. stares ell; I a E- F3 Office of the General Secretary 1 1 :lf 18 0 5 3211 Street. NEO Washington DC 20017-1104 (202) 541-3100 FAX (202i 541-3166 CONFERENCE sz.; Most iteverena Anthony :ity Pina, Mn. Bishop of Cleveland - President Monsignor Dennis M. Schnurr. 1 Genera! Bccretary 'Sister Sharon A. Euart. RSM, J.C.D. P. Fay. Ptl.D. Reverend Paul D. Themtoi. Associate Genera! Secretaries 1 November 6, 1996> To: 'All Bishops From: Msgr. Dennis lvl. Schnurr Re: Ryan 'Patrick Scott 5 The Conference has been advised by the Most Rev. Raymond L. Burke, Bishop of La Crosse, that an individual named Ryan Patrick Scott (born Randall Dean Stocks) has been attempting to raise funds for the "l-loly, Rosary Abbey," which he has established near X/iroqua, Wisconsin. Bishop Burke relates that Mr. Scott has claimed, falsely, that he is a Roman Catholic priest. Mr. Soon is said to be doing bythe name "Father Ryan St. Anne Scott, and is reported to have been simulating the celebration of the l\/iss and other sacraments. He is reported to have been, at one time, ordained by the "American Catholic Church," also known as the "Reformed Catholic Church in America," but he was _subsequently excommunicated therefrom. l-ie is not now and never has been ordained as a priest ofthe Roman Catholic Church, is not a Benedictine and has received no onicial' recognition from Bishop Burke. - Bishop Burke further advises that Mr. Scott is currently on probation as a result of a felony conviction and is not to leave the state of Wisconsin, but was recently arrested and charged with violating the terms of his probation. lt further information is needed, contact should be .made with Bishop Burke's othce, at (608) 788-7700. were #ba Crane; . PC Bo /l'JU~'l 3/lOEc1st WI N101 Announcement to be Publihcd in the Cimrrcery Bulletin and in the_Times Review tt has come to my attention that Ryan Patrick Scott who calls himself "Father Ryan St; Anne Scott," continues to claim to bc a Roman Catholic priest and abbot of a abbey under the title of l~loly_ Rosary Abbey. He has relocated the supposed Holy Rosary Abbey at the lbllowing address: Rt. - Box 3e - O'l3rien Lane . liastman, Wi 54626 At the same time, it has also come to my attention that the same Ryan Patrick Scott has attempted to conlizr the Sacrament of Continuation upon members ol' the laithful, claiming for himself the authority to do so in virtue ofhis office of abbot. There is no reason to believe that Ryan Patrick Scott is a validly ordained Roman Catholic priest. Neither is there any reason to believe that he has the title of abbotwithin the Order of Saint Benedict. Ryan St. Anne Scott has never had the permission ofthe Bishop of La Crosse required by canon law to establish a religious house in the Diocese of La Crosse (can. 609, Neither did he have the permission ofthe Bishop of La Crosse to relocate the so~called Holy Rosary Abbey to the Eastman area. The conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation by Ryan St. Anne Scott is certainly _illicit and, in all probability. invalid, since there is no reason to believe that he is a validly ordained priest. The ordinary minister ofthe Sacrament of Confirmation is the Diocesan Bishop. 'Priests equivalent in law to the Diocesan Bishop have the faculty by lavr to confer the Sacrament (Cann. 883, 381, and 368). There is no reason to believe that Ryan Patrick Scott is a Catholic priest. Certainly he is not a priest equiyalcnt in the law to the Diocesan Bishop. Tlierefore, any members ol" the faititful who have prejsented thesnselvcs to hint to receive the Sacrament of Conlirmation have not received a valid Sacrament. warn the faithful of the Diocese of La Crosse to avoid any contact with Ryan Patrick Scott and with his supposed Holy Rosary Abbey. He is not a priest of the Roman Catholic Church. Holy Rosary Abbey is not an institution in the Roman Catholic Church. Given at La Crosse on the fifth day of May in the year ol' our Lord 1997. SEA Bishop of La Crosse - Chancellor Diocese warns Catholics against man posing as priest Gaiesburg, Ill., Feb. 07, 2005 (CNA) The Diocese of Peoria has issued an advisory to Catholics in western and central illinois not to attend mass or receive sacraments or counseling from a man who goes by the name Fr. Ryan St. Anne Scott. This is not the first time such aan