And Scales Fell From His Eyes

A Former Coordinator Describes the Dysfunctional Nature of Life in The Sword Of The Spirit.

It was late in 1990. Major events were unfolding in the life of the Covenant Community, Servants of Christ the King (SOCK), a Branch of The Sword of the Spirit (SOS). A group of 27 peoplenearly all of them members from the very beginning of the community in the late 1970s - had created a document1 describing how their rights as Catholics had been violated by the teachings of the Sword of the Spirit. They presented this letter to three of the five coordinators on a cold November night in 1990. They were told they were rebellious and dismissed. In December of 1990 after hearing from a group of then present and former members2, Bishop Albert Ottenweller, 2nd Bishop of Steubenville, was setting up an investigative committee. He intended to lead a Pastoral Visitation to the Catholic Fellowship of the Covenant Community. This information would become public in January, 1991 and climax in the publication of findings on June 21, 1991.3 At the same time, one of the founding leaders of this SOS Covenant Community Keith Fournier4- was undergoing significant shifts in his understanding of himself and his previous role in the Sword of the Spirit leadership structure. Keith now Deacon Fournier- had accumulated many responsibilities over his tenure in Steubenville. By the mid 1980s, he was a Coordinator of the Sword of the Spirit Covenant Community in Steubenville and responsible for one of two districts in that Community, or about 300 men, women and children. The pastoral structure that governed the members of the SOS community was an intense one and required many hours of review and meetings. SOS
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http://www.scribd.com/doc/57780395/Catholics-Revolt-Against-The-Sword-of-the-Spirit-1990 http://www.scribd.com/doc/55661455/Bishop-Ottenweller-s-Correspondence-with-Servants-of-Christ-the-King1991-92 3 http://www.scribd.com/doc/19099693/ottenweller-finds-allegations-valid-steubenville-register-06211991 4 http://www.scribd.com/doc/19591839/Sword-of-the-Spirit-Coordinators-Scanlan-Kneier-Fournier-TickerhoofSengenberger

Coordinator Fournier would have been fully engaged in this activity. At the same time, Fournier was Vice President/Dean of Student Life at Franciscan University under the tutelage of Fr. Michael Scanlan TOR, President of FUS (but who also served as Senior Head Coordinator of the SOS Covenant Community.) From his new position over student life, Keith had undertaken the formation of the households on campus. His goal appeared to be the institution of many Covenant Community concepts into the lives of students under his care as Dean of Student Life. These two positions alone had full time salaries attached to them. And there were other responsibilities as well: speaking engagements, conferences, institutes, and finally, the young family Keith and his spouse were trying to raise. Because carrying tremendous responsibilities in ever increasing intensity was looked upon as proof of manliness in the SOS, Attorney Fournier was caught up in a system that doomed him to collapse. The expectations of the SOS were spoken of as infinite, limited only by the power of God. The abilities of mere humans are finite and failure is often attributed to personal flaws or the attack of Satan. Whatever the case may have been, Keith Fournier eventually reached his limits. In a subsequent period of re-evaluation of his life and service, Fournier uses the paradigm of family dysfunction to describe his experiences. He faults the systemic dysfunction of the Sword of the Spirit, way of life. He openly and eloquently attempts to help others understand the dangers of this dysfunction in the following pages -all from his own hand- written to the Community of believers he had served and loved for over a decade.

