February 9, 2018 – News release: Diocese of St. Cloud

 

February 9, 2018

LISTENING SESSION SCHEDULED FOR COLD SPRING

Bishop Donald Kettler will hold a listening session at 7 p.m., Feb. 13, at St. Boniface Church in Cold Spring. The session follows the bishop’s recent placement of two Benedictine priests — Casimir Plakut and Augustine John Strub — on the list of clergy likely to have abused minors.

Both men served for a time at St. Boniface Church in Cold Spring. Casimir Plakut was ordained in 1938 and died in 1988; Augustine John Strub was ordained in 1947 and died in 2015. St. John’s Abbey also added the men to its list of those likely to have offended against minors.

The session has three primary goals: to assure parishioners of the bishop’s support and assistance; to offer a process whereby sexual misconduct issues/concerns can be voiced and discussed; and to allow other potential victims the opportunity to come forward and receive assistance and healing.

The full list of clergy names can be viewed at: https://stcdio.org/list-clergy-likely-abused-minors. Bishop Kettler continues to encourage all victims of abuse to come forward. Contact information for victim advocates and county officials to whom abuse can be reported is available online at: https://stcdio.org/about/safe-environment/how-to-report-abuse.

The bishop asks all Catholics in the diocese to pray for healing for all victims and survivors of sexual abuse.