advisory has been issued. Fcur other diocese have publicly warned that Scott is not a legitimate priest and that the baptisms, weddings, funerals and other ceremonies he conducts are not sanctioned by the Church, reported the Chicago Tribune. Scott claims he is bishop ofthe independent Holy Rosary Abbey, currently housed in a converted home for the mentally ill in Galesburg, Ili. For more than 15 years, Scott, who is divorced and convicted of felony, has moved his "abbey" around the Midwest. l\/lost of those who attend his services are elderly Catholics who long for the Latin mass of their youth, reported the Tribune. "We are not sure what he is, but we are sure what he is not: a priest," Fr. Ben Nguyen, chancellor of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., told the Tribune. "He app-ears out of nowhere, sets up and then disappears." Scott, 51, says his calling now is to be a thorn in the side ofthe modern-day church by living out the embodiment of "the true Roman Catholic Church" of ancient days. 033, - - 3' sw, m4T4uEw's CONGREGBTION 344 NORTH SHULLSHURG, wls. 53544 PHONE No. 608-965-4518 . May 24. 1997 Joar Sir: - ky It was with great interest I'read the article in the May edition of the Telegraph Herald: "Diocese alert a 'vendetta' claims pL'leS1Z;" I i_ In the article Fr. Ryan St. Anne Scott. OSB maintains Bishop Raymond Burke of La Crosse has a vendetta against him because he "preaches and teaches according to the true traditions of the Church. If Scott truly believes those words "true traditions" he would not be engaged in his present activity. 1 I say this because in the summer of 1989 he was floating_around the southern part of Lafayette county under the name of.Brotherl 4 Damien St. Anne. OSF a Franciscan_Brother. He was_attempting_to set up a Franciscan Friary. He also had papers at?phat time or was getting them in order. `My name appeared on those papers as a reference --_even though I had spoken with_him for only five minutes. That. apparently, is his concept of a_valid reference. The Edgerton. Mis. episode is simply proof of how he operates. A And now a Benedictine priest with a new,name and an abbey! .I How times change! Sound??rather unbelievable if you consider the time frame. How many name changes has this individual had? Perhaps. this ls_something your paper could investigate. No. the only vendetta in this entire situation is the vendetta Scott is carrying out against the people of sastman and himself. Sin rely. 4 'Rev James R. Line. Pastor A RECEIVED JUN 0 72051 DIOCESE OF SIOUX CITY A-A If 4 June 4, 2004 Mr. Jeff Nehring "il" Furuseth Law Firm,P.C. 417 1" Avenue East 0 Williston, ND 58801 Dear Mr. Nehring, - 1 At the request of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wingert of United Country Real Estate in Spirit Lake, lowa, wish to inform you that no p-erson by the name of Ryan Scott, or Father Ryan Scott St. Anne, -OSB. had permission to minister as a Roman Catholic priest of Sioux City. We were aware that such a person did operate Holy`Rosary Abbey' at 313 Street in Pocahontas, Iowa but without the permission of the Bishop oi the Diocese of Sioux City, This Holy Rosary Abbey was not recognized as an entity of the Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Sioux City. With all go_od wishes and kindest greetings, remain Sincerely yours in Christ, A Rev. Sernett, Chancellor r/ Mr. Mrs. Charles Wingert 1821 JACKSON STREET EO. Box 3379 Sioux Crrv, IOWA 51 102-3379 712-255-79331 Diocese warns about Galesburg abbey Friday, December 16, 2005 GALESBURG - The Catholic: Dioceses of Peoria is once again warning Catholics that the Holy Rosary Abbey is not recognized as part of the diocese or the Roman Catholic Church. The abbey is in the former Cottonwood Health Care Center, 820 E. Fifth St. It bought the building for $75,000 in September 2004. It had previously been located in Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota. When word reached Galesburg about the abbey relocating here, local priests warned their congregations no Catholic should participate in its services. The abbey's leader, Father Ryan St. Anne, claims to be an ordained priest. 