John Flaherty

Grand Island, NE

March 17, 2014

Keith A. Fournier 521 Churchman Circle Wintersville, OH 43952

October

29, 1990

To All Members

of Servants

of Christ

the, King Community

Dear Brother/Sister, I greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus and with the affection of a brother. I felt it was necessary to update all of the members of the community on where my family and I view ourselves at this point in our walk with the Lord and with each of you. I know that many of you have been praying for us and attempting to support us. I also know that there has been some confusion and concern regarding my leave of absence from leadership as a coordinator and my family's lack of participation in community events. I think the best way to deal with all of these issues is to do so forthrightly and directly. The year of 1989 and the beginning of 1990 was one of the most stressful times in my entire life. The pressures were abounding on every front. My work at the University had become demanding, and certain events caused tremendous pressure which took its toll personally. Additionally, I had been working through a process that had begun some years earlier of a re-evaluation of a number of important areas concerning my convictions about leadership, pastoral care, ecumenism, and other aspects of our life together in the Servants of Christ the King. To go into details in all of this would not b~ helpful and is outside the purpose of this letter. It is sufficient to say that the ongoing pressures caused by my approach to and pace 6f life joined with all these concerns were used in the hand of the Lord as a sword of loving judgment and correction. I also began to experience myself in a way that was not pleasing. I experienced a tremendous internal struggle. I began exhibiting personal patterns of compulsive behavior which were self-destructive. Fortunately, my best friend and wife,~Laurine, alon~ with two other friends confronted me on these issues. That confrontation was the final straw that broke this camel's ba~k, a strong back that needed to be broken in order to bring me to my knees. I requested a leave of absence and took a sabbatical of reflection. It ha~ been a very, very good time. ,.It has also been a painful time. I wanted to seriously consider all of the possible root 1

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causes of these destructive patterns. I now know that they were just that, destructive response patterns and not root probl~ms in and of themselves. This process of honesty and rebuilding in this journey of evaluation has been extremely liberating. I realize now like never before the impact of my own dysfunctional family life and my own internal response patterns to pressure, struggle, rejection and other "buttons" I had developed over the years. Through all of this I feel as though I have "put on new glasses" and everything has begun to look different. I have rediscovered the unconditional, merciful liberating love of a God who loves me just for who I am. I have rediscovered Him with an affection, a simplicity and a joy which I had unfortunately lost. I have also rediscovered my own family, my domestic church. Unfortunately in the business of my "ministry" I was too often failing on home base. It is very good to once again just love being around my wife and children and to have the time to do so. It is very good to once again know that I can talk to the Lord and not have to prove my holiness to Him. These and so many other issues would take a long time to explain. But I would like to convey a sto~y to you that began much of this process in my life. This experience preceded the events that led to my requesting a leave of absence. Approximately three years ago, a very dear friend from the community gave me a print of an oil painting from the middle ages entitled Jesus before the high priest. The painting impressed me deeply. Little did I know then that that impression was a work of the Spirit. The painting became God's instrument in confronting me. On one very special morning while in prayer, I looked up at that painting. It is the artist's rendering of a scribe or pharisee at the time~of Jesus sitting at a table with the scroll of the law opened up in front of him. He ij looking up with stern correction in his eyes with his . finger pointing up. In front of him is the son of God who is looking down with his hands bound. That morning I sensed the Lord saying, "you have become that pharisee." I cannot tell you how frightening that was for me. But as the months unfolded, I began to see that I had. I began to study the pharisees and discovered that they were a lay, reform movement with the~best of intentions. Few of them intended to become "white washed sepulchers" or "dry bones." What I discovered was that in my own zeal for the things of the Lord, I had added on to the gospel and to my charge. I had built a whole approach to "Christian living" that moved away from Paul's admonition to the Galatians: "it is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let

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yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1). I am sure that my compulsive drive to be "perfect for the Lord" affected not only me, but my wife, my children, and some of those for whom I exercised leadership. I believe I have been under the merciful judgement of the Lord, a judgment which I can finally say is sweet. It has become, in the words of our Easter liturgy, "the happy fault that merited me so great a redeemer." For some of you, I have personally met with you to apologize for any ways in which I may have hurt you in my leadership for your life. For any of the rest or you please accept my apology at this time. I did embrace a whole approach to leadership which I can only now call "bravado." It was a highly directive and highly formational approach. It was an approach that I was formed in and was very much affected by myself, and one which was very much a part of our life together as a people. I trust that that approach is being re-thought, and re-designed by the current leadership of the community. It is not for me to try to "fix" or change it in the system. It is simply for me to be honest about my past participation in it. That I have done. During this leave of absence, Laurine and I have had much time to examine who we are, who we are not, and where we want to go. The passion of my life is still to serve the Lord. I love to share the gospel, or in the words of the old Protestant hymn, "I love to tell the story." I hope to continue to do that as a lay Catholic through writing, media, evangelism, personal witness, proclamation, and relationship building. However, I do not want to continue on in my responsibilities as a coordinator of a covenant community. I have made this d~cision for a number of reasons. First, I do not know what a covenant community really is or is supposed to be any longer. That is not meant to b~ in any way a criticism. Again, just an honest statement. Secondly, at least the approach that seemed to be present in our leadership style in the past, I no longer subscribe to. Finally, I believe that there are seasons in all of our lives, and Laurine and I believe that the Lord has brought us into a new one. We are experiencing a new depth of joy and freedom in our lives. For this, we are grateful. It is with great affection and appreciation for the privilege you have given me of serving you that I submit to all of you, the ones who in fact called me forth into this position as a coordinator, my resignation. I submit this resignation while reaffirming my love and affection for Fr. Michael Scanlan, Tom Kneier, Fr. David Tickerhoof, 3
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and John Sengenberger. I want to say to all of you who have given me this opportunity to serve that I have done so with a strong desire to be faithful to my Lord and to my church. I also want to continue to live my life that way. Laurine and I and our children are doing very well. There is no need to be af~aid or concerned about the decisions that we are making. We simply ask that you continue to support us as friends and pray for us as we will for you. The purpose of this letter is simply to submit my resignation and to thank you for the privilege of having been able tQ serve you for these past ten years .

