Catholic Priest Who Served In Stillwater Barred From Ministry Over Ties To Breakaway Group

STILLWATER, MN — A priest who served at two Stillwater Catholic churches until earlier this year has been barred from public ministry after affiliating with a traditionalist group the Vatican declared to be in schism this summer.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis told parishioners of the Church of Saint Michael and the Church of Saint Mary that Father Philip Conklin has affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X, commonly known as the SSPX.

The pastor of both parishes, Father Michael Creagan, shared the archbishop's letter with parishioners on Sept. 30, according to The Catholic Spirit.

Hebda wrote that after confirming Conklin does not intend to end the affiliation, he felt compelled to begin a canonical process to clarify the situation and the priest's status.

"At the same time, I have also informed Father Conklin that he is not to exercise any public priestly ministry," the archbishop wrote.

Hebda called it a painful situation and asked for prayers for Conklin, his family, and both parishes.

Conklin was ordained a priest on May 25, 2024, and was assigned as parochial vicar of St. Michael and St. Mary effective July 1, 2024, according to archdiocese appointment announcements.

He served in Stillwater until March 2026 and has spent the past six months on leave to discern his priestly vocation, according to the archbishop's letter.

Why The SSPX Is In Schism

The SSPX was founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and is known for its celebration of the traditional Latin Mass.

On July 1, the group consecrated four new bishops in Écône, Switzerland, without a papal mandate.

The next day, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a decree declaring that the two SSPX bishops who carried out the ceremony and the four newly consecrated bishops had incurred automatic excommunication for what it called an act of a schismatic nature.

An explanatory note released with the decree said SSPX clergy are in schism, that the sacraments they celebrate are illicit, and that confessions they hear and marriages they witness are invalid.

The decree also warned clergy and lay Catholics that formally adhering to the group's schism would bring automatic excommunication.

In a July 2 statement, Hebda wrote that the SSPX had rejected Pope Leo XIV's pleas and gone ahead with the consecrations. He said he has met many sincere people who attend SSPX chapels within the archdiocese, praised the strength of their families and their commitment to traditional Catholic values, and expressed hope they would not separate themselves from the pope.

Hebda also noted that the traditional Latin Mass continues to be celebrated at six locations in the archdiocese.

In his letter to the Stillwater parishes, Hebda pointed parishioners back to that July statement, which is posted on the archdiocese's website.