May 11, 2021, 5:14 PM
Helen Keuning to Joanna Rudenborg and Cherin Marie
Cc: Stewart Ruch, Brenda Dumper
Hello Cherin & Joanna,
I am reaching out to you both to express my sadness over each of your stated withdrawal from "participating in collaborative efforts with the diocese.” As a representative of the Bishop’s Council, I heard your concerns in February (over our Zoom call) and read your detailed recommendations in each email correspondence. I was hopeful that, as the Bishop sent out his widely broadcast letter to the diocese, you both would see the good that your participation has resulted in — namely:
— the understanding of facts that we would not have had without your input,
— the publicizing of the basic allegations against Mark,
— the hiring of an independent investigator, and
— the creating of an avenue for other possible victims to come forward.
When I read your most recent emails, I hear disappointment and a sense of futility and frustration over the choices that we have made, particularly with regard to our hiring of GRS.
As you know, after our February group conversation, Anne Kessler was entrusted with the authority to independently make a decision about which firm to hire. None of the rest of us was privy to the reasoning behind her decision. That was done on purpose — to protect the independence of her choice and the independence of the investigators. Even the Bishop remained hands-off with regard to that decision. And I personally did not know the name of the firm until the day that the Bishop’s Council voted to hire GRS.
I do know that, in light of the concerns you each had shared, Anne made special efforts to find a firm that was not litigation focused. That is, she chose a firm for its investigative chops. GRS is not comprised of attorneys. GRS is not tasked with “protecting the church” and is also not tasked with “getting Mark.” GRS’s primary task is to facilitate a process of inquiry and communication that will encourage other possible victims to come forward and receive appropriate care/counseling/healing. GRS will also evaluate the Diocese’s and her church’s past and current practices as regards child safety. We hope to use the GRS findings to create better processes and safer communities in each of our churches.
The Bishop has asked me to reach out to you both because we want to keep lines of communication as open as possible, and because, frankly, I am a little confused by the turn of events. This may simply be because I am out of the loop since I live up here in MN. It was my personal understanding that neither of you would directly participate in this GRS investigation because you each are already in the midst of your own criminal proceedings against Mark? And I am curious about how the breakdown in trust — either in us as a leadership team and/or in GRS — occurred in your minds?
Beyond me wanting to do the best job that I can of understanding the complex issues presented here for the sake of the diocese, I also want to honor the “emotional energy” that you each may or may not have to spend right now. I don’t want to push either of you into a “collaboration” that you don’t desire.
But, I do still want to offer an opportunity for you to speak and for me to listen to your concerns and bring them back to the Bishop. While email is an efficient tool for communicating information, it is a weak way in which to build relationship, trust or understanding. We have benefited from your input and wish to continue to do so in the future, if that is possible.
I am hoping that I can set up a Zoom call with one or both of you (along with anyone else you care to invite) in order to have a true conversation — not just an email exchange. And I am hoping that this might be an ongoing dialogue via Zoom, where we can see one another’s faces and hear one another’s intonations. I think so much gets missed in written communication and that we each “fill in” the missing holes with the narrative that is running through our own head, whether or not it is an accurate one.
It can be at any time that is convenient for you — either now or months from now. I want to make it as hassle free and as easy for you to reach out as possible.
You both have the right to “shut the door” and we respect your withdrawal, but please know that the door is not locked on our end.
Regardless of whether you take me up on this offer or not, the Bishop — and I as a representative of his Council — want to commend you for the great contributions of time, information, conviction, energy and character that you have already invested in making us aware of this issue and educating us from your perspective as victims.
It’s taken a tremendous amount of courage. I am humbled by you both. Thank you.
Sincerely, Helen Keuning