Duluth, MN Church Shaken by Long-Time Child Sexual Abuse Story

[MineralMan]

This morning's Minneapolis Star Tribune had a four-full-page story about a horrific child abuse case that took place in an Old Apostolic Lutheran Church in Duluth, MN. The most shocking part of the story is that the perpetrator of the abuse had been doing it for years, with the church and its congregation forgiving him again and again because "Jesus said to forgive."

A lot of investigative reporting went into the story, which, as usual, is hidden from public view due to the story being behind a paywall. ProPublica, however, did a lengthy report on the story. A link to it is below:

https://www.propublica.org/article/sexual-abuse-old-apostolic-lutheran-church-minnesota

A warning: This story is beyond shocking and might trigger some people who read it. So, get the story if you are able to read it without an excess of distress.

[UpInArms]

1. Past the paywall

https://archive.ph/UWc2V

Star tribune story

ETA … i could not find a four page story on this

[MineralMan]

3. It was in today's Sunday paper.

I found the ProPublica account this morning when searching for a good link. What you posted was a sidebar on the story on a separate page in the Star Tribune. The rest of the story needed four full pages. There was also a separate "Editors notes" story on another page. Huge story for that paper.

[UpInArms]

5. I understand

I just could not find a star tribune link to the 4 page story

Thank you for posting

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. The ProPublica story and the big four-page story in the Strib are the same.

[MineralMan]

6. Yes. One, though, is behind a paywall.

I don't know if ProPublica had rights to publish it as well. Based on a note at the bottom of the story, though, it looks like there was a collaboration between the newspaper reporter and ProPublica.

No matter. It's a story that needs to be told, and yet another story about a religious based organization covering up sexual abuse of children. Sadly, such is an all too common thing.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. ProPublica often collaborates with local news sources to help expand coverage, and that's what they did here.

Newsrooms don't have the staffing for big enterprise stories like this one so much anymore, and outlets like ProPublica help expand coverage.

[MineralMan]

8. Thanks for that information.

I did not know that.

[dalton99a]

2. Kick

[flvegan]

9. Just another fucking cult.

7 1/2 years in prison. That's it.

Fuck every single person involved with this shithole church. Especially fuck the police and the imbecile county attorney for allowing this predation to happen.

I hope Massie FEELS every single one of those 2,737 days. Fuck you.

Stories like this leave me having to remind myself that I don't believe in violence.

[MineralMan]

10. Pretty much.

There are countless stories like this one, most of which never become public. Shocking abuse in the name of God. I guess they're not afraid that they'll be punished, which raises other significant questions, I think.

[NotHardly]

11. Stories like this come nearly daily. News of the Cults.

[MineralMan]

12. Yes. They're rare, though, in major metro area news outlets.

That's why this story is such a big deal.

[Old Crank]

13. Just disgusting,

I was told, that after forgiveness you were supposed to change your behavior. Not continue year after year with the same behavior. I have to wonder what the percentage of ministers of all types are child sexual abusers. And what the percentage is in the general population.

[MineralMan]

15. I don't know the numbers, frankly.

However, people in positions of trust who deal with children often seem to believe they are immune to punishment for child molestation. Like all such abusers they use threats to keep the victims from talking about the abuse. Religious leaders, teachers, people leading youth groups and others seem to be common offenders. My theory is that such positions attract people who seek to abuse children. They are in contact with their victims and trusted by adults.

In my life, I've encountered a few such abusers. One, who was a youth minister in the church I attended, was caught in the act with a 14-year-old girl who had developmental issues. Rather than be punished in the legal system, he was shuffled off to another church in another city. I was 16 when that occurred. it was one of the primary reasons I decided to distance myself from religion.

In the end, that episode cost a couple of pastors to lose their jobs, since some people, including myself, went public on the abuse. My wife has a similar story from her own church when she was about the same age. Again, the perpetrator simply transferred to another city. Eventually, though, he was caught and prosecuted.

[ForgedCrank]

26. Pedo's are

pedo's, no matter where they are. They often take positions like this where they have access to children for this purpose. We see it in daycare systems, teachers, professors, youth ministries, boy scouts, etc. These people are infiltrators with nefarious motives.
And to be very frank about it, every single person who knew about this and didn't report it should also be prosecuted. If I lived in that area, I'd be on the phone asking why my prosecutor wasn't protecting the children in his district.
The same thing happened in the Buffalo school system recently. They covered it all up, many cases that were hidden from the authorities. There are so many instances of this, it could make a man sick thinking about it. These people don't deserve a spot in our world.

