The abbot learned that it’s best to make certain that no disagreement goes unresolved. A lack of forgiveness or inability to be forgiven can be among the most crippling of experiences.
Public Apology by Archdiocese of Dubuque
I write first of all to you who participated in the recent settlement with the Archdiocese. I also write to your spouses and to the members of your families. In addition, I include all survivors who as minors suffered sexual abuse perpetrated by any Church personnel.
Church Abuse Cases Spark New Classes for Conception Abbey
The abbey says three precautions are now in place to guard against future abuse. Two of the precautions have already been implemented. The first is preliminary screenings for potential seminarians.
Miracle baby is proof that good conquers evil
I learned a couple of things in the aftermath of that June morning in 2002 when an old man with a rifle opened fire in the hallways of Conception Abbey. The first was that dawn always follows darkest night; that even the most senseless of tragedies and deepest of pain will give way to unexpected blessings. The other thing I learned was how to manage national media coverage in the aftermath of a bizarre, headline-grabbing tragedy.
Conception Abbey History
But for the persistence of an Irish-American missionary named Father James Power, Conception Abbey may never have existed.
Tower Topics: A Year Later
At 8:45 a.m. on June 10, 2002, an internal e-mail hit computer screens across Conception Abbey. “HELP!!!” it read. “We have heard gun shots. What is going on! PLEASE CONTACT!!!!
No one could make sense of such a message. A year later, its meaning is still coming clear.
Monastery Recalls Shooting One Year Later
CONCEPTION, Mo – Every day, the Rev. Kenneth Reichert is reminded of the deadly rampage a year ago that shattered the serenity of his northwest Missouri abbey. He recalls the bloodshed whenever he uses his hands _ the tip of one finger is missing. His mind goes back to that day whenever he puts on the brace that stabilizes his right leg. “I can’t even take a shower without being reminded because of the scars on my body,” he said. “I can’t even walk down the hall without remembering.”
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The body fails. Even with pharmaceutical help – and Lloyd Robert Jeffress had plenty of that – the breakdown continues. This deteriorating march of time found Mr. Jeffress starting from a bad place. He suffered from polio in his youth, and his gait in the 71st year of his life included a limp from a left leg an inch and a half shorter than his right. He tried to restore the symmetry with a heel lift duct-taped inside his left shoe, but the hitch in his movement remained.
Peace, forgiveness ease monks’ pain
Conception’s ninth abbot tries to make sense of the shootings. In an effort to understand and help authorities, the abbey staff went through press files, employment records, seminary rosters and guest registries looking for any tie between Mr. Jeffress and Conception.
Abbot is grateful to be a Conception Abbey Benedictine
KANSAS CITY – Four Benedictine monasteries are located within a hundred-mile radius of the Chicago suburb where Abbot Gregory Polan grew up. He joined one that was 450 miles away. He attended Niles College, Loyola University and the American Conservatory of Music. During his second year in college, he visited a high school classmate who had moved to Oklahoma and was attending Conception College Seminary.
Hanus: Victims of sex abuse are top priority
“The entire church looks to bishops and priests for leadership. A few bishops, by the way they have mishandled this issue, have done great damage to the credibility of the church.” – Jerome Hanus
Gunman not under influence during shooting
The man who shot four monks, killing two, wasn’t on any medication when he opened fire at Conception Abbey last month. The toxicology results of Lloyd Jeffress came back with no sign of Prozac in his system. Mr. Jeffress had been prescribed Prozac, an anti-depressant.