The List: 104 Credibly Accused
Since the 1930s, fifty-eight (58) monks and thirteen (13) other members of the Saint John’s community have been credibly accused of sexual abuse and/or other misconduct. Another thirty-two (32) individuals with strong ties to St. John’s have also been accused of abuse or other misconduct.
*** Type 1: Saint John’s Abbey Monks Accused of Sexual Abuse or Misconduct (58)
1. Fr. Michael Bik (Reportedly Still at Abbey)
2. Br. Isaac Connolly (Reportedly Still at Abbey)
3. Fr. Richard Eckroth (Reportedly Still at Abbey)
4. Fr. Thomas Gillespie (Reportedly Still at Abbey) (SJP ’55) (SOT ’64)
5. Fr. Brennan Maiers (Reportedly Still at Abbey) (SJP ’54)
6. Fr. Finian McDonald (Reportedly Still at Abbey)
7. Fr. Dunstan Moorse (Reportedly Still at Abbey)
8. Fr. Francisco Schulte (Reportedly Still at Abbey)
9. Fr. Allen Tarlton (Reportedly Still at Abbey) (SJP ’46)
10. Br. Jim Phillips (Reportedly Still at Abbey)
11. Fr. Tom Andert (Active, Former SJP Headmaster, Former Prior) (SJP ’65)
12. Fr. Tim “Timo” Backous (Active, Abbey, Former SJP Headmaster)
13. Fr. Donald Tauscher (Active, Abbey)
14. Fr. Jonathan Licari (Active, Abbey, Headmaster at SJP)
15. Fr. Daniel Ward (Active, Maryland) (SJP ’62)
16. Fr. Mel Taylor (Active, Abbey)
17. Fr. Chrysostom Kim (Active, Abbey)
18. Fr. Simeon Thole (Active, Abbey)
19. Fr. Thomas Thole (Active, Abbey) (SJP ‘ 53)
20. Fr. Cyril Gorman (Active, Japan)
21. Fr. Anthony Ruff (Active, Abbey, SOT Faculty)
22. Fr. Jerome Tupa (Active, Abbey & St. Joseph, MN)
23. Fr. Jerome Coller (Active, Abbey)
24. Fr. Robert Koopman (Active, Abbey, Professor at SJU)
25. Fr. Roger Botz (Active, Abbey, Chaplain at St. Cloud Hospital)
26. Fr. Fran Hoefgen (Left Monastery, Cities)
27. Br. John Kelly (Left Monastery, Cities)
28. Br. Stephen Lilly (Left Monastery, Cities) (SJP ’74)
29. Fr. Howard Oaks Mossier (Left Monastery, Alabama)
30. Fr. Nathan Libaire (Left Monastery, Santa Fe)
31. Br. Jason Griffith (Left Monastery, Cities)
32. Fr. James Kelly (Left Monastery, Deceased)
33. Fr. Augustine Strub (Left Monastery, Deceased)
34. Fr. Casimir Plakut (Left Monastery, Deceased)
35. Fr. Agustine Cerezo Murillo (Left Monastery, Deceased)
36. Fr. Callistus Edie (Left Monastery, Deceased)
37. Br. Robert Burke (Left Monastery, Worked for Archdiocese, Deceased)
38. Br. Andre Bennett (Deceased)
39. Fr. Cosmas Dahlheimer (Deceased)
40. Fr. Peregrin Berres (Deceased)
41. Fr. Robert Blumeyer (Deceased)
42. Abbot John Eidenschink (Deceased) (SJP ‘ 31)
43. Fr. Mathias Faue (Deceased)
44. Fr. Othmar Hohmann (Deceased)
45. Abbot Timothy Kelly (Deceased)
46. Br. Paschal Brisson (Deceased)
47. Fr. Dominic Keller (Deceased)
48. Fr. Alban Fruth (Deceased)
49. Fr. Aelred Tegels (Deceased)
50. Fr. Angelo Zankl (Deceased) (SJP ‘ 18)
51. Br. Zaccheus Zuehlke (Deceased)
52. Fr. Pirmin Wendt (Deceased)
53. Fr. Aloysius Michels (Deceased) (SJP ‘ 30)
54. Fr. Gerald Farrell (Deceased)
55. Fr. Gregory Soukup (Deceased)
56. Fr. Phil Harrer (Deceased)
57. Fr. Burkard Anthony Arnheiter (Deceased)
