Controversy At Fisher More College

[MIKolbe]

I am hearing Summorum Pontificum, paragraph 19 is coming into play here...

 

Anyone else hearing this?

[NotreDame]

You haven't been talking to the right trads. ;)

 

I don't agree with your views about Rorate, but you are free to hold those opinions and I still have much respect for you. However you were not justified in lumping 'us trads' together as you did.

 

At the risk of beating a dead horse...  It doesn't matter what you or the "right trads" think.  You and the "right trads" are already on one side of a debate.  Rorate and the other trads that jumped the gone HAVE lost credibility with others who might have been in the middle on that debate. 

[WillT]

Is it Lent yet?
:|

[KnightofChrist]

 

STATEMENT OF THE BOARD OF VISITORS OF FISHER MORE COLLEGE

 

The Board of Visitors of The College of Saints John Fisher & Thomas More places primary importance on the souls entrusted to its care, including all students, faculty, and staff of the College. The Board is acutely aware that the College faces relentless assault because of the supernatural nature of its mission and its fidelity to the Church.

 

The current leadership of the College was chosen by the Board of Visitors for a variety of reasons, including personal integrity and business acumen. Tragically, certain individuals with varying degrees of former association with the College have gone on record with statements which either distort the truth or blatantly circumvent it. Many of those statements take the situation with Bishop Olson’s decision of last week and turn that decision into an opportunity to engage in personal attacks against Michael King, President of the College.

 

The Board continues to have the utmost confidence in Mr. King and his leadership. Despite persistent efforts by any number of parties to assert that Mr. King mismanages the College, lacks integrity, or that he fails in his fidelity to the entirety of the teachings of the Church, those of us on the Board who work shoulder to shoulder with him in this apostolate know that the assertions are blatantly false.

 

The College’s website details the history of the last two years in full disclosure and with continuing transparency. It is the sincere hope of each member of the Board that discerning minds and well-intentioned souls will review these facts outlined for the record by the College.

 

The Board gives thanks to all those at the College who labor heroically in this vineyard.

 

Edited March 6, 2014 by KnightofChrist

[KnightofChrist]

Statement from Fisher More College President Michael King re: Dr. Taylor Marshall

 

It was with great sorrow that I learned of Dr. Taylor Marshall’s public criticism of me and his allegations concerning affairs at Fisher More College. I am saddened for our students and staff, for our College, for Catholics suffering through this incredible fury of ugliness, and for my wife and children. But I am especially saddened for Dr. Marshall. He was always treated well by the College, by me personally, and by my family, and we will continue to act in charitable consideration of him and his deserving family.

 

As with all personnel matters, I will not comment publicly on any of the circumstances surrounding Dr. Marshall’s employment and departure. This policy serves to protect any current or former employees, none of whom we wish to see personally harmed by statements that would be necessary to explain and justify our actions. It also serves as a guardian of our own souls, particularly when the devil besets us with the temptation to respond to an injustice by committing one of our own.

 

Needless to say, the College is obligated to address Dr. Marshall’s puzzling allegations about finances and the real estate transaction involving our campus. We have issued a detailed statement addressing these matters here. While it was disturbing that Dr. Marshall abused his privilege as an ex officio member of the Board, his indiscretion could have been mitigated by fairness and accuracy, rather than being aggravated by misrepresentation. For instance, Dr. Marshall knows that the College originally considered purchasing the real estate by using seller financing, but the Board instructed me to seek different terms from the sellers. Further, he knows that the sellers agreed to a two-year lease with an option to purchase. Finally, he should know that the terms of our lease-purchase-option are so advantageous to the College that, as a result, the sellers (who are not Catholic) are now considered among our most generous benefactors. Anyone experienced in commercial real estate would envy the terms of a transaction he has called crippling. Moreover, I recall no member of the staff being more enthused about our future home than was Dr. Marshall, nor do I recall him ever suggesting a viable alternative to the one that he now claims has crippled us through my personal orchestration.

 

From his seat in Board meetings, Dr. Marshall should also be familiar with all of the budgets and expenditures that followed the sale of our former campus. In fact, financial issues should have weighed heavy on his mind because fundraising and development were the main duties of a title, office, and job description that he personally requested and confidently assumed. So it is bewildering that he would imply a lack of knowledge or understanding with respect to financial affairs. I am certain that Dr. Marshall knew fully well that our future depended on winning over a donor or small group of donors with the means to finance the mission. I am certain of this because he and I spent many hours discussing both this fact and the fact that time was of the essence.

