Allegations surface of a sex scandal at Abbey of Gethsemeni(Published: May 07, 2014 at 08:09PM): LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- Allegations have surfaced about a sex scandal and embezzlement involving the Abbey of Gethsemani in Nelson County.According to the Courier Journal, one of the abbey's accountants alleges multiple sexual affairs between monks, female lay employees and other women. Gethsemani Farms View 2020 Catalog. "It was all wire transfers. 1 Thank Bonnie R . 725 S. Floyd StreetLouisville, KY 40203(502) 585-2201. The Trappist monks have been at the monastery since 1848. John Hutchins had been employed in the monastery’s bookkeeping service since 2007, according to the statement. Hutchins would tell the paper only that he was the victim of a "cover-up." He did not look like he was sleeping. Allison, the detective, said he has obtained a copy of Hutchins' letter but added, "I don't investigate affairs. The letter stated Hutchins had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation and that authorities in Nelson County, Ky., had been notified of the allegations. Gethsemani Abbey In 1848, monks from Melleray Abbey in France founded Gethsemani in the rolling hills of Kentucky, south of Louisville near Bardstown. Claiming all sorts of qualifications, including noble ancestry, Beaufort charmed the guileless abbot, but the monks distrusted him. Others came less willingly, troubled priests sent by their bishops to live a “life of penance and prayer.” Over the years, Gethsemani had to work hard to overcome its reputation as a clerical penitentiary. CLASS 2A STATE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS: Hoyes takes the title by a fraction. All rights reserved. But now the oldest operating monastery in America, where 42 monks live, work and pray seven times a day, is roiled by controversy. The letter mentions only one monk by name but says 'sexist comments and sexual banter' were common between monks and female employees. Most, Merton writes, “felt that God had done them a favor.” When alumni tried to raise money to rebuild the schools, Dom Edmond promptly returned their donations. Tony Gutierrez/AP Dom Edward Chaix-Bourbon’s short tenure, Merton writes, “almost ruined” the abbey. Scandal and Renewal at Gethsemani Abbey December 10, 2018 Pat McNamara. “This breach of trust has been harmful to the network of good will that exists among the monastery’s employees, neighbors, visitors and benefactors,” the abbey said in the statement. This includes the church, retreat house, gift shop and welcome center. "Nothing he's talking about has anything to do with money," Allison said. I had the privilege of covering the Oct. 31 beatification Mass of... Today's the day. "We have faith that the citizens of Nelson County will make an appropriate decision," said Morgan, former director of special prosecutions in the Kentucky attorney general's office. Detective Allison has been digging through bank statements. Louis. The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., is covering the story, and provides some background: On Feb. 17, Abbot Elias Dietz, the monastery's spiritual leader and president of its Gethsemani Farms mail-order business, wrote a letter in which he said, "We are currently dealing with a delicate issue regarding one of our employees." Historian Dianne Aprile writes: “He believed in the power of the written word, and sensed the time was right to use it to the monastery’s advantage.” When Thomas Merton entered in 1941, he assumed his writing days were finished, but Dom Frederic encouraged him to continue. Both Hutchins himself and his attorney would not confirm nor deny Hutchins wrote the letter when reached by phone. He did not look like he was sleeping. That year also marked the centennial of his monastery, Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey. But in an 11-page letter that has been widely circulated, Hutchins said he went to monastery leaders in January with information about "multiple sexual affairs that were permitted ... at the monastery between monks & female lay employees, between monks & outside women" and between a lay supervisor and an employee under his supervision. About the Abbey of Gethsemani. "The abbey has been around for a long time," Ford said, "and it will be around for a long time to come. . hide caption. In mid-February, the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from the Abbey of Gethsemani in reference to a possible embezzlement from its accountant, John Hutchins, according to a press release from the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office. [PREVIOUS STORY: Couple indicted in alleged scandal at nation's oldest monastery] Hutchins will check into jail on Jan. 4. Beginning in 1664, Normandy’s La Trappe Abbey hosted a reform movement. During his years there, Merton published hundred of articles and nearly fifty books (all royalties go to Gethsemani). "We believe that the evidence is going to show that the money came from an account that belongs to the Abbey and was placed into another account," he explained. NOTE: The above article originally appeared in Patheos in February 2011, and is reprinted on the occasion today of the fiftieth anniversary of Thomas Merton’s death. ", Contacted at his home in New Haven, about three miles from the monastery, Hutchins would say only that he was the victim of a "cover-up.". But he and Ford said the monastery will survive the alleged embezzlement. The fact that they ...", "Very interesting. Harold was dressed in a white cowl and his face bore no signs of being made up by a mortician. Renewed for 2013. The only disappointment was having to leave. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Abbey of Gethsemani is located about twelve miles south of Bardstown and was founded in 1848. He asked me... Commandment: May We Remember The Greatest Commandment. The monks are allowed to talk during the day, but they observe silence at meals and in their rooms. A sophisticated diplomat whose collection of medieval manuscripts was one of the world’s largest, he was also a born leader who knew how to get things done. The Hutchins’ bonds were set at $50,000 cash, according to their indictments. "Stuff that he has talked about, particularly in a letter that he had sent out is fairly recent and my investigation goes back several years," Allison said. Merton himself notes, “The devil . The letter says women who "went along" were given raises, while those who "didn't play the game" were demoted. The monastery's lawyer, Kevin Ford, denied any connection between the embezzlement allegations and Hutchins' reporting of alleged sexual affairs at the abbey. Trappist monks take vows of chastity, poverty, obedience and stability — meaning they will stay at the abbey. And there's a twist, a letter in which Detective Allison said Hutchins claimed he was a scapegoat for a part of a cover-up for sexual affairs behind the monastery's gates. According to the Courier-Journal, Hutchins claims he is being falsely accused after blowing the whistle on monks he says engaged in sexual affairs behind the monastery’s walls. "Hutchins also alleges that the supervisor and his employee had sex in a conference room over the monastery visitor center and that he videotaped them 'to protect myself. I promised myself I wasn't going to be online... Don’t Be Confused About Catholic Teaching. (One local proclaimed their cider “superior to the best wine I ever drank.”) For a few years, a group of Franciscan nuns ran a boarding school, but financial difficulties led to an early closing. The couple, through an attorney, said they would plead not guilty. A police investigation revealed bank transfers from the monastery’s account into another account, according to the press release. Allison said he is aware of Hutchins' cover-up claims but says they are irrelevant to his investigation. Read and share your thoughts on this story. Hutchins said he was never given an opportunity to respond. The scandal first surfaced Feb. 17, when Dietz, in a letter addressed, "Dear Brothers and Employees," wrote, "We are currently dealing with a delicate issue regarding one of our employees. Now, a former accountant at the Abbey of Gethsemani and his wife have been indicted after they were accused of stealing a total of $1 million since 2008. the autobiography of a Trappist monk named Thomas Merton. Add new comment Born in Georgia, Dunne worked in the publishing industry before entering Gethsemani. • Address: 3642 Monks Road, Trappist, Ky. • Information about visits: www.monks.org. 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