MINNESOTA
Canonical Consultation
03/16/2015
Jennifer Haselberger
My ‘google alerts’ surfaced an interesting reference to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis yesterday, or at least to one of its former employees. The Star Tribune’s ‘Business People’ noted that Rita Beatty, formerly the Communications Manager for the Archdiocese, has taken a position as a senior account representative at Himle, Rapp and Co.
I don’t think that Rita’s new position is a result of budget cuts in the Archdiocese or even the previously announced layoffs. From what I have seen, the budget for the Office of Communications has remained steady or even increased in the face of the severe budget deficit and bankruptcy filing. Moreover, Rita’s departure would impact more than just communications. She was the original staff person charged with bringing some sense to the Office of Child and Young Protection, and she all but ran the Aim Higher Foundation from her cubicle in the ‘garden level’ (meaning basement) of the Chancery.
However, what I find most notable about her job change is that she is the third senior communications staff member to depart since this crisis began in September of 2013. The first to depart was Sarah Mealey, who was the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese from April 2012 until March 2014. Publicly, it was stated that Sarah’s departure was to allow her to spend more time with her family, but privately I was told that she was felt that as the crisis unfolded the ‘lawyers’ were making all of the communications decisions. For my part, I always thought it significant that her resignation was announced less than a month after MPR published a series of emails from July of 2012 demonstrating that key staff, her included, were aware that abusive priests remained in ministry even as they assured the public that ‘no priests credibly accused of misconduct are currently in ministry in this Archdiocese’.
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