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. On the abbey's Web site, it claims "Holy Rosary Abbey is a traditional Latin Rite Roman Catholic Benedictine Abbey." It recently added to its Web site a statement that St. Anne and several members of the abbey met with the Diocese of Peoria and the diocese admitted the abbey is a valid Roman Catholic religious order and it has valid Roman Catholic priests and valid sacraments. The diocese says the abbey's status has not changed. "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 a news release. "No faithful Roman Catholic should olifer any support to this organization or have anything to do with its servic:es, sacraments, prayer or ministries. According to the diocese, "any contrary statements reported do not appropriately reflect the position of diocesan officials." 12160 5/ LOC BISHOP WARNS OF MAN CALLING HIMSELF A PRIEST DIOCESE RECEIVES REPORTS HE IS PERFORMING CONFIRIVIATION l/Mlscons/h Siam Journal May 21, 1997 A shorter version appeared in the second edition on page 3B. The headline was: Bishop warns of man calling himself a priest. Staff writer Dave Becker contributed to this report. A former city official who left Edgerton with a felony conviction for misconduct in public office has surfaced as a renegade priest in Crawford County, Catholic authorities say. Last week, Bishop Raymond Burke of La Crosse placed ads in the Wisconsin State Journal and other :area newspapers warning Catholics that Ryan P. Scott, who calls himself "Father Ryan St. Anne Scott, is neither a Catholic priest nor a member of the Order of St. Benedict. 'For two years, Scott has been conducting Masses in Latin at the Holy Rosary Abbey near Eastman and at an earlier site near Rising Sun. Rose Hammes, spokeswoman for the Diocese of La Crosse, said Tuesday that Burke has been warning Catholics about Scott since January 1996 but decided to take the message to a secular audience because of reports that Scott was performing the sacrament of confirmation. She said people have the right to worship where they choose but should be aware that they are not receiving sacraments recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. "Our concern is that if g-ood Catholics are approaching this man in good faith for sacraments such as baptism, marriage and confirmation, the sacraments are not valid," she said. "It could cause some real problems for them on down the line." A man answering the telephone at the Holy Rosary Abbey Tuesday said he had no comment for the media, adding, "our lawyers will be coming out with a statement in the very near future." Scott told the Dubuque Telegraph Herald Friday that Burke has a "vendetta" against him because he preaches according to the "true traditions of the clhurch, including the LatinMass. He also accused the bishop of having him arrested in October for violating probation. "That is absolutely not true," Hammes, of the La Crosse diocese, said Tuesday. Scott, Edgerton's finance director from February to July 1993, was on three years' probation after pleading no contest to felony misconduct in public office in February 1994. A Rock County judge dropped charges of theft and felony forgery, in connection with a city of Edgerton check made out to Scott that had been altered from $30.97 to $300.97. (limb Qlirnss Franciscan Friors of Mory lmmoculofe ST.Moximi1lion Kolb; Priory oar. 18, 1989 Mrs. Geta Derer Box l2l Avoca, Wisc. 53506 Dear Mrs. Derer; We have received your letter dated Oct. 3, 1989. We are confused as to its con- tents. Please allow us to clarify something for you by merely stating a few facts It appears you have been misled. - . One Ryan Scott presented himself to us in early March of 1989 as a possible candidate for our community, Franciscans of Mary Im aculate. . Later, after he arrived, we found out that he had been in another community in Davenport, Iowa, Franciscan Brothers of Christ the King. It was also later discovered that he had supposedly made vows (private) in that community. . He-left that community, seemingly, without any diocesan official approbation. .. He proved capable in office work. He had his own computer. So he worked in our office in which he had access to our important community documents which he proceeded to put into his computer. No one knew to what extent. . After only three and one-half months with us, he left of his own free will on July 9, 1989. At his departure, it is presupposed, that he severed any ties, relationship, association, and