Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston

The Diocese of Crookston was erected on December 31, 1909, by Pope Pius X with territory taken from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul.[1][2] The pope named Reverend Timothy J. Corbett of Saint Paul as the first bishop of Crookston. .[3] During his 28-year tenure, Corbett established over 50 churches and 12 schools through soliciting funds.[4]Corbett resigned in 1938.

Pope Pius XI in 1938 selected Reverend John Peschges of the Diocese of Winona as the second bishop of Crookston.[5] Peschges established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, religious courses for rural youth, in the diocese and founded other organizations for agricultural development.[6]

After Peschges died in 1944, Pope Pius XII in 1945 appointed Monsignor Francis Schenk of Saint Paul to succeed him.[7] During his tenure in Crookston, Schenk established over 30 new churches, founded Our Northland Diocese newspaper, and organized diocesan offices of the Catholic Social Service Agency and the Catholic Youth Organization.[8] He also founded summer boarding schools for children of the thousands of Mexican migrant workers who worked in the diocese.[8]In 1960, Peschges became bishop of the Diocese of Duluth.

The next bishop of Crookston was Auxiliary Bishop Lawrence Glenn of Duluth, appointed by Pope John XXIII in 1960. Glenn retired as bishop ten years later.[9] To succeed Glenn, Pope Paul VI named Reverend Kenneth Povish of the Diocese of Saginaw in 1970. [10] During his five-year tenure, Povish implemented the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, establishing parish councils in each parish and a pastoral council for the diocese.[11] He also supported liturgical reform and the ecumenical movement.[11]

Povish became bishop of the Diocese of Lansing in 1975. Paul VI replaced him in 1976 in Crookston with Reverend Victor Balke from the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Balke retired in 2007 after 31 years as bishop of Crookston.[12] [13]

Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 appointed Monsignor Michael Hoeppner of the Diocese of Winona as the next bishop of Crookston.[14]Following the investigation of Hoeppener for coercing a sexual abuse victim, Pope Francis ordered his resignation as the bishop of Crookston. The pope accepted it on April 13, 2021.[15][16]

As of 2023, the current bishop of the Diocese of Crookston is Andrew Cozzens, formerly an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. He was appointed by Francis in late 2021.[17]

The Diocese of Crookston was sued in 2013 by a man from the White Earth Indian Reservation in the diocese. The plaintiff claimed that he was sexually abused as a young boy in the 1960's by Reverend J. Vincent Fitzgerald, a priest ministering in the reservation.[18]

In May 2017, Hoeppner became the first American bishop to be sued personally for coercion. The lawsuit was filed by Ronald Vasek, a former diaconate candidate in the diocese. Vasek alleged that Monsignor Roger Grundhaus had sexually abused him when he was a teenager during a trip to Ohio in 1971. Vasek made his allegations known to the diocese in 2011. In October 2015, Vasek signed a letter recanting his accusations against Grundhaus. Vasek claims that Hoeppner had threatened retaliation against Vasek's son, a priest in the diocese, if Vasek failed to sign it. Vasek said that Hoeppner's actions were like "being abused all over again."[19][20][21]

On September 20, 2017, Vasek, the diocese and Hoeppner reached a legal settlement. As part of the agreement, Hoeppner released the letter from October 2015. [22][23] In September 2019, Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced that he would investigate Hoeppner's actions. This was the first investigation of an American bishop for failing to the follow the procedures established in the 2019 papal document Vos estis lux mundi.[24] Hoeppner was forced to resign as bishop in 2021.

In July 2019, the diocese announced a $5 million legal settlement with 15 alleged victims of sexual abuse by diocesan clergy.[25]