 

Missing from his unfortunate public narrative are many other important facts that are now available in our published statement. As we mention therein, Dr. Marshall’s allegations unjustly implicate and calumniate other former colleagues of his on the staff and Board, all of whom treated him well and did nothing to deserve this.

 

I should hope it goes without saying that a public retraction is in order.

 

JMJ

 

 

Edited March 6, 2014 by KnightofChrist

[KnightofChrist]

Statement on the financial management of the College and recent transactions

 

1. Sale of the Former Campus – The College agreed that the sale price of its former campus to TCU was to be kept confidential. TCU has been an aggressive buyer of property and was a very considerate counterparty in this transaction, so the confidential nature of the purchase price is something they requested and we are committed to honor.

 

2. Initial Use of Proceeds from Sale – The net amount of proceeds that the College received at closing in April 2012 was substantially lower than the gross amount. Roughly 40% of the sale price was used to pay off prior debt (plus interest) that had been secured by the property. The bulk of this debt had originated prior to the current administration, although it had been refinanced less than nine months prior to the TCU sale. In retrospect, we had to expend not a small sum of capital to make the old campus safe, sanitary, and capable of handling a student body that tripled from 2011-12 to 2012-13. Those expenditures were necessary even if for one year because the College could not have operated in either 2011-12 or 2012-13 without spending that capital.

 

3. Subsequent Use of Proceeds – The remaining proceeds were used in a manner consistent with the approved strategic plan for developing both the residential College and the online program. The largest part of our annual budget (usually over 70%) goes to salaries for staff and faculty. Currently, expenditures for the online Academy faculty and staff are about double those of the College staff and faculty.

 

4. Wages, Expenditures, and Operations – We have presented the Board with a comparison of Fisher More salaries against those of similar colleges, and our salaries at virtually every level are significantly lower. (Note: This data was compiled even before austerity measures required a significant reduction in salaries that make any further comparison meaningless.) The College has always attempted to be generous with its salaries and mindful of family and personal circumstances for each individual employee. However, program revenue (tuition) has not yet matched the increased costs associated with a growing student body and staff, so the College relied heavily on the sale proceeds for normal working capital. All of this was approved by the Board and monitored by the appropriate staff. The President works closely with Board members, the Business Manager, and the Director of Operations in making decisions on current expenditures and projecting future operations. Any charge of financial mishandling would necessarily implicate all of these individuals.

 

5. Austerity Measures – Over the past three years, we have continued to monitor and reduce expenses to fit within a budget that was increasing on an aggregate level (because of student growth and campus relocation) but decreasing on a relative level in terms of available resources per student. More recently due to falling short of fundraising targets, the College has been forced to reduce payroll through austerity reductions, a painful process that has asked for a great sacrifice from the staff (although 85% of our faculty – Academy and College – have remained at full salary during the austerity program, which means that Fort Worth staff and some residential faculty have taken the brunt of the cuts in an act of tremendous sacrifice). In other cases we have been able to cut expenses while not significantly affecting services. It is difficult to imagine that any other organization of comparable size has put as much time and care into managing its operating budget under the limitations and conditions that we have encountered.

 

6. More on Sale of Old Campus and Search for New Campus – Regarding the real estate transaction and our new campus:

 

It is important to note that the College decided to sell its old campus for both financial and strategic reasons. The main financial reason was to extinguish debt and generate the capital needed to keep the College from closing down. The strategic reason was to abandon a campus that was unattractive and limited to a residential housing capacity of less than 25 students. Thus, it was determined that there was no future for the College without taking action that would result in two real estate transactions: selling one and finding another.

 

Obviously, selling the property created an urgent need to find a new campus that was both available and suitable to both our mission and long-term strategic plan. For these reasons we expected the campus search to be a very difficult task. We needed a property that could provide for residential housing (up to 100), classrooms, offices, refectory, library, common space, parking, and, most important of all, a chapel. In the end, we marveled at the gift of Providence when the opportunity to acquire a building perfectly suited for our mission was presented. We believe moving into this building has been a good decision and that it is the perfect property for our mission: built by good Catholics over 100 years ago to serve God and the Church in precisely the way it is being utilized.