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KEITH A. FOURNIER 521 Churchman Circle Wintersville, ohio 43952

February

26, 1991

To:

All Members Community

of the Servants

of Christ

the King

Dear Brothers

and Sisters:

It is with deep sorrow and pain that I am writing this letter to you. There is so much I would like to say but there is also much that simply cannot be expressed in words. Finally, there are some things that are better left unsaid. As many of you know, my family and I have been in the Community from the beginning. I have served as a Coordinator for ten years until my own resignation. In that time I have cared for many people pastorally, taught every course, taught literally hundreds of times at gatherings, built a district, been involved in two "clusters", trained other leaders, initiated the Ohio Valley Christian Association, served extensively in outreach, served as a mouthpiece and link on behalf of the Community to other communities in the broader Catholic Charismatic Renewal and poured my heart, soul and life-blood out for this work. I spent month after month and year after year in coordinator's meetings, elder's conferences and training seminars. I know what this Community was built upon, how it developed and how well-intentioned so much of it was. However, I also know that it got off track. No one can take away my experiences. I sat behind closed doors and know fully well what happened. For years I heard the analogy of the frog in boiling water. The purpose of the analogy was to demonstrate how the world can slowly boil the faith out of Christians. I think there is another application of the image. We became that frog and we were almost boiled to death. Subtly and slowly what began as a group of people who understood well their own weakness, vulnerability and desperate need for Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit became a highly-disciplined closed system which not only exacted perfection from its members but often judged others with a standard of condescension. It broke my heart Sunday night to hear so many of the accolades about our life together in Servants of Christ the King. Don't get me wrong. There is, there was and

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there will be many wonderful things about our life. Those are the things I will miss the most. What made me sad was to know that some of the very people who were affirming the life would be scandalized if they knew the way they were evaluated in what we called a "pastoral system". I now reject much of that approach as often invasive of personal privacy and sometimes destructive of genuine personal and spiritual growth according to Catholic teaching. Though I believe that much has changed, I also know that it is very difficult to undo a foundation once the house is built. I believe that there are foundational, systemic problems in our way of life. At Sunday's liturgy the main celebrant at Blessed Sacrament Church summoned us to prayer after the Liturgy of the Word by praying "Let us pray in the season of Lent for the gift of integrity." That is my prayer. I believe that the Lord is in the process of healing, judging, purifying, revealing and humbling what was flawed in what we built. I was one of the architects and the builders. I have personally apologized to those, who I am aware of, I have hurt in my well-intended, but often misguided zeal. I have worked and adapted a twelve-step process in trying both to recover from the negative effects of this Community and make restitution for my participation in it. Ralph Martin has said that this whole process is like scales falling from your eyes and like a recovery. I agree with both observations. Next week it will be a year since I took a leave of absence as a leader which ultimately led to my resignation as a Coordinator and eventually my requested leave of absence from participation--in the life-of the Community. I am grateful to God for the detachment. I was so deeply enmeshed in the whole system that it took that kind of detachment for me to be able to begin to see things clearly. Once I began to see, I first experienced it as "putting on new glasses". Then, my peripheral vision came back. And now what I see is that we are in serious need of help. No matter how it is looked at, theologically, pastorally, psychologically, relationally, or simply from a human perspective, what evolved in our midst could have been even more tragic but for the changes that have begun in the last couple of years. I am also grateful to God for the words of Ignatius, an early church leader, "Where the Bishop is, there is the Cathol ic Church". I assure you that this Bishop is the same Bishop we lauded for

