MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation
Jennifer Haselberger
Many people have written to me regarding Father Mark Wehmann’s appearance on the liturgy schedule at St. Olaf in Minneapolis.
Father Wehmann’s personnel file, which outlines the reasons for his removal from ministry in December of 2013, is available online by following this link:
Archbishop Hebda announced that Father Wehmann would be returning to ministry in June of 2016, noting that Father Wehmann had “engaged in extended professional counselling and spiritual direction.”
What is drawing less attention, but perhaps is deserving of even more, is the fact Father Thomas Rayar was recently appointed pastor of the Church of St. Margaret Mary. For those who have forgotten, Father Rayar left a previous pastorate after suing eleven of his parishioners. An account of what led to his resignation appears in an article from a 2008 issue of the Star Tribune. However, it is worth noting that the Archdiocese, far from concluding “that the rumor [of an affair] is false,” as Rayar’s lawyer stated. was still investigating when I started in August of 2008, and continued to do so until at least 2012. At that time the conclusion was far from favorable to Father Rayar.
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