 

Regarding the transaction terms, we originally considered purchasing the building with seller financing. As the closing date neared, the Board instructed the President to pursue an alternative structure, and the seller agreed to a lease with an option to buy. The owners gave us very favorable lease terms, and we have no obligation to purchase. We occupy the entire 76,000 square foot building for about $3.20 per square foot, which includes use of three acres and more than sufficient parking capacity. This rate ($3.20 per square foot) is less than the majority of warehouse rates in Fort Worth and substantially less than rates for office and residential space. The notion that our real estate deal has crippled the College is especially ironic because we have always considered this transaction to be a gift bestowed upon us by Providence through Our Blessed Mother, to whom this building is dedicated (Our Lady of Victory). Other than the generous two-year lease obligations, the College was able to remain debt free. In fact, the terms on this “real estate transaction” are so favorable to the College that we consider the building owners (who are not Catholic) as among our biggest benefactors. It is also notable that the Board (which actively participated in the negotiations and eventually approved the transaction) included three lawyers, two of whom practice in commercial real estate. The college also used local counsel for document drafting and review. In short, there was more than sufficient professional support and oversight.

 

7. Ongoing Operations – As mentioned above, the sale of the former campus was closed in early April 2012, almost two years ago. Since that time, the College has made no frivolous purchases of vehicles, equipment, furniture, or luxuries of any type. Salaries have remained low and operating budgets lean. Anyone who visits our campus should quickly recognize this. However, the College was preparing for growth of students, faculty and staff, and cash was needed for normal operations. Capital expenditures, both at the former and current campus, have focused on the security, health, and convenience of the students, faculty, and staff.

 

8. Need for Donations – Overall, the sale of the old campus allowed us to retire debt and operate for two years through a period of rapid growth and development. Nonetheless, we still rely on the generosity of benefactors until our programs reach maturity and operate at self-sufficiency. The College has never hidden this fact. In fact, a review of the entire financial history of the College will reveal that this has been the case since its founding. It is also consistent with many similar small colleges. We hoped and expected (perhaps naively) to find a benefactor or benefactors of substance to support our mission and provide the final pieces to our plan, but this has not happened.

 

9. Financial Diligence – We understand how “word on the street” discussions often evolve, but any possible questions have already been put to our Board and management by interested parties and our auditors. Thus, the College believes there has been an ongoing scrutiny and review of our financial operations to ensure that all expenditures have taken place with the full review and approval of all charged with fiduciary responsibilities.

 

Statements claiming financial irregularities or crippling real estate deals unfairly malign many people at the College. The Business Manager of the College is better informed and has been employed longer than anyone claiming knowledge of financial discrepancies. The Business Manager has worked closely with the College auditors, a respected Fort Worth firm, to generate three years of audited financials. In addition, all members of the Board, both past and present, are maligned by this allegation, especially when the impression is given that Board members may have left because of financial discrepancies, which was never the case.

 

10. Contact Information – The College has always been fully transparent, even going so far as to publish our business plan (Statement of the Apostolate) which includes budget projections. Anyone with concerns about financial discrepancies is encouraged to contact the Business Manager, Mr. Joe Marshall at joe.marshall@fishermore.edu. In the end, our desire is to replace innuendo and misinformation with facts.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 6, 2014 by KnightofChrist

[dUSt]

Y'all need to get up off my bishop.

 

This is my diocese. The college had suspended priests offering mass. The Extraordinary Form is offered a mere two miles away--5 minutes by car, 40 minutes by foot. This isn't about the Traditional Latin Mass--it's about fidelity to the Church.

[Socrates]

Y'all need to get up off my bishop.

 

This is my diocese. The college had suspended priests offering mass. The Extraordinary Form is offered a mere two miles away--5 minutes by car, 40 minutes by foot. This isn't about the Traditional Latin Mass--it's about fidelity to the Church.

 

This.

 

(And Taylor Marshall, a fellow parishioner of mine, is about as Traditional and conservative as they come, and I think it's safe to say he has more personal knowledge of this matter than those on here attacking the Bishop.)

[the171]

holy flying fudge. did you all give up charity for lent?

[the171]

ALSO MEEEEGA MEGA BIASES GOING ON IN HERE (and it all started with a Voris post. never start with a Voris post.)

[blazeingstar]

Y'all need to get up off my bishop.

 

This is my diocese. The college had suspended priests offering mass. The Extraordinary Form is offered a mere two miles away--5 minutes by car, 40 minutes by foot. This isn't about the Traditional Latin Mass--it's about fidelity to the Church.

 

Exactly.  Suspended priests are a danger to the church, far more than we can understand.  To get to the point of suspension, things have to get really, really bad.

