Abuse allegations shake St. John’s Abbey

Posted on September 7, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, BS, Dunstan Moorse, John Klassen, Michael Bik, Pat Marker, Robert Blumeyer, SG

From September, 2006:

Pat Marker: “Extensive research shows more monks will be named and more victims will come forward.”

Abbot Klassen: “That is totally an unfounded, false statement. I mean false”

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The Illustrated Word

Posted on September 7, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, John Klassen, Michael Bik, Review Board, Robert Blumeyer, St. John's Bible

In 2002, under pressure of publicity and threatened lawsuits, the Abbey finally acknowledged “creditable accusations” of abuse – enacted over decades – against 13 monks. Anxious to keep the cases out of court, it negotiated a settlement with the victims’ lawyer that avoided the criminal justice system. Patrons of the first handwritten and illuminated Bible since the invention of the printing press now function under the eye of a lay watchdog panel.
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Your Turn: Abbot deserves credit for being transparent

Posted on September 3, 2006
Posted in John Klassen, Kate Lally, Michael Bik, Opinion, Pat Marker, Robert Blumeyer

The Times Editorial Board has called on the St. John’s Abbey External Review Board to “share with the public what they know, their opinions on whether (Pat) Marker’s claims have veracity and if abbey leaders did do all they could to protect potential victims. (Times Our View “Abbey needs to address allegations with public,” Aug. 25.)
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Ex-St. Stephen teacher accused of abusing teens

Posted on September 1, 2006
Posted in Bob Schwiderski, Bruce Wollmering, Harry Flynn, Michael Bik, Robert Blumeyer, SNAP

Members of a church sex-abuse survivors group will distribute pamphlets at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Anoka on Sunday morning informing parishioners that a former teacher of the parish school was recently identified as an accused abuser.
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SNAP/Marker Press Release

Posted on August 26, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, David Clohessy, Harry Flynn, John Klassen, Leadership Camp, Michael Bik, Pat Marker, Review Board, SNAP

A former Minnesota man who was a 1983 victim of sexual abuse at St. John’s Preparatory School in Collegeville, MN is challenging local Catholic officials to explain why they shared a nine year silence about abuse allegations against a priest. He is also requesting that leaders with the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and St. John’s Abbey take immediate steps to notify all potential victims of the cleric and former teacher.
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Abbey needs to address allegations with public (Editorial)

Posted on August 25, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, Editorial, Harry Flynn, John Klassen, Michael Bik, Review Board, Robert Blumeyer

The latest round of sexual misconduct allegations involving Catholic clergy with ties to Central Minnesota hinges on two very familiar themes – truth and trust.
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Victim creates Web site

Posted on August 24, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, David Clohessy, Harry Flynn, John Klassen, Michael Bik, Pat Marker, Project Pathfinders, SNAP, William Skudlarek

COLLEGEVILLE – A former St. John’s Preparatory School student launched a Web site Wednesday to help molestation victims and challenged Catholic officials in a letter to defend delays in notifying potential victims.
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About the Web Site, Allegations

Posted on August 24, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, Michael Bik, Pat Marker, Review Board, Robert Blumeyer

BehindthePineCurtain.com was launched by Pat Marker in 2002 as the “Abuse Disclosure Project.” It was taken down by the former St. John’s Preparatory School student and clergy molestation victim when he joined the St. John’s Abbey external review board. Marker resigned from the board Friday. The Web site was relaunched Wednesday under a new name, billed as a resource for people interested in the history of sexual abuse and misconduct in Collegeville.
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Marker’s Letter to Klassen and Flynn

Posted on August 23, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, Harry Flynn, John Klassen, Michael Bik, Pat Marker, Review Board, St. John's Prep

In 1997, the Archdiocese and Abbey learned of allegations of sexual abuse against Fr. Michael Bik. The public and potential victims should have been notified. They were not and Fr. Michael Bik continued his work at St. John’s Prep School.
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Former review board member launches Web site about clergy abuse

Posted on August 23, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, David Clohessy, Harry Flynn, John Klassen, Michael Bik, Pat Marker, SNAP

