sept. 7), it details the story of Pat Marker, prep school alumnus and 1983 abuse victim, who resigned from the Abbey’s external review board Aug. 18 over disputed disclosure procedures.

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Draft of Letter to Editor

Posted on September 11, 2006
Posted in John Klassen, Pat Marker, Raj Chaphalkar
[Webmaster’s Note: The following is a draft of a letter sent to the editor of The Record on September 11, 2006. The letter was reviewed by Saint John’s Abbey officials, who provided feedback to the student. The student’s letter was resubmitted and published [ View ] on September 18, 2006. Webmaster Pat Marker also commented [ View ] on the letter. ]

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Marker’s Letter to Chaphalkar

Posted on September 11, 2006
Posted in Michael Bik, Michael Hemmesch, Pat Marker, Raj Chaphalkar, William Skudlarek
[Webmaster’s Note: The following email was sent to SJU student Raj Chaphalkar by webmaster Pat Marker on September 11, 2006. It was a response to a letter that Mr. Chaphalkar submitted to the editor of The Record on September 10, 2006.  Mr. Chaphalkar also sent the letter to Rev. William Skudlarek, Abbot John Klassen and Michael Hemmesch, SJU Director of Media Relations.

Rev. William Skudlarek responded to Mr. Chaphalkar with the following:

“After speaking with Abbot John this morning, I called Raj to suggest that he consider eliminating the sentence in which he says that Pat Marker has posted confidential documents from the External Review Board on his site.”

Rev. William Skudlarek did not attempt to correct the other inaccuracies contained within Raj Chaphalkar’s letter. Pat Marker did (see below).

Mr. Chaphalkar resubmitted his letter and it was published [ View ] on September 18, 2006.

[End Webmaster’s Note]

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Anti-abuse advocates to distribute literature

Posted on September 10, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, Michael Bik, Pat Marker, Review Board, Robert Blumeyer, SNAP, William Skudlarek

SHOREVIEW – A national support group for people molested by clergy plans to pass out leaflets in protest today outside a Shoreview church where a Collegeville monk worked for two years.
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Archdiocese finds old abuse records

Posted on September 8, 2006
Posted in Michael Bik

After a new search of its files, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has found records indicating that a man did come forward eight years ago alleging he was abused as a teenager in the 1970s by the Rev. Michael Bik, before the priest was ordained.
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