Abbey Silenced Alleged Tauscher Victim

Posted on May 4, 2015
Posted in Allen Tarlton, Don Tauscher, John Klassen, Timothy Kelly

Despite credible allegations of misconduct — and despite Abbot John Klassen’s repeated claims of transparency — Father Donald Tauscher’s name has never been made public.

Read More

Tarlton’s Perp?

Posted on May 1, 2015
Posted in Allen Tarlton, Callistus Edie

Shortly after this episode, he left for graduate studies at the University of
Louvain, and was away from the abbey for some seven years doing
doctoral and post-doctoral work. – Father Allen Tarlton

Read More

Rev. Anthony Ruff Still on SJU Staff

Posted on May 1, 2015
Posted in Anthony Ruff, John Klassen, National Catholic Youth Choir, Paul Richards, St. Luke's

Father Anthony Ruff remains on the staff at St. John’s University [ Link ] despite credible allegations of sexual misconduct and retaliation, after which he was sent to the Saint Luke Institute in Maryland for more than one year. Father Anthony Ruff also remains involved with the National Catholic Youth Choir.

Read More

Tracking the Public Lists

Posted on May 1, 2015
Posted in 2013 Abbey List, 2013 Archdiocesan List, 2013 Duluth List, 2014 St. Cloud List, 2015 Abbey Perp List, Allen Tarlton, Andre Bennett, Angelo Zankl, Brennan Maiers, Bruce Wollmering, Cosmas Dahlheimer, Dominic Keller, Finian McDonald, Fran Hoefgen, Francisco Schulte, Isaac Connolly, James Kelly, Jim Phillips, John Eidenschink, Michael Bik, Othmar Hohmann, Pirmim Wendt, Richard Eckroth, Robert Blumeyer, Stephen Lilly, Thomas Gillespie

Since 2002, twenty-three members (see chart, below) of the Saint John’s monastic community have been publicly listed as having credible allegations of misconduct.

Read More

(Star Tribune) St. John’s Abbey to Open Sex-Abuse Files

Posted on April 28, 2015
Posted in 2015 Tarlton Settlement, Allen Tarlton

The files released Tuesday on Tarlton shed light on the types of documents to be made public in the months ahead. They indicate four abbots had been aware of Tarlton’s sexual behavior, which started in 1950s, that he had been sent to five different treatment facilities, on six occasions, and was seen by seven mental health professionals.

Read More

(MPR) In memoir, St. John’s Abbey priest admits abusing high school student

Posted on April 28, 2015
Posted in 2015 Tarlton Settlement, Allen Tarlton

“There are a lot of people who are going to be able to get healthy because of it.” – Troy Brandlage
Read More

(MPR) St. John’s Abbey settles sex abuse suit

Posted on April 28, 2015
Posted in 2015 Tarlton Settlement, Allen Tarlton, Jeff Anderson

Attorney Jeff Anderson, who represents Doe 2, said the settlement will require Saint John’s Abbey to release the files of 19 monks accused of sexually abusing children and provide a financial settlement for an amount that will not be publicly disclosed.

Read More

Vulnerable Adult Victims Abandoned

Posted on April 28, 2015
Posted in Isaac Connolly, James Kelly, John Eidenschink, John Klassen, Steve Lilly

It is time for Abbot John Klassen to disclose the names of all credibly accused monk and lay offenders — of both children and vulnerable adults — in the Saint John’s community, precisely because he has taken credit in the past for understanding that, “secrecy is harmful to victims.”

Read More

The 2015 List: Nineteen Names

Posted on April 27, 2015
Posted in 2015 Tarlton Settlement

According to this afternoon’s media advisory [Link], the latest list of credibly accused monks from Saint John’s includes nineteen names.

Read More

(Star Tribune) Attorneys Say Settlement Reached

Posted on April 27, 2015
Posted in 2015 Tarlton Settlement, Allen Tarlton

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man has settled a lawsuit with St. John’s Abbey that will force the release of personnel files for 19 monks accused of sexually abusing minors, attorneys said Monday.

Read More

(SC Times) Clergy Sex Abuse Lawsuit Settled

Posted on April 27, 2015
Posted in 2015 Tarlton Settlement, Allen Tarlton

A Sauk Rapids man has settled a lawsuit that accused a St. John’s Abbey monk of sexual abuse. A news conference has been scheduled for Tuesday to announce the terms of the settlement. The lawsuit against the Rev. Allen Tarlton also named as defendants the Order of St. Benedict, St. John’s Abbey and St. John’s Preparatory School. The lawsuit was scheduled to go to trial Monday.