 

The only note I wished the good Bishop made was one to offer transportation to the students...I know it's 2 miles, but I think it would of been a small gesture with great meaning.

 

There is something very sad going down at the college and it does not seem prepared to take the necessary steps to make amends.

[KnightofChrist]

For the record, according to the school no suspended priests offered Mass at Fisher More. Whether they are to be believed or thought to be untruthful is for the reader to decide.
 

With regard to chaplains who have exercised priestly ministries (Holy Mass and Confessions) at the College chapel:

1. Every chaplain has been a priest in good standing with faculties from his Ordinary.
 
2. Every chaplain has had the approval of his superior to offer Mass and hear Confessions in the College chapel.
 
3. Every chaplain was given permission to exercise his faculties for Mass and Confession at the College chapel by the Ordinary (or Administrator acting in his stead) of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth.
 
The priests who have offered a public Mass in the Extraordinary Form and heard Confessions at the College chapel since August 2010 are the following:
 
1. Fr. Simon Zayas, TOR
 
2. Fr. Juan Diego, CFR
 
3. Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB
 
4. Fr. Thomas Longua, FSSP
 
5. Fr. Philip Wolfe, FSSP
 
6. Fr. Joseph Orlowski, FSSP
 
7. Fr. Christopher Henderson, CFM
 
Of the priests listed above, those who lived in-residence and/or were approved for assignment by their superiors and given permission by the Diocese of Fort Worth to exercise their faculties as chaplains at Fisher More College (whether for temporary or permanent assignments) included:
 
Fr. Simon Zayas, TOR
Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB
Fr. Joseph Orlowski, FSSP
Fr. Christopher Henderson, CFM
 
The other three priests (i.e., Fr. Juan Diego, CFR, Fr. Longua, FSSP, and Fr. Wolfe, FSSP) are priests who made either occasional or regular weekly visits to the campus for the purpose of offering Mass and hearing Confessions in the College chapel. In other words, these three priests were not officially assigned as chaplains to the College (as was the case with the four priests listed above), but rather they either occasionally or regularly assisted in the functions of the College chaplaincy.  The College is grateful for, and deeply indebted to, all of these holy priests who served our students and staff.
 
In each case of the four priests listed above as temporary or permanent chaplains, the Fort Worth Diocese received written confirmation directly from their superiors confirming that the priests were in good standing and had the approval of the superior for the assignment. The College is confident that the Fort Worth chancery can confirm that the appropriate documentation was received for each of the priests listed above.
 
No public Mass of any Form has ever been offered in the College chapel by a priest lacking regular faculties. Over the past three years, the College has been privileged to host priests as overnight visitors to our campus, many of whom used the Chapel to offer private Masses, including priests from the Friars of the Immaculate, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, and the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.
 
Benedicamus Domino
JMJ

Timeline of the Mass and Chaplains

Fisher More College

August 2010 – Fr. Simon Zayas, TOR, a priest in good standing with permission to exercise his faculties in the Diocese of Fort Worth, began coming to the College chapel from his residence in Dallas twice per week and again on Sunday to offer the Mass in the Ordinary Form.

Note: Fr. Simon began offering the Mass in the Extraordinary Form (EF) during his weekday visits in the spring of 2011, and began offering the Mass in the EF on Sunday in August of 2011.

August 2010 – Fr. Philip Wolfe, FSSP, a priest in good standing with permission to exercise his faculties in the Diocese of Fort Worth, began coming to the College chapel from his rectory at Mater Dei parish in the Diocese of Dallas once per week to offer the Mass in the EF. These weekly visits for the Mass continued until May of 2013.

Note: From August 2012 until March 2013, Fr. Wolfe came to the College chapel twice per week to offer the traditional Latin Mass (TLM).

Fall 2010 – Fr. Juan Diego, CFR, a priest in good standing with permission to exercise his faculties in the Diocese of Fort Worth, began coming periodically to the College chapel from the Sacred Heart Friary in Fort Worth to offer the TLM. These became regular weekly visits (once per week) for the TLM in August 2011 and continued until Fr. Juan Diego was reassigned to a Friary outside the U.S. by his superior in January 2013.

July 2011 – Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB, a priest in good standing, is given permission by Bishop Kevin Vann to become the full-time, in-resident chaplain at the College. The College begins offering the daily TLM in its chapel, including Sundays.

Note: Fr. Wolfe, FSSP, continued his regular weekly visits as described above.

Note: Fr. Simon Zayas, TOR, continued his regular weekly visits as described above.