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years because of his love and pastoral affection for us. His work and the work of this Commission is not in any way diabolical but providential. I am grateful for our Bishop's concern and care. I could write for pages about the problems but I want you to know that I don't regret the last 15 years of my life. It has been an honor to be a part of a group so deeply and sincerely committed to living, proclaiming, and demonstrating the gospel message. There is much I cherish but there is also much I regret. No one can deny my experience. I know there have been many rumors circulated about me and they have hurt deeply. I know that there has been much talk behind closed doors. I have heard such things as "Keith is leading the investigation" and I am sure there are other similar things being said. The irony of it all is that I was not a part of either of the groups that are being identified as its initiators. But that doesn't really matter now. I have been asked in and I will fully participate. I have no vengeance in my heart only concern. One of the ways that I find most helpful in examining what happened in our midst is by applying the wisdom garnered through an examination of the dysfunctional family and co-dependency issues. I believe that the Sword of the Spirit became an extended dysfunctional family with all the structural and systemic problems attendant to it. The "Pastoral Structure" or vehicle of "parenting" focused on external conformity and on outside/in behaviorist approach to change. In so doing it both got sick and passed on a sickness. Many writers on these issues make a distinction between "healthy parenting" and "unhealthy parenting". Overly simplified, healthy parents recognize the unique gifts and intrinsic value of each of their children. They understand that their role is to draw that out, nurture it, encourage and affirm. Also, to help develop boundaries and empower the child to move through his/her own maturation so that they own and structure those boundaries. In this difficult process mistakes are always made but individual dignity is foremost in the heart of the parent. "Unhealthy parenting" is outside/in. It imposes on the child a form and seeks to rework the identity of the child into that form. It is often characterized by what I now call "shame based" leadership. It, rather than building self esteem, can and usually does, damage the child's self image and self esteem. Rather than promote

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-4healthy growth, responsibility, and individual maturity, it often fosters co-dependency, insecurity, compulsive behaviors and addictive propensities. The child may conform externally but internally he or she is empty, pained, shamed and torn. If the child buckles under the pressure, cannot perform or conform, the family system is always protected. The child becomes the problem. What does this have to do with us? Clearly, Christian Community, flowing out of the life of the Trinity, is based upon a family model, a family system. I believe that our extended family, Servants of Christ the King, got off track. It gave over its "formation" to a parent who was sick and the cycle of dysfunction was passed on. Our pastoral care system, our formation process and teaching became "outside/in". It fostered co-dependency and shame. Though we thought we were "reforming" it as we began to "see" things, I don't believe changing the teachings was sufficient. The problem is systemic. It's around us and within us. Other elements which emerge out of this model of evaluation are similarly present. In dysfunctional families there is often a "no-talk" rule approach to communication or a "need-to-know" approach. This as well is based upon a misguided notion of family. It "protects" the families dysfunction and secrets. Eventually, it seems to encourage the dysfunction. Family members can become co-dependent on the parent or parents and involved in the process in a manipulative and controlling manner. It becomes a closed system, rather than an open system and there are layers of "insiders". The children often fall into the roles of victim, hero, scapegoat, rescuer .... Often they don't even realize they are acting out these roles and may embrace them in combinafions or interchange them. Affirmation is based upon performance and compliance, function rather than personhood. Similarly, through we talked a good talk, I believe that this basically describes what developed in our midst. I don't believe it started out this way. Initially we were all well aware of our neediness, brokenness, vulnerability and weakness. We kept few secrets. Things changed. Using the words confidentiality (which it was not) and loyalty (which is was not) we soon became as sick as our secrets. There's so much more that could be said about this, but suffice it to say that, even though it has its limitations, it has great potential for bringing change,