58. Fr. Bruce Wollmering (Deceased) (SJP ‘ 58)
*** Type 2: Lay Personnel from St. John’s Accused of Sexual Abuse or Misconduct (6)
1. Terry DeSutter (Alive, 2002 Settlement, SJP Faculty)
2. Steve Pavkovich (Alive, Banned from Campus, SJP Faculty)
3. Roger Julkowski (Deceased, “The Farm”)
4. Matthew Feeney (Alive, Prison)
5. Miguel Diaz (Alive, SOT Faculty)
6. Dr. Anthony Tabor (Deceased, SJU Faculty)
*** Type 3: Visiting Priests or Seminarians Accused of Sexual Abuse or Misconduct (7)
1. Fr. Paul GoPaul (Deceased)
2. Fr. Anthony Smithwick (Alive, England?)
3. Fr. Bede Parry (Deceased)
4. Fr. Michael Brunovsky (Alive, HS Principal in Ohio)
5. Fr. Jure Christie (Deceased)
6. Seminarian Frank Donovan – Diocese of St. Cloud (Unknown)
7. Msgr. Vincent Yzermans – Diocese of St. Cloud (Teacher, SJP, 1974)
*** Type 4: Sisters from St. Benedict’s in St. Joseph Minnesota (1)
1. Sister Ann Marie Biermaier (CSB/SJU Education Professor)
*** Type 5: Priests Named by MN Dioceses with St. John’s Ties. (27)
Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis (3)
1. Rev. Gilbert DeSutter (SJU ’50)
2. Rev. Alfred Longley (CSB/SJU Retreat Master)
3. Rev. Gil Gustafson (ISTI Board)
Diocese of St. Cloud (14)
1. Rev. Sylvester Gall (SJU ’34) (SOT ’38)
2. Rev. William Garding (SOT ’82)
3. Rev. Raymond C. Jacques (SOT ’48)
4. Rev. Val Klimek (SJU ’40)
5. Rev. Joseph Kremer (SJU ’63) (Staff, SJU Staff 1976-1984)
6. Rev. Richard Kujawa (SJU SOT ’50)
7. Rev. James Mohm (SJU SOT ’27)
8. Rev. Donald Rieder (SJU ’51)
9. Rev. Peter Snyers St. John’s (SJU SOT ’53)
10. Rev. Allan Speiser (SJU ’45)
11. Rev. James Thoennes (SJU ’60)
12. Rev. William Wey (SJU ’42)
13. Deacon Michael Weber (SJU ’66)
14. Rev. Antonio Marfori (SJU ’72) Named in lawsuit on October 13, 2015
15. Rev. Anthony Tony Oelrich (SOT ’92) (Arrested February 13, 2018)
1. Rev. Leonard Colston (SOT 1979)
2. Rev. (Thomas) Gregory Manning (SJU ’40)(SOT ’44)
3. Rev. Dennis Puhl (SOT ’74)
Diocese of Winona (2)
1. Louis G. Cook (SJU ’54) (SOT ’58)
2. Rev. William Curtis (Admissions Volunteer, 1979)
Diocese of Crookston (1)
1. Stanley Bourassa (SJU ’51)
Diocese of New Ulm (3)
1. Rev. Bernard Steiner (SJU ’56)
2. Rev. Richard Gross (SJU ’56, SOT ’58)
3. Rev. Dennis Becker (SJU ’57)
*** Type 6: Others accused (non-MN) with St. John’s Ties. (5)
Los Angeles Archdiocese (1)
1. Rev. Barry Vinyard (SJU, SOT Circa 1975)
St. Mary’s Abbey / Delbarton School (NJ) (3)
1. Rev. Justin Capato O.S.B. (SOT ’79)
2. Rev. Bruno Ugliano O.S.B (On Campus 1961-1962)
3. Rev. Donal Fox O.S.B (On Campus 1961-1962)
Jesuit Order (1)
1. John Gallen, SJ (SJU Faculty 1968 & 1972)
Note: To find more information about members of the Saint John’s Abbey community, please visit the Meet the Monks section.
Posted on June 16, 2011
Updated January 3, 2014
Updated January 4, 2014
Updated January 6, 2014
Updated April 9, 2014
Updated May 19, 2014
Updated October 13, 2015
Updated November, 2015
Updated April, 2016
Updated October, 2017
Updated February, 2018
Updated September, 2018
Updated July, 2019
