The Crosier Fathers and Brothers recognize that full and frank disclosure about sexual abuse is important to speed the healing process and empower unknown survivors to come forward and seek help.
Here we have detailed our response to sexual abuse, including the many steps we have taken to fulfill our commitment to accountability, ensuring the safety of the people we serve and doing all we can to earn the trust of the public.
To this end, anyone who has any information regarding instances of sexual abuse of a minor is strongly encouraged to report that information to the Survivor Assistance Coordinator at (320) 248-1563, Conventual Prior Thomas Enneking, osc, at (602) 443-7100 or Crosier Leadership.
In June 2002 the Crosier Fathers and Brothers hired the Minnesota-based law firm Faegre & Benson, LLP, to conduct an audit of past and present sexual misconduct allegations involving members of the Crosier Order—even in cases where an initial investigation found no wrongdoing. Faegre & Benson was instructed to conduct a thorough and complete investigation, examining documents and files and interviewing individuals with knowledge of the allegations. The investigation was completed in October 2002.
For more information, click here.
The investigation identified eight members of the Crosier Order named in credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor. As mandated by the Crosier Fathers and Brothers’ sexual abuse policy, those Crosiers who are still alive live under the following restrictions:
Since 2002, when the Crosiers strengthened their sexual abuse policy to reflect the principles adopted by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men regarding sexual abuse of minors, they have continued to review and revise the policy annually with input from the non-Crosier members of their Review Committee.
The intent of the sexual abuse policy is to ensure the Crosiers are doing all they can to protect the people they serve and earn the trust of the public. The policy
To further ensure accountability, the Crosiers have taken the following additional steps:
In early 2017, the Crosiers filed for Chapter 11 financial reorganization in order to make financial resources available to those who were sexually abused by Crosiers in the past. As part of that process, the law firm of Quarles & Brady reviewed all Crosier personnel files—current members, deceased members and departed members. This review was done independently, and the conventual prior and his staff made all hard copy and electronic personnel files available to the firm. Any claims of sexual abuse of a minor were included in this review; no known information was withheld.
Concurrent with this review, the Crosiers sent notices to all alumni whose addresses were known as well as notices to any (arch)dioceses where Crosiers were serving or had served in the past. Advertisements were placed in national and Catholic publications. All of this was done to ensure the Crosiers were reaching as many survivors as possible so they could submit a claim during the reorganization process.
As a result of the independent file review and the claims submitted during the reorganization process, all names of those Crosiers with an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor have been made public on the Crosier website.
For further information about the results of the separate review of personnel files conducted by the law firm of Faegre-Baker-Daniels in 2002, see 2002 Third-Party Review of Allegations.
We are priests and brothers who live together according to the Rule of St. Augustine. Our charism consists of life in a community setting, daily prayer and ministry.
