Grieving Parents Call for Reform of Corrupt Benedictine Abbey in Minnesota

Edit: back in March, we took notice of the almost unanimous absence in local reporting of the abuse and suicide of Ben Spanier, and the man who most directly caused it, the Prior of St. John's Abbey, Father Tom Andert, now on leave of absence.  Andert was subsequently placed on restriction and relived of his duties pending the investigation.  When the story of Andert's dismissal broke, the local news media completely ignored Ben's very credible accusations and his death, covered almost exclusively in a blog by a former alumnus of St. John's Preparatory School.

Only yesterday, National Public Radio, itself born at Collegeville, did a piece about Ben's parents, who are calling for a change in the "culture of secrecy" at St. John's Abbey.  It's not clear what is meant by this, but the sincerity of his grieving parents and the contempt with which they've been treated by the Abbey is very real, indeed.

To date, no one is calling for the resignation of Abbot John Klassen who has consistently lied to protect predators and preserve the atmosphere of heresy in collegeville.  Those who were very vocal in calling for the resignation of Archbishop John Nienstedt, like the dissident St. John's alum, Father Mark Tegeder, are completely silent now.

How a story like this could be passed over in the local Catholic and secular media is truly a thing to behold.  We hope this call for reform isn't a call for their kind of reform.

[NPR] His parents say his problems began 20 years earlier, when he was a student at St. John's Prep in Collegeville. They say their son wasn't the same after he began spending time with the Rev. Tom Andert, a prominent priest who was placed on leave earlier this year for a separate allegation of sexual misconduct. 

The Spaniers say they're coming forward now because they want the culture at St. John's to change. Ben Spanier had attempted suicide before. His father, Eric, will never forget picking up the phone that night in 1994. On the other end of the line was the Rev. Tom Andert, the head of the boarding school at St. John's, where Ben was a junior.
"I answered the phone," Eric Spanier said. "He was calling from the emergency room in the hospital, so it was a shock." 

He said he was relieved the priest was there to care for his son.

"Benedictine" Abbey Removes Porn by "Artist" Monk

Tupa and Abbot Klassen 

Edit:  this priest's artwork looks like something made by a serial killer during arts and crafts in a Federal Prison.

We were linked here and decided to draw more attention to the article.  Here's  an excerpt plus links from Pine Curtain:

Sadomasochistic and Violent

[Pine Curtain] Father Jerome Tupa - a priest from Saint John’s Abbey and the subject of a December 12, 2012 letter [ View ] to Father Bob Rolfes at the Diocese of Saint Cloud – no longer has a web site at jerometupa.com and he no longer sells his art/pornography at https://eelement.appolis.com/jerometupa/.  In addition to serving as pastor at Saint Joseph Parish in St. Joseph, Minnesota, where he acts as confessor and spiritual counselor to hundreds, Father Tupa currently sits on the board of All Saints Academy [ View ] with schools in St. Joseph and Waite Park, Minnesota.

Samples of Father Jerome Tupa’s NSFW art are still available Here.

Father Jerome Tupa’s SFW art is available Here.

Media: Please request additional samples of Tupa’s NSFW artwork Here.

Photo from dedication of Gathering Space...

Accusations Against Modernist Monastery's Legal Counsel: Another Monk Hides Out in Ireland

Modernist Architecture
Modernist Behavior

Edit: Have just received this from the Pine Curtain site and  we are citing the stories below with supporting documentation linked to that site. 

Two Monks who'd been previously mentioned here, Father Mel Taylor who has just fled to Ireland during a current investigation of multiple cases of misconduct, and Father Dan Ward, a canon and civil attorney for the Abbey who also counsels monks on dealing with sexual abuse. Father Ward figured predominantly in the initial accusations against the Modernist Monastery, and categorically denied them then. It's becoming increasingly difficult for them to avoid, or worse, to malign those who have called their conduct and status as Catholic figures into question.

Father Mel Taylor was expected to continue parish work in the United States after leaving the Bahamas where that monastery was closing down, but he will not be going back to parish work, owing to an investigation against him.  

It's thought in some very well-informed circles, that certain Liberal institutions and figures within the Catholic Church have worked with the media to create the perfect storm.

Not to confuse things, but it seems that the disobedience, Leftist agendas and the promotion of a homosexual subculture by figures like Father Bob Pierson are intimately linked to the conditions at schools like St. John's where students are not only trained not to think, but are sometimes even used as playing pieces in a political and religious farce.

Here is the information we've received from the Pine Curtain with no editing, and the early video showing Father Dan Ward denying the allegations by the blog's author, Pat Marker, against Father Dunstan Moorse and other monks:

*** Father Dan Ward, OSB

Father Dan Ward, OSB served as assistant to the University president for legal service. (See file: 1978-1979 Winter SJU Alumni_Wollmering_Ward.pdf) He was also an Assistant Professor of Theology and Government at Saint John's University for over ten years (See file: dan_ward_education_1984.jpg).

Father Ward is a canon and civil attorney and a member of the Minnesota Bar (See file: ward_mn_bar.jpg).

In August of 1991, the first day that allegations against monks at Saint John's were made public, Father Ward represented offending monk Father Dunstan Moorse is a case of sexual abuse. See 1:50 mark of this video: 

Father Ward now counsels religious on matters of sexual misconduct worldwide. (See file: RCRI_Web_Site.jpg )

I received notice that an investigation had been commissioned regarding Father Dan Ward on October 4, 2012. Abbot John Klassen and Bishop Kinney were cc'd to that email. (See file: 20121004_Airdo_Email.pdf).

At least five men and one woman (CSB student) have alleged misconduct by Father Ward.

One of the allegations against Ward (see file: Ward_1970s_2.pdf) was disclosed in my October 8 letter to Sr. Sharon Euart, executive director of the Canon Law Society of America. (See file: 20121008_Marker_to_Euart.pdf)

All six of the allegations against Father Ward were disclosed in my October 9 letter to the Minnesota Bar Association.

Father Dan Ward is scheduled to speak (on three of the four days) at RCRI’s national conference in Orlando next week.

*** Father Mel Taylor, OSB

On June 8, 2012, Bishop John Kinney from the Diocese of Saint Cloud (MN) announced that Father Mel Taylor would be the next priest at Saint John the Baptist in Collegeville. Source:

http://www.stcdio.org/the-visitor/official-announcements.html

Prior to that announcement, on June 3, 2012, Father Mel Taylor was confronted by one of his victims. The confrontation occurred during Father Mel Taylor's last mass in the Bahamas. Background and a video of that confrontation is available here:

http://www.behindthepinecurtain.com/wordpress/video-of-confrontation-in-the-bahamas/

On June 26, 2012, I wrote an email to Bishop John Kinney, requesting that he, "reconsider the appointment of Father Mel Taylor as pastor at Church of Saint John the Baptist, Collegeville, Minnesota." (See file: 20120626_Marker_to_Kinney.pdf )

On June 29, 2012, Bishop Kinney wrote a letter (See file: 20120629_kinney_letter_re_Taylor.pdf) stating that Mel Taylor was under investigation.

Father Mel Taylor was a prefect, chaplain and residency dean at the Prep School in the 80s. (see file: Taylor_Res_Dean_82-83.pdf)

Misconduct against Mel Taylor is outlined in a notarized document dated August 30, 2012. (See file: 20120830_Misconduct_re_Mel_Taylor.pdf)

Just days after the Father Mel Taylor investigation began in August, Father Taylor fled to Ireland.