Ryan St. Anne Scott Is Focus of St. Louis Church Warning

By Dennis Magee
WCF Courier
May 2, 2012

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/ryan-st-anne-scott-is-focus-of-st-louis-church/article_148048b0-9b5f-5c23-918d-b7b4f438a7ab.html

Ryan St. Anne Scott was arrested earlier this month in St. Louis County in Missouri. His accused of seven felonies in Knox County in Illinois and posted bond Tuesday, March 27, 2012. (Photo courtesy Knox County Jail)

ST. LOUIS --- Add the Archdiocese of St. Louis to the list of Roman Catholic organizations to warn its faithful about Ryan St. Anne Scott.

Officials issued a statement in mid-April about the alleged monk's activities, citing concerns raised by the Diocese of Tucson in Arizona and the Diocese of La Crosse in Wisconsin.

In its warning, church officials noted Scott "has claimed at various times to be a priest, a bishop, a religious brother and an abbot and has variously identified himself as Ryan Patrick Scott, Randell Dean Stocks, Randell Dean, Ryan St. Ann, Brother Damien of St. Ann, Bishop Ryan Scott, Most Rev. and Lord Abbot Ryan St. Anne Scott and Ryan St. Anne Scott."

Scott and his small band of followers lived briefly in the former Buchanan County home near Independence. Facing eviction, though, the group abandoned the property in January.

Scott later surfaced in St. Louis and was subsequently arrested on a warrant out of Knox County in Illinois.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis in its statement noted Scott faces four felony counts. In actuality, he is charged with three counts of financial abuse of an elderly person, three counts of theft and one count of deceptive practices.

Officials noted the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops disavowed any affiliation with Scott in November 1996 and advised dioceses across the country about complaints concerning Scott's fundraising activities.

Scott is involved in a civil lawsuit and bankruptcy cases in Illinois related to his failed venture, the Holy Rosary Abbey in Galesburg. A personal bankruptcy case also is pending in Iowa, and Scott's belongings will be auctioned off Saturday at the former Buchanan County home.

Scott apparently has tried to restart a religious community in St. Louis and re-established a presence online.

"In view of Mr. Stocks' repeated alleged misconduct under a wide variety of names and claimed religious roles, as well as his past activities in a number of different states around the country and numerous criminal charges and bankruptcies, diocese should be aware of Mr. Stocks' status," the statement concludes.