Note: Fr. Juan Diego, CFR, continued his visits as described above.

January 2012 – Fr. Samuel, OSB is reassigned by his superior. Fr. Simon Zayas, TOR, is given permission by Bishop Kevin Vann to replace Fr. Samuel as the full-time College chaplain.

Note: Fr. Simon lived in Dallas and commuted daily to the College, so he was not in-residence.

Note: Fr. Wolfe, FSSP, continued his regular weekly visits as described above.

Note: Fr. Juan Diego, CFR, continued his visits as described above.

Note: In October 2012, the Holy See announced that Fort Worth Bishop Kevin Vann was being moved to the Catholic Diocese of Orange, California. The Holy See named Msgr. Stephen Berg as the Diocesan Administrator upon the departure of Bishop Vann.

February 2013 – Fr. Simon, TOR, is reassigned by his superior. Fr. Joseph Orlowski, FSSP, a priest in good standing, is given permission by the Diocesan Administrator Msgr. Stephen Berg to exercise his faculties (Mass and Confession only) as the full-time, in-residence College chaplain until June 30, 2013.

Note: Fr. Wolfe, FSSP, continued his regular weekly visits as described above.

June 2013 – Fr. Orlowski is given permission by the Diocesan Administrator to continue as the full-time, in-residence College chaplain until June 30, 2014. Fr. Orlowski is invited to, and attends, the annual workshop for priests of the diocese, and his appointment as College chaplain is published in the Fort Worth diocesan newspaper, the North Texas Catholic.

October 2013 – Fr. Orlowski is reassigned by his superior. His last public Mass at the College chapel was on October 15, 2014.

October 2013 – Fr. Christopher Henderson, CFM, a priest in good standing, is given permission by his superior to visit the College to offer the TLM and to determine whether it would be suitable for a long-term assignment as the full-time, in-residence College chaplain. His first public Mass at the College chapel was on October 16, 2013.

Note: On October 15, 2013, the College sent an email to the Fort Worth chancery giving notice of Fr. Henderson’s visit. Included in the notice was confirmation that Fr. Henderson is a priest in good standing incardinated in the diocese of Owensboro (KY), is listed in both the Catholic Director and the Virtus Program, and has the permission of his superior to visit the College for this purpose. The notice also included contact information for Fr. Henderson’s superior so that the Fort Worth diocese could contact him directly with questions or requests.

Note: On November 14, 2013, the Fort Worth chancery contacted the College by email giving notice that the chancery had not yet received an executed copy of the diocesan testimonial letter from Fr. Henderson’s superior.

Note: On December 2, 2013, the Fort Worth chancery contacted the College by email giving notice that the chancery had received the executed copy of the diocesan testimonial letter from Fr. Henderson’s superior. The email notice from the chancery included a copy of the testimonial letter, which stated that Fr. Henderson had the permission of his superior to remain as College chaplain for the Academic Year 2013-14.

Note: On December 3, 2013, the Diocesan Administrator contacted the College president by phone message confirming that Fr. Henderson’s paperwork was complete and in good order.

February 2014 – Fr. Henderson is reassigned by his superior. His last public Mass was on February 17, 2014.

 

 

[CrossCuT]

Let them eat...wafers? 

[blazeingstar]

Somehow, I'd rather trust Dust than these multiple statements of record.  Sure, there were priests who have valid offices serving at the college but based on some of the very strong affiliations to obedience that many of those priests in orders have, I still feel like there is something not being said.

[NotreDame]

Knight of Christ,

 

I appreciate you posting the statements from the school.  I've read over them and will look for more commentary from those with inside knowledge.  It's not clear to me that the president directly addressed the criticism in any way, but I don't have time to parse all the past posts in this regard.  What I will be most interested in is not what Rorate, the school, or the diocese have to say, but what the local DFW folks think. 

 

I don't know how Forth Worth is, but Dallas is pretty conservative.  It was the one place where I felt reasonably solid within a diocese.  University of Dallas is a diocesan school and it's one of the most conservative and intellectual in the country.  If the consensus coming out of that area is that the Bishop was in the right, then even I as the resident skeptic am going to be persuaded by the consensus.

 

I also know from having been on the inside of one of these tit for tats that a group can be in the wrong and still appear to be in the right to those that lack inside knowledge.  I also know that the Church administration in it's eminent incompetence will not likely properly disclose the relevant information that lay people  deserve to know and - if they do so - it will not be in a timely manner.