Flying Priests and African Deacons
Mel, the prior, an Irishman, took us to the casino to gamble last night. En route he talked re: the missionary activities of the monks. Each weekend 4 or 5 of them fly to the outlying islands of Exuma,...
View ArticleFather Daniel Ward Accepts New Position
Prior of St. Augustine’s Monastery in Nassau, Bahamas, since 1997, Father Daniel Ward has accepted new tasks as Associate Director of the Legal Resource Center for Religious in Silver Spring, Maryland....
View ArticleThe end of an era; Monastery closes after 114 years
There was an extra stillness in the air recently as Father Mel Taylor looked over the picturesque grounds of the Monastery of Saint Augustine of Canterbury, which closed after 114 years of existence....
View ArticleAmbassador Rood hosts St. John’s University Alumni
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...
View ArticleAbbot John Klassen Relaxes Travel Restrictions
*** May 12, 2002: “Klassen said the Rev. Finian McDonald will not be allowed to travel this year to the Bahamas, where he has regularly spent several months each year at the abbey’s mission. McDonald...
View ArticleSeven Years… Time To Start Asking Questions
Today (November 10, 2009) marks the seven year anniversary of Joshua Guimond’s disappearance from the St. John’s University campus in Collegeville, Minnesota. There are still more questions than...
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Abbey Files Destroyed?
When reviewed in the early 1990s, the Abbot’s File on Fr. Dunstan Moorse contained 81 items between July, 1972 and April, 1990. 1972-1978: 58 Items in 7 years (8.3 items per year) 1979-1983: 0 Items in...
View ArticleMisconduct by Fr. Mel Taylor
Fr. Mel Taylor used his master key to enter my locked dorm room without my permission. Looking back, I am certain that Fr. Mel knew I was in the room and in my bed enjoying some “private time.” I...
View ArticleGagliardi’s Puzzling Response
Saint John’s University football coach John Gagliardi has finally spoken on the record about sexual misconduct. In a Saint Cloud Times article regarding sex abuse at Penn State and Joe Paterno,...
View ArticleAbbot Klassen Covered Up Abuse
According to the abbey’s own records, at least twenty-one priests from Saint John’s Abbey were assigned to St. Anselm’s and St. Benedict’s in the Bronx between 1939 and 1976. In the 1960′s, one of...
View ArticleAbbey & Diocese Shuffle Offending Priests
Reverend Jerome Tupa, OSB, from pastor of the Church of Saint John the Baptist, Collegeville, to pastor of the Church of Saint Joseph, Saint Joseph. Reverend Mel Taylor, OSB, to pastor of the Church of...
View ArticleFr. Mel Taylor… Leaving the Bahamas
According to the Saint Cloud Diocese [ View ], Father Mel Taylor is coming home from the Bahamas to become pastor of the Church of Saint John the Baptist, Collegeville. Father Mel Taylor was shipped...
View ArticleMonk Offenders in the Bahamas
The following is a list of Saint John’s monks with credible allegations of misconduct who served in the Bahamas. Fr. Othmar Hohmann (1932- ) Fr. Peregrine Berres (1957-1965) Fr. Allen Tarlton (1962-64,...
View ArticlePrep School Escapees
Approximately 1178 students attended the Prep School in the 80′s. 438 left before their senior year. On the Prep School’s staff in the 80′s: 81-82: Griffith, Kelly, Moorse, Schulte, Tarlton, Taylor...
View ArticleFather Mel Taylor Confronted at Mass, Leaves Bahamas
Father Mel Taylor reportedly left the Bahamas on Monday, June 4, 2012, a day after he was confronted during mass by a man who claimed Father Mel Taylor had pursued him (for a sexual relationship) over...
View ArticleArchdiocese Launches Program To Protect The Abused
Pinder said it is unfortunate that there are some members of the Order of St. Benedict against whom allegations of sexual abuse have risen. [Webmaster's Note: Those "members" include Father Mel Taylor,...
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Archbishop Pinder Alerted to Misconduct by Mel Taylor
Like Abbot Timothy Kelly and Abbot John Klassen before him, Archbishop Patrick Pinder (Bahamas) was made aware of Father Mel Taylor’s misconduct. Had Archbishop Pinder acted in the best interests of...
View ArticleVideo of Fr. Mel Taylor Confrontation
This still frame, from a video taken with a cell phone camera on June 3, 2012, shows a man (at right) using a microphone to address the congregation at Father Mel Taylor’s last mass [ View ] in the...
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Video of Confrontation in the Bahamas
In late December of 2011, [Victim] met with Archbishop Patrick Pinder in the conference room in the chancery at St. Francis Cathedral in Nassau, Bahamas. The meeting was close to an hour in length....
View ArticleA little about the history… [in the Bahamas]
[Webmaster's Note: The following text is from the Benedictine Volunteers Bahamas web site [ View ]. Father Mel Taylor left the Bahamas after being confronted at a Nassau church on June 3, 2012 [ View ]...
View ArticleFather Mel Taylor Back in Ireland
According to a parishioner at the church where Father Mel Taylor was supposed land on September 1, 2012, the “alleged” perpetrating monk is back in Ireland…. tending to an ailing family member. More...
View ArticleWard and Taylor Under Investigation
Father Dan Ward, OSB and Father Mel Taylor OSB, both priests/monks from Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota (USA) are under investigation following claims of sexual and other misconduct. The...
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Allegations of sexual misconduct bring two monks under investigation
Brother Aelred Senna, spokesperson for St. John’s Abbey, confirmed the investigations into [Father Mel Taylor and Father Dan Ward]. He wrote in an e-mail to the FOX 9 Investigators, “I am able to say...
View ArticleAbbey Now Admits to 23 Monk Perpetrators
Saint John’s Abbey has quietly admitted, via a revamped web site, that at least 23 members of its community have been credibly accused of sexual abuse or misconduct. According to the abbey’s web site [...
View ArticleOmissions by The Diocese of Saint Cloud
The list of religious offenders produced today by the Diocese of Saint Cloud includes thirty-three names. The list includes the names of religious who offended within the diocese. It also includes the...
View ArticleThe List
Since the 1930s, fifty (50) monks and ten (10) other members of the Saint John’s community have been accused of sexual abuse and/or other misconduct. Another twenty (20) men with strong ties to St....
View ArticleRegarding Michelle Soldo Consulting / Backous
On Monday, I learned that Michelle Soldo, an attorney from St. Paul, Minnesota, is conducting an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Father Timothy Backous. After viewing a draft of...
View ArticleLetter to Kettler: Warning to Area Students
Bishop Kettler, In 2011, one of Father Tom Andert’s victims referred to the “horrible culture of hypocrisy” at Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville. During several conversations, including his visit to...
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Kettler to Address Some, Not All, Perps
According to the Diocese of St. Cloud web site [ View ] , “Bishop Donald Kettler will hold a series of listening sessions in August following allegations of sexual abuse committed by three priests of...
View ArticlePrep School Staff Members Take a Stand
On Wednesday, six brave staff members at the Saint John’s Preparatory School took a stand. The six: Jennifer Whitehead – Guidance/Counseling Sally Battig – Executive Administrative Assistant to the...
View ArticleAndert, Taylor, Ward, Backous “Under Investigation”
An investigation into misconduct by Father Tom Andert is reportedly underway [ Link ]. The results of three previously announced “investigations” into alleged abuse by three monk perpetrators (Fathers...
View Article29 Questions for Abbot John Klassen, OSB
A list of questions for the open forum “regarding sexual abuse” to be held at 3:00pm today on the campus of Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. “Employee Open Forum with Abbot John...
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