UPDATE 6/16 Another chapter unfolds as the dismantling of St. Peter's Catholic School from the inside-out by the destructive leaders in charge continues..... Attached is a copy of the letter insert in the bulletin yesterday, and some explanation for those still not fully understanding.... Also attached the letter sent out to education comittee members that they received today... "Reconsitute the education committee" so they all recieved a letter today dismissing every single one of them as directed by the bishop.... I'm sure in search of those willing to lie down and give up.. To shut the doors at this school has been the mission mission for months. The education comittee, families, and staff have all been actively and successfully raising their own money, dismissing the church from the financial burden of contributing to the school at all. The letter clearly says the issue is the finances, why not RECONSTITUTE THE FINANCIAL COMITTEE???? seems they are the ones not doing thier job. My dad was on the ed comittee in the 90s. He disagreed with the priest in two minor issues and ironically was removed from the ballot come election time. So this all sounds familiar. They want comittee members to include thier focus on "catholic school, religious education faith formation, and adult enrichment". The current (well.... former) president of the education comittee has done all these things, has herself taught in Catholic schools, and possesses all the desires they have for comittee members in this letter. In fact the last proposal by the education committee to the priest included and adult education program, but, it was never approved. $109,000 was not what the education comittee was told they needed. The amount they needed for next year was $65,000. The letter states we have until June 20th (THIS FRIDAY!!) to receive the $109,000. This insert in the bulletin was the first time anyone on the education committee heard of that number.... matter of fact the priest has not met with the education comittee since March 20th. The ed comittee has reached out to Fr. Labat to meet several times with no success. The ed comittee was hopeful and excited to possibly open better communication between the church and school that has been experienced all year. To re- unify the school and church. The majority of the comittee members are alumni, along with myself, and never did we get the impression the school and church were divided or in competition with the other. Prior to May 19, there were NO staffing issues. The staffing issues are what they created when they fired Lori, banned her from the premises and treated her like a criminal. Rumors are floating around.... but they only arranged an audit after WE wanted one! Not only did Lori lead families and staff through an intense year of hard work fundraising and collecting pledges, she was going to teach 3rd and 4th grade along with being the principal, as a part of her proposed budget cuts, to reduce cost within the school as well. This would have been a giant addition to her workload. She was willing to do this all because she is so passionate about catholic education. This whole process has been extremely disheartening. Everything the school and education comittee has done is met with higher budgets. Higher goals. More roadblocks. Not to mention when you only can fathom that this deception exists in small isolated pods, and hope someone up higher can understand what is going on and help.... just ends up being the same story over and over. "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14, NIV). ———————————————- UPDATE 6/13 Some highlights of what has happened- 👀 👀 👀 👀 PLEASE READ THIS 👉 All avenues of communication have been exhausted- pastor, Diocesan representatives, to the bishop himself They have screened calls, ignored emails. The bishop wouldn’t even meet with the highly respected principal after requests of it multiple times. -The principal is a local girl, born and raised in the community, taught and led the school and others in the area for nearly two decades. -She worked successfully with other pastors under PREVIOUS BISHOPS WITH SUCCESS. Very well liked and respected in the community. -Most comments on Facebook have been in favor of the principal, Lori, explaining the sacrifice and service that she has given to our school. -What is going on here is a microcosm of greater issues that happen in parishes like ours along the western edge of the diocese, as well as to other parts of the Diocese. 🌟Interesting thought... people don't leave financial committees abruptly when things are being done correctly. -The Bishop has a ruthless attitude towards lay personnel as well as the clergy seeing them as disposable. For example, in 2024 the bishop had moved IN SOME INSTANCES FORCIBLE ( even though they had indeterminate appointments), THE MAJORITY OF PASTORS, ABOUT 2/3 rds IN ONE YEAR> -Fr. Ron who had successfully served in the western area multiple parishes and wanted to stay was forced out for the bishop’s appointment, Fr. Brendan Rolling. Fr. Ron had an indeterminate appointment and had stated publicly that he did not want to move to many people of these western parishes but the bishop forced him out after 14 years. -The bishop has “isolated himself” from the people. He wouldn’t even meet for an hour with the school principal and the head of the education committee chair to explain the challenges they were having with the pastor and the school. -The principal’s attempt to communicate through a letter and email was returned by the bishop that was both harsh and condescending and lacking pastoral charity and concluded simply, that meeting in person, “would not be possible” but would not explain why he would not meet. -Although he is the bishop of only 30 priest and about a dozen schools it was reported in the Diocesan paper that he recently flew to NEW ZEALAND just to meet with an artist to have a painting done of Mary for the Diocese, and is now flying the artist to America for an unveiling at great cost for an unveiling. It is noted by the Diocesan staff that the bishop is gone from the Diocese a great deal of time. -The bishop’s pattern is to set a financial goal when a parish wished to build a school or keep a school open. For example, Canby was set to $175,000 to keep St. Peter’s open. -The pledges/money was achieved by the principal, but the principal was still let go by a pastor who had only been in office for about 9 months, and the future of the school is now very uncertain at this point. -The bishop further isolates himself by sending a pastor to do all of the meeting with the people and will not himself drive the two hours to meet with concerned parishioners and staff yet drives a BRAND NEW 4-door CLUB CAB PICK-UP with a full bed, at am estimated lease cost of $1,200 a month. He claims he needs such a vehicle for the rural roads of his diocese, yet is one of the only clergy among the priests of the Diocese driving such a large and expensive vehicle. - The day Lori was fired, banned from the premises, for unknown reasons, the locks were changed for $2,000. $2,000 of parishioner's money went to changing the locks... why? Many rumors circulating that money was embezzled but no movements by the financial committee or council to investigate that???? By the way, the audit that was wanted, they are ONLY AUDITING 2023-2024 YEAR! When the church has been in the red for 10?? Why a random year??? -The neighboring Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to the north of the Diocese of New Ulm has nearly 50 seminarians studying for the priesthood and the Diocese of Winona/Rochester to the south has nearly 30 men studying for the priesthood, while the Diocese of New Ulm has the least amount of seminarians that anyone has remembered for decades of only 5 men, with no ordinations for years. The moral of the present pastors/priests, people have been told, is not good since this bishop has arrived. He has asked priests what he can do to improve fraternity, but because he and his other priest leaders are leading by fear [due to his many years in the military - the Air Force-] the Air Force-] and not by mercy, people/priests are afraid to speak up with their concerns and their ideas. -The present pastor, Fr. Brendan Rolling was invited into the Diocese of New Ulm from a religious order, the Benedictines. He is not incardinated, yet the bishop named him the Director of Vocations and the pastor of 6 churches, with limited if no pastoral experience. In the spirit of the bishop he does not communicate with the school staff and faculty or even the associate priests under his care. Like the bishop he leads through fear and intimidation, refusing to even meet with this long standing principal who had a good reputation in the community. -These rural parishes and this small parish school is just a sample of the clerical destruction that is taking place in this small diocese at this time. As one long standing leader of the Diocese wisely said, THIS BISHOP AND HIS LEADERSHIP ARE ACTING LESS LIKE PASTORS AND MORE LIKE C.E.O.S AND POOR ONES AT THAT". —————————————- Father Brendan's Rollings tenure as the priest at St. Peter's Parish in Canby, Minnesota, has been marked by a concerning lack of transparency and a troubling pattern of behavior towards the staff at St. Peter’s school. His actions have led to a widespread sense of unease and dissatisfaction among the members of the community who cherish the values of respect and integrity that St. Peter's stands for.