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restoration and healing. It will be and it is painful because it exposes the darkness, sickness and culpability of many (especially leaders) but with the goal of a return to true health. If a model of review and scrutiny needs to be used for a review of the Community, I believe this can be a good start. I have for the last year been the Prosecutor responsible for all Juvenile Prosecutions and abuse cases in Jefferson County. One of the amazing things about abuse is that those who are abused often end up abusing others. Additionally, in an abusive family system loyalty gets all confused, and abused people often cling to, enable, caretake and protect the abuser. This is not a matter of personalities. Certainly people did it differently. Some with great abandon, other with nuanced control. Some openly. Some in hidden ways. As Ralph Martin said, when you're in a system like this it is so internally consistent. You begin to see things but you shelve them. The scales have to fall from your eyes. They have from mine. I could no longer talk about the needed changes as outside of myself or in policies and principles. I had to own my participation in the problem, grieve over it, make restitution and start rebulding. No one could talk me into it. It was and it is a grace of conversion. I am grateful for it. Even though it hurt deeply, pain is a part of the process. What is happening in our midst is not an isolated phenomenon contained in Steubenville. The Spirit of God is exposing what is not true and restoring freedom and dignity to his people. Full disclosure of how this all happened, not a revision of history, could give the full vision to those who are seeking to review this matter. Perhaps the scales are already off your eyes, if they are be courageous! If not yet, I pray they will fall quickly. I am not denying what is good but simply acknowledging what is bad. Theologically I believe we made foundational errors in our understanding of the nature of man (anthropology); the nature of the Church's mission (missiology); and the nature of the Church (ecclesiology). A fearful and destructive view of the "end times" (eschatology) and, perhaps most importantly, a flawed understanding of the nature of grace, conversion and salvation (soteriology) developed in our midst. Basically, I feel like we were formed in a theologically narrow "protestant" approach. Our efforts to change that have been like putting catholic clothes on. Putting catholic clothes on a protestant

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person does not make them a Catholic. This is not to say I don't respect or cherish my protestant brethren. However, I believe in an ecumenism where we all stand fully within our traditions. In my opinion, we were not standing fully within our Catholic tradition. In fact, our basic foundation was not even a mainline protestant one. Pastorally, I believe we made serious mistakes in building a system that focused on externals. Though I understand we only formally taught the training program once, I also know that it became foundational in our teachings. I went through the program and considered it an honor at the time to be a part of the group that sought to fully implement it by building clusters, adopting and developing practices. Years later, I would be sent for the same purpose to another community and experiment in my own home with what I now believe was misguided social engineering. But I also know that the basic principles and teachings of the training program (for example roles of men and women, parent/child relationship, culture, authority and submission, the nature of the world, the "Enemies" series, homefront, etc.) became general gathering talks--I know, because I helped to develop them and teach them. They also became the basis for many intensive talks given by people from the Sword of the Spirit. I believe that our pastoral approach was seriously flawed and was based on many of the flawed principles of the Training Program. Additionally, I believe some of our other practices, teachings, approaches and principles were wrong. For example, I now believe that our courtship practices and approach to marriage preparation were wrong. Though they rightly sought to reject some contemporary approaches that are unhealthy, they inserted an alternative that was not consistent with Catholic teaching or good human development. So it was with some of our misguided and harmful understanding of emotions as well. I think worst of all was the way we began slowly and subtly to "evaluate" one another in the name of "pastoring" and "formation". I've heard it said many times lately that older families weren't affected by this as much because they were able to pick and choose. I believe that's true. The garnered experience of their lives had given them a wisdom that cannot be substituted for. However, I also know how some of them were talked about over the years, how serious questions were raised about their "lack of commitment" and consideration given to not allowing them to make a public commitment because

-7they were not really living the teachings. This is only one of the many things that are troubling me the most today. I know- -I was there. It is not my desire to hurt anybody. It is not my desire to get into a battle over words. My deepest, sincerest desire is to follow the Lord Jesus and to be a part of this great renewal which He has initiated. A renewal that I, along with others, sought to contain, strategize, systematize and control. It is His work, His Church and His business to decide how His Spirit will move. Two years ago I wrote my first full-length book, Evangelical Catholics. In that book, I wrote a chapter on the divisions within the Christian churches. The chapter was entitled "The Children