Read More

Media Advisory: Abuse Survivor and Attorneys Announce Breakthrough Settlement Involving St. John’s Abbey

Posted on April 27, 2015
Posted in 2015 Tarlton Settlement, Andre Bennett, Angelo Zankl, Brennan Maiers, Bruce Wollmering, Cosmas Dahlheimer, Dominic Keller, Dunstan Moorse, Finian McDonald, Fran Hoefgen, Francisco Schulte, Jeff Anderson, Jim Phillips, John Kelly, Michael Bik, Othmar Hohmann, Pirmim Wendt, Richard Eckroth, Robert Blumeyer, Thomas Gillespie

“The credit for achieving this groundbreaking settlement rests with Doe 2, for having the courage to find his voice, stand up for truth and demand transparency with accountability,” said Jeff Anderson, one of Doe 2’s attorneys.

Read More

Tarlton Autobiography Excerpt #1

Posted on April 27, 2015
Posted in Allen Tarlton, Jerome Thiesen, John Eidenschink, John Klassen

“However, on one occasion I gave a sleeping pill to a student and then masturbated him while he slept.” – Father Allen Tarlton

Tarlton’s full autobiography is available as a PDF… Here

[Webmaster’s Note: Father Allen Tarlton is one of Collegeville’s most notorious offenders. Tarlton wasn’t pulled from public service until a protest was announced in 2002 [ Link ]. Before 2002, Father Allen Tarlton’s misconduct had been reported on numerous occasions, and to numerous individuals, including Abbot Eidenschink, Abbot Theisen, Father Tom Andert and Abbot John Klassen.]

Read More

Diocese Perp Taught at Prep School

Posted on April 26, 2015
Posted in Donald Kettler, Vincent Yzermanns

1974_YzermannsIn January of 2014, Bishop Donald Kettler released the names of 33 clergy from the Diocese of Saint Cloud “who were likely involved in the sexual abuse of minors.”

The list included Msgr. Vincent Yzermanns. [Link]

Yzermans taught at the Prep School in the mid-1970s.

Read More

Accused Perpetrator is monk-in-charge at Abbey

Posted on April 15, 2015
Posted in John Klassen, Timothy Kelly, Tom Andert

1979_Father_Tom_AndertAccused perpetrator Father Thomas Andert, O.S.B., will be the “monk-in-charge” at Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota later this week while Abbot John Klassen travels to Rome to present Pope Francis with the final volume of the Saint John’s Bible.

Read More

It Can’t Happen Here

Posted on April 14, 2015
Posted in Dan Ward, Jacob Wetterling, Thomas Gillespie


It Can't Happen Here V6 - 1-01Anyone who was living in the Midwest in the fall of 1989 was familiar with the Jacob Wetterling kidnapping. The story was all over the news. There were newspaper articles, television news stories, posters, billboards, and buttons. Jacob was everywhere, but he couldn’t be found.  – Amazon.com [ Link ]

Read More

Remember Rev. David Cawkwell?

Posted on February 25, 2015
Posted in David Cawkwell

Please contact me if you remember Rev. David Peter-John Cawkwell, priest and author, who spent some time at St. John’s in the early and mid-1990s. Before St. John’s, Father David Cawkwell was at parishes in Redwood Falls, Hutchinson and Silver Lake, Minnesota.

Read More

Archdiocese list includes St. John’s Abbey monks

Posted on February 15, 2015
Posted in Brennan Maiers, Cosmas Dahlheimer, Fran Hoefgen, Michael Bik, Thomas Gillespie

(SC Times) One name added to that list this week is Michael Bik, a former monk from St. John’s Abbey. Bik’s name appeared previously on a list of abbey monks with substantiated allegations of abuse against them. Bik was permanently removed from ministry in 2002. Other abbey monks on the archdiocese list include Fran Hoefgen, Cosmas Dahlheimer, Thomas Gillespie and Brennan Maiers.

Read More

(SC Times) St. John’s should release all Backous files

Posted on February 12, 2015
Posted in Donald Kettler, John Klassen, Opinion, Tim Backous

The St. Cloud Times reported June 11 that the ex-headmaster of St. John’s Preparatory School was accused of sexual abuse. “The allegations of inappropriate contact by the Rev. Timothy Backous surfaced in a letter sent May 31 by Chris and Kathy McDermid, who live in St. Cloud and whose son was in the choir when it made a trip to Europe in 1990, to Archbishop John Nienstedt of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The letter was copied to (St. John’s Abbot John) Klassen and St. Cloud Bishop Donald Kettler.” – Anne Clark (CSB Graduate)

Read More

St. John’s Prep principal charged with DWI

Posted on February 2, 2015
Posted in Matt Reichert

(SC Times) The principal of St. John’s Preparatory School has been charged with drunken driving in connection with his November arrest, the Stearns County Attorney’s Office said Monday.

Read More