or connection with our community . It appears, also, that he had for some time before his departure from our' community, that he had preparei to accept employment as a school principal in a Catholic School in Darlington, Wisc. One of our novices left with him. As far as we know, nothing official of this "assignment" was known_to the officials at the Chancery of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin. . Our community has no official and formal request from the Ordinary of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin to in any way engage in any apostolic activity in his diocese much less establish a house there.. . Since that time-( July 9, 1989 we have had several complaints from Bishop John Michael Sherlock, Ordinary of the Diocese of London, Ontario in which we are presently situated, also from Fr. William Gulas, Minister Provincial of Assumption Province, B.V.M., Pulaski, Wisconsin of claims which Ryan Scott (Bro. Damian St. Anne) and Barry Rodgers, the novice who departed with him, have made of some connection with our Franciscan Community. However the contrary is true: THEY MAY NOT CLAIM ANY RELATIONSHIP TO US We have no responsibility for any of their activities, actions, business dealings whatsoever. We do not in any way involve ourselves with the venture and acti- vities of any former members of our community. . Neither Ryan Scott(Br. Damian St. Anne) nor Barry Rodgers( Br. Gregory) have ever made vows( private) in our community. . . Ne have every desire that they NOT use our name whatsoever in whateverway in whatever dealings they may have.~ In fact, we have informed our entire mailing list, that these two men have departed our community willinging and that we assume no responsibility for their actions. Rumi Route 1152 Lucon, Omorio, Conodo__ NON-QJO -.fi Derer, Oct. 18, 1989; p. ;,{Qfs i i A I None of the above statements are meant in any way to be unkind, uncharitable, or judgmental. These are absolute facts without in terpretations given to you in i order that your misconceptions be clarifieda We wish only God's blessings upon the both of them. But w?_must insist and we have every right to insist that they desist i?;using our name in connection with their activities. We are trying to work within the structures of Holy Mother Church and this includes obtaining the bishop's, the local ordinary's permission for anything we do in his dioceses Before we would locate, establish a residence, or do apostolic work in any diocese we would first seek and obtain the explicit and formal permission of its ordinary. _Ne suggest this pattern for Ryan Scott and Barry Rodgers so that their work might trully thrive and be blessed by God. Wishing you every blessing from God, we are 1 Respectfully yours in Christ, Fr.. David-Ladislaus Przedwiecki 0..FM. DirectoreGeneral of O.F.M.I. 1 1 cc.: Fr. William Gulas, O.F.M. Minister Provincial, B.V.M. PRovince, PUlaski, Wi. MOst Reverend John Michael Sherlock, DaD.,.London, Ontario Diocese i Most Reverend CLetus 0'Donnell, D.D, Diocese of Madison, His. DIOCESE OF NTSOUTHPUEHCOENMVE P. O. Box 1338 Gallup; New Mexico 87305 'Telephone (505) 863-4406 Eli 1 l*f}l April 25, 1997 Board of Directors The Refuge 1 P.O. Box 1857 . Snowflake, AZ 85937 Dear Board Members: This is to acknowledge receipt of your registered letter, dated April 15, 1997 and addressed to Most Rev. Donald Pelotte. As his canonical advisor and Judicial Vicar, Bishop Pelotte has asked me to reply on his behalf. A - You state in your letter, "To the best of our knowledge we have never been disobedient to any bishop or to Canon Law." You then proceed to cite certain canons of the 1983 Code of Canon Law which purportedly render canonical justification to your efforts. You fail, however, to mention canons 305 or 323, which speak of associations of the Christian faithful being subject to the vigilance of ecclesiastical authority. I would begin by noting that the letter of April 15, 1997 is the very first instance of communication your group has seen fit to establish with the Diocese of Gallup, even though you have been operating within this diocese for almost one year. That in itself is in violation of the_Code of Canon Law canons 312.2, 773.1), and_of the spirit professed in your letter to follow the Magisterium of the Church, being faithful to