Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Bernard Hebda, has initiated a canonical process to clarify the situation of Father Philip Conklin, a 38-year-old priest of his archdiocese who, after remaining six months apart from parish ministry to discern his vocation, has decided to affiliate with the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX).
The decision was communicated by Hebda to the faithful of the parishes of Saint Michael and Saint Mary, in Stillwater, where Conklin had served as parochial vicar from July 2024 until last March. The information was initially published by The Catholic Spirit, the archdiocesan newspaper, and subsequently reported by AdVaticanum.
Conklin was ordained a priest by Hebda himself on May 25, 2024 and was soon assigned to the two parishes in Stillwater. In March of this year, he began a six-month period of absence for the purpose of discerning his priestly vocation. During that time, he ended up affiliating with the FSSPX. The archdiocese itself confirms that Saint Michael and Saint Mary were his first assignment after ordination.
As the archbishop now explained, he maintained contact with the priest and personally confirmed that Conklin had no intention of ending that affiliation.
“After confirming with Father Conklin that he has no intention of ending this affiliation, I have been compelled to initiate a canonical process to clarify the situation and his status,” Hebda stated.
While the procedure is resolved, the archbishop has instructed the priest not to exercise publicly the priestly ministry.
A priest ordained barely two years ago
The case is especially significant due to the short time elapsed since Conklin’s ordination. Before entering the seminary in 2017, he had received training as a pilot and served for six years in the United States Air Force as an air traffic controller. He also later worked as a civilian contractor at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
After seven years of seminary, he was ordained in 2024 and immediately began his parish ministry in Stillwater. Less than two years later, he requested the period of absence that has led to his affiliation with the FSSPX.
The pastor of Saint Michael and Saint Mary, Michael Creagan, asked the faithful not to speculate about Conklin’s canonical situation and to leave the resolution of the case in the hands of the archbishop and the Church.
Creagan also clarified that the sacraments celebrated by Conklin during the time he legitimately exercised his ministry in Stillwater are valid, in light of the doubts the news might have raised among some parishioners.
The case comes after the episcopal consecrations in Écône
Conklin’s decision comes barely three months after the serious crisis that opened between Rome and the FSSPX following the episcopal consecrations performed on July 1 in Écône without a pontifical mandate.
Leo XIV had previously made a personal appeal to the superior general of the Fraternity, Father Davide Pagliarani, not to proceed with the ordinations. In the end, four new bishops were consecrated.
On July 2, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith declared that the consecrations constituted a schismatic act and noted the corresponding latae sententiae excommunications of the consecrating and consecrated bishops. The FSSPX subsequently filed a canonical appeal against the decree.
Hebda made explicit reference to those events when explaining Conklin’s situation, noting that the July consecrations had aggravated the rupture between the Fraternity and Rome.
The archbishop, however, has not yet announced any canonical penalty against Conklin. On the contrary, he has specified that the recently initiated procedure is intended to determine his legal situation after the priest has confirmed his willingness to maintain his affiliation with the FSSPX.
Neither Conklin nor the archdiocese has so far offered further details about the specific circumstances that led the young priest to make this decision.