who's pretending to be a pope.
Posted on 12/29/2005 10:12:09 AM PST by NYer
Galesburg - An independent abbey leader who has vowed to be a thorn in the side of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria said libel, slander and defamation lawsuits are being pursued against the diocese for a recent news release.
Controversy has followed the Rev. Ryan St. Anne of the Holy Rosary Abbey from state to state, ranging from a felony conviction, lawsuits, jail time and speculation regarding his religious training and credentials.
The latest rift is between St. Anne and the Peoria diocese, which sent out a news release Dec. 14 warning Catholics not to support the abbey because it is not officially recognized.
"The Holy Rosary Abbey is not in communion with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI or with the Church of Rome," Bishop Daniel R. Jenky said in the release.
"No faithful Roman Catholic should offer any support to this organization or have anything to do with its services, sacraments, prayers or ministries."
St. Anne said the lawsuits had not been filed as of late last week, but said they are being handled by attorneys who have dealt with the diocese before. St. Anne, 52, declined to say which attorneys are handling the case and in which county the suits would be filed.
The suits could be filed in federal as well as state court, St. Anne said.
"We've decided we're not going to get involved in their mud-slinging contest," said St. Anne, who brought his abbey to 820 E. Fifth St. in Galesburg in 2004 after being located in Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota. "But they have forced us to bring it to a public forum."
The abbey is in the former Cottonwood Health Care Center, which was purchased for $75,000.
Long history
According to a February 2005 report in the Chicago Tribune, St. Anne sued officials of the La Crosse, Wis., diocese in 1999 for allegedly defaming him after they filed a police report that put him in jail on a probation violation.
The same report said St. Anne was convicted of felony misconduct for cashing a $30.97 check for $300.97 while he worked in the finance department of the small Wisconsin town of Edgerton in 1994.
He then opened an abbey in Rising Sun, Wis., where the La Crosse diocese warned area Catholics about St. Anne, prompting another defamation suit that was dismissed, the report said.
On Nov. 6, 1996, the Office of the General Secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter to all bishops in the United States saying St. Anne was not and never has been ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Church. According to Canon Law, no Catholic religious order can come into a diocese without the permission of the bishop. But announcements from the Diocese of Gallup, Ariz., and the Diocese of La Crosse indicate he had given the sacrament of confirmation and performed weddings and baptisms without permission, according to a Copley News Service report.
Not the first time
Peoria diocese spokeswoman Elizabeth Smarjesse said this isn't the first time the diocese has had a run-in with St. Anne.
A similar news release was sent out when the abbey first located in Galesburg, also warning Catholics about St. Anne and his group.
"Any time that a new (Catholic) organization is in communion with Rome," the Vatican gives approval by contacting the local bishop, who in this case is Jenky, Smarjesse said. "That has not happened," she added, with the Holy Rosary Abbey in Galesburg.
Smarjesse also cites a book called The Official Catholic Directory of 2005, which lists all churches, schools, missions, clergy members, parishes and religious institutions recognized by Rome. Holy Rosary Abbey is not listed.
Officials from the Peoria diocese met with St. Anne in September to discuss what he felt were grievances against him by the diocese.
St. Anne said his abbey is a valid Roman Catholic religious order, which has valid Roman Catholic priests and valid sacraments.
A written response prepared by the Peoria diocese says "Holy Rosary Abbey is neither Roman Catholic nor a religious order. It claims to be a house of Benedictine monks who follow the rule of St. Benedict. By his own admission, (St. Anne) wants no part of the Roman Catholic Church."
St. Anne also said Catholics can receive sacraments from the abbey to fulfill their Sunday obligation "without fear of negative repercussions from diocesan staff," but the diocese says the abbey only provides a simulation of Mass.
Different stories
St. Anne, who has gone by several names, including Randall Dean Stocks, Ryan St. Anne Scott and Ryan Patrick Scott, says he is a validly ordained priest, but Peoria diocese officials say they can't find any records to prove that.
St. Anne claimed to attend St. Ambrose Seminary in Davenport, Iowa, from 1974 to 1976. But according to court records, Anne was a married man and divorced in 1976. Seminary officials said a married man would not be allowed into the seminary. Public records show he was married Aug. 28, 1971, in Lafayette, Wis., by a United Methodist minister. He listed his occupation as an apprentice beautician. He filed for divorce March 18, 1975, and received custody of a son, who was then adopted by another family, reports indicate.
During two press conferences in 2002, St. Anne claimed to have been gang-raped in the 1970s by a group of priests in Milwaukee. Church officials and support groups tried to investigate his claim but could not substantiate his story.
St. Anne said that in 1998 he told a mainstream Wisconsin priest named Alfred Kunz details that could prove his molestation claim, according to media reports. St. Anne said Kunz was about to go public with the information when he was murdered. That case remains unsolved.
Despite all the controversy and unanswered questions, St. Anne said he plans to continue running the abbey with its 13 members, both men and women who range in age from 23 to 90, as he has since his arrival in Galesburg.
By waking each day at 5 a.m., praying and studying theology, Greek, Latin, philosophy and the lives of the saints.
"(People) have portrayed me as this ugly, vicious, con artist," St. Anne said.
"People are going to believe what they want to believe. Because the diocese speaks with authority, people tend to believe them."
In response to St. Anne's claim that his abbey maintains an independent status from local diocesan authority, the diocese agrees.
"Bishop Jenky has no authority or jurisdiction in any non-Catholic institution," officials said. "To be Catholic presumes communion with the Catholic Church. They're not Catholic."
I found the model I want at Eureka.com, but I'll have to put my husband in charge of locating it. The kids all get in trouble when I try to spend more than 5 minutes doing anything :-).
who's pretending to be a pope.
Especially talking on the phone, right? Even now (19 yo), the minute I get on the phone, she suddenly requires my undivided attention. I can only imagine what it must be like in your house!
It's a disaster! Even if I go outside, they follow me, or hang around banging on the windows making IMMINENT DISASTER! gestures.
Please! This is a family forum ;-)
Did you hear about the Ukrainian immigrant couple named Family of the Year? The wife just gave birth to her 17th child. I wonder what type of vacuum she has.
In response to St. Anne's claim that his abbey maintains an independent status from local diocesan authority, the diocese agrees.
"Bishop Jenky has no authority or jurisdiction in any non-Catholic institution," officials said.
If he was Catholic, it would be different. He's not.
Since he calls himself OSB, it would be nice if the head of the order would sue asking this fellow to immediately cease and desist publicly claiming any sort of association with the Benedictines.
Why stop at Bishop when you can go whole Palmarian hog and declare yourself Antipope. Presenting Pope GregoryXVII of Seville....
Yes...definitely eBay threads. You know, that's the "downside" to the New Covenant...God doesn't smite people anymore. This guy would make a lovely bonfire.
When would this woman find time to vacuum?
(Just ask him.)
With that many people in the house, I don't think there would be room for any dirt to hit the floor!
don't be such a hater, popin' ain't easy
I believe there are non Catholic Benedictines in the Anglican church...
Right you are, but that's not who he claims to be. It's a solid bet that his connection to the OSB is as tenuous as his connection to the Roman Catholic priesthood.
I'm new to this site, but am glad to see it. I am also relieved to see people are not believing Ryan. I am the daughter of one of his followers who created the website "holyrosaryabbey.org" to expose him after he told me I may never contact my mother again. His site is "holyrosaryabbey.com" and after he got wind of my site, proceeded to attempt to discredit me on his. I can honestly say I was not surprised by the venom he spewed, as no priest could display this much hate and anger. His attacks only provided creedence to what most of us already know, he is not a priest.
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