our Pope John Paul II (who is, in fact, the Legislator of the 1983 Code of Canon Law) The fact that you have attempted to establish a "Catholic" community within this diocese, and took almost one full year to make yourselves known to the Bishop of the diocese' evinces either incredible ignorance of proper canonical procedure, or bad faith on your part. According to reports received in this office, you have established a "chapel" and solicited funds from the Catholic . faithful for the erection of that chapel (as reported in your own publication, My Heart Awaits You, June/July 1995, p. 2). This is in violationiof canon 1224.1, requiring permission of the ordinary before any chapel or oratory can be legitimately erected. - In addition to illegally establishing a chapel within the Diocese of Gallup, your group secured the services of a "chaplain" one- Ryan Patrick Scott (aka Randall Dean Stocks) - without bothering to advise, consult with or obtain the approval of the Bishop. This is in clear violation of canon 565. It has been reported to our office that this individual celebrated Masses and conducted weddings and baptisms - all without proper authorization of the Bishop or delegation by the local Snowflake pastor. This is in violation of canons 265, 530, 862 and llO8.l. As it turns out, Mr. Ryan Patrick Scott is not now, nor ever has been, ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Church. A notice to this effect, dated November 6, 1996 was sent to all the Bishops of the United States by the Office of the General Secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Whatever "services" he may have conducted while at your establishment were not only illicit, they were invalid according to Canon Law. It is our understanding that your group is now involved in civil litigation_revolving around charges of fraud being brought against you. I must inform you that in addition to these civil charges, you stand in serious violation of the provisions of Canon Law. The points cited above are far from exhaustive. Before consideration would be given to any request by your group for canonical approval by the Bishop of Gallup, the following documentation must be submitted: (1) a formal written request for such approval, as well as separate and individual requests for whatever privileges you are asking to be granted the erection of a chapel, reservation of the Blessed Sacrament, etc.); (2) copies of the group's constitutions, bylaws, statutes, etc., stating its nature and purpose, methods of procedure, etc.; (3) certified documents of approval by competent ecclesiastical authority for previous foundations of the group in other dioceses; (4) documentary evidence that all civil complaints filed against the group have been equitably resolved; (5) written statements from the canonical Pastor of the Snowflake parish, and/or whomever other officials the Bishop of Gallup may designate that, after a thorough investigation of your operation, nothing inimical to the Catholic faith is found to be advocated or perpetrated by your group. In light_of these considerations, I have been instructed by Bishop Pelotte to issue a canonical warning that your group, the so-called "Our Lady of Guadalupe Refuge of Snowflake, Arizona", is not now, and never has been, recognized by the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Gallup as an approved or authorized or legitimate faith community of the Roman Catholic Church.y I have been further instructed by Bishop Pelotte to order you to desist immediately from-all attempts to celebrate the Eucharist or any of the sacraments within the confines of your "refuge"; to desist immediately from reserving the Blessed Sacrament on those premises; and to place yourselves immediately under the sacramental care and jurisdiction of Fr. Jose Rodriguez, Pastor of Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Snowflake, Arizona. Please supply the Chancery office of the Diocese of Gallup written evidence of your compliance with these directives within ten days. Thank_you. As directed by the Bishop, Very Rev. Lawrence J. fe, J.C.D. Judicial Vicar Canonical Consultant to the Bishop cc: Rev. Jose Rodriguez Rev. Frank Chacon Rev. Alberto_Avilla Paul Bergman - Det. James Stansberry Very Rev. Michael B. Wester Msgr. Dennis M. Schnurr Most Rev. Raymond L. Burke