[Skittles]

29. religion is where the REAL child grooming is

yes indeed

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. This story reminds me of the huge expose MPR did on the systemic abuse going on in Grand Marais awhile back.

Widely known to the locals, and ridiculously difficult to get anyone to do something about it.

[MineralMan]

16. Yes. Such stories are far from being rare, I'm afraid.

In many cases, though, they never come to light and the perpetrators continue to repeat their behavior. It is a shame on us all if we know about such things and remain silent.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

17. Im glad the vitims have a good lawyer, sue that sick church out of existence

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

18. A church full of sickos

.

As an adult, she was alarmed to see Massie in church, hugging and kissing children about the same age she was when the abuse began, which is why she’d felt a duty to report it all these years later, she said.

“I went back to the same preacher, which is Daryl [Bruckelmyer], and said, ‘Why is he still able to hold kids and whatever?’” she recalled to Kleffman in a recorded interview. “And he’s like: ‘I don’t know. Like, we’ve told him that he’s not supposed to, but he still does.’”

Kleffman picked up where LaBore left off and contacted the girl who spoke to their office in 2017. She was now in her early 20s, married, a new mom living in Washington state. In a recorded conversation, she told Kleffman that the trauma — and in particular, the mandate that she remain silent about it — still haunted her.

Though the woman had tried to put time and distance between herself and Massie, Massie’s wife, Sarah, had asked for a meeting about a year earlier when the woman returned to Duluth for a visit. At a Starbucks, she said, Sarah Massie told her that the abuse was no big deal and she needed to forget about what happened. The conversation, the woman said, was “horrible.”

[chowder66]

19. Thank goodness for the victims that came forward and Sgt. Adam Kleffman.

The main preacher, the perpetrator, his wife and the mother of one of the victims are horrid people.

"In accordance with one of the core tenets of their church, the matter was resolved. It was forgiven. It should now be forgotten. If she spoke of it again, she would be guilty of having an unforgiving heart and the sins would become hers."

"According to church literature, members are to live simple, modest lives like Jesus did; television, music and dancing are seen as sinful, according to former members." .....but pedophilia is okay.

My heart breaks for the victims.

[MineralMan]

20. Apparently, that church thinks Jesus said, "Suffer, little children..."

[niyad]

21. Thank you for quoting that. I wanted to scream in rage when it was posted

here earlier this week.

[chowder66]

23. Yeah, that's how it hit me too. The main preacher in the interview w/ investigators strikes me as

a belligerent prick. The other one does seem brainwashed to the hilt or he's just a better actor playing dumb.

[niyad]

22. May all involved receive everything they deserve.

[waterwatcher123]

24. This Church is Duluth Township, Far Northeastern Edge of St. Louis County.

The victims should sue the church in civil court. This church is worth over eight million dollars as per the property tax statement on file with the county. The church in Duluth on Calvary Road is worth over seven million dollars. Neither one of them pays a dime in property taxes because "religious" institutions are exempt from paying property taxes.

Bye-the-way, these Bruklemyers referenced in this article operate a lucrative home building business where it does not look like they eschew technology or modern conveniences as referenced in the article. I do not see Daryl Bruklemyer listed as an employee. However, it is a close knit group as many of the employees share the same last name (https://bruckelmyerbrothers.com/about-us/).

[WhiskeyGrinder]

25. They own multiple construction businesses, both residential and commercial, as well as all sorts of shell companies/

tax shelters run by various family members.

Also, it didn't say they eschew technology or modern conveniences, just that they don't watch TV. And Duluth Township is in southern St. Louis County, not northeastern.

[waterwatcher123]

28. Your are right about the direction (my mistake).

A colleague of mine used to be a supervisor in Lakewood Township and he mentioned this group quite a bit. Apparently they harassed him quite a bit because he was interested in environmental protection (he and I both worked for the MPCA).

What are the shell companies they operate?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

30. The companies change regularly as they declare bankruptcy and then start up again with difference names.

Daryl Bruckelmyer owns DM Systems LLC, etc.

[waterwatcher123]

34. Thanks - I will have to check the Secretary of State's site to see if this company is legally incorporated/dissolved.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

35. for what?

[LoisB]

27. Evil

[Norrrm]

31. Routine forgiveness becomes acceptance....

Forgiveness should include repentance and the effort of not doing it again.

with the church and its congregation forgiving him again and again because "Jesus said to forgive."

Cheap forgiveness.

The congregation's own children?

[multigraincracker]

32. Western, authoritarian churches lend themselves

to abuse.

[KentuckyWoman]

33. Churches. It's always churches.

Every single person who didn't call the cops along the way belongs in jail too. The damage they allowed never goes away. Ever.