COLLEGEVILLE – A former St. John’s Preparatory School student launched a Web site today to help clergy molestation victims and challenged local Catholic officials to come clean.
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Abuse victim quits abbey review board

Posted on August 19, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, David Baraga, Michael Bik, Robert Blumeyer

ST. CLOUD, MINN. — A sexual abuse victim resigned in protest Friday from an external review board formed by St. John’s Abbey in response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
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Mr. Marker is an honorable man (Opinion)

Posted on August 19, 2006
Posted in David Baraga, Pat Marker, Review Board, William Skudlarek

Mr. Marker is an honorable man who did the honorable thing which of course raises the question as to where do Chairman Baraga and the rest of the board stand on this issue. I wish the Times would do the kind of investigative journalism they and the St. Joe Leader did on the allegations of horrifying sexual abuse by numerous Abbey members in the early 90’s.
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St. John’s review board member resigns

Posted on August 19, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, David Baraga, John Klassen, Michael Bik, Review Board, Robert Blumeyer, SNAP, William Skudlarek

COLLEGEVILLE – Pat Marker felt he was prevented from helping those who needed help the most. Marker resigned in protest Friday from an external review board formed as part of St. John’s Abbey’s response to a clergy sexual abuse scandal.
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Letter re Michael Bik

Posted on August 19, 2006
Posted in John Klassen, Michael Bik, St. John's Prep

On 7/29 the St. Cloud Times reported the names of 3 priests accused of sexual abuse. Among them was a man named Fr. Michael Bik, who I knew during my four years attending St. John’s Preparatory between 1998 and 2002. The article says that he taught and worked in the Campus Ministry office at the Prep school until 2002, but fails to mention the leadership role he played in that community, and the trust placed in him by students who sought his council.
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St. John’s sexual misconduct review board member resigns

Posted on August 19, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, Michael Bik, Pat Marker, Review Board, Robert Blumeyer

Pat Marker felt he was prevented from helping those who needed help the most. Marker resigned in protest Friday from an external review board formed as part of St. John’s Abbey’s response to a clergy sexual abuse scandal.
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Member of abbey review board resigns in protest

Posted on August 18, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, Michael Bik, Pat Marker, Review Board, Robert Blumeyer, SNAP, William Skudlarek

COLLEGEVILLE – A member of the external review board formed as part of St. John’s Abbey’s response to allegations of sexual misconduct has resigned in protest of what he said was a delay in publicly disclosing accusations of sexual abuse.
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Review board is necessary for keeping church honest (Opinion)

Posted on August 12, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, John Klassen, Michael Bik, Review Board, Robert Blumeyer

I read with interest the Times news report about the sexual abuse allegations against monks from St. John’s community. Of particular interest was the abbot’s remark that “if it came to us today we would have handled it differently.”
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Abbey defends its handling of clergy offenses

Posted on August 10, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, David Clohessy, John Klassen, Michael Bik, Robert Blumeyer, SNAP, William Skudlarek

ST. LOUIS PARK – St. John’s Abbey officials say the claims made Wednesday by a national advocacy group for clergy molestation victims are inaccurate.
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SNAP Letter to Abbot Klassen

Posted on August 9, 2006
Posted in Bob Schwiderski, Bruce Wollmering, David Clohessy, Michael Bik, Robert Blumeyer, SNAP

August 9, 2006

Dear Abbot Klassen:

Founded in 1989, SNAP is a 7000+ member support group for women and men who have been wounded by sexually abusive priests, nuns, seminarians and bishops. We are the largest and oldest such self-help group dedicated to healing the wounded and protecting the vulnerable.
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Monk kept his job after claims

Posted on August 6, 2006
Posted in Bruce Wollmering, BS, Cosmas Dahlheimer, John Eidenschink, John Klassen, Michael Bik, Review Board, Robert Blumeyer

COLLEGEVILLE – A member of the St. John’s monastic community continued to work at St. John’s Preparatory School for five years after he was accused of sexual misconduct.
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