Unfortunately, Father Brendan has allowed his position of power to lead to behaviors that have overshadowed his pastoral duties. There have been numerous reports from staff and parishioners citing instances of disrespectful and unfair treatment. Father Brendan fired the principal for unknown reasons and has degraded several staff members. He changed the locks on the doors and disabled key fobs so staff were unable to enter the school when they were supposed to have a meeting. Once they were let in, he kept staff members in the building, unable to leave, until they completed a checklist that he gave them. They missed out on their lunch break and were denied a meeting until all tasks were complete. He has not made an attempt to get to know the students or interact with them, even after being asked several times to do so. These are just a few of the MANY things that he has done in the last 10 months. His actions undermine the trust and respect expected between a priest and his parish. 

It's critical that the leadership at St. Peter's, as well as the broader diocesan authorities, take these concerns seriously. The wellbeing of the parish community and the staff must be paramount. Therefore, we urge the relevant church authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into these matters and to consider the removal of Father Brendan from St. Peter's Parish.

We believe that it is vital for the spiritual and communal health of St. Peter's Parish that a new leader, one who embodies the values of transparency, respect, and kindness, be appointed to guide the community forward. A change in leadership will help restore faith within the church and ensure that it remains a place of worship, support, and community.

Please support this petition to bring about the necessary changes at St. Peter's Parish in Canby, MN. Sign now to voice your concerns and advocate for a community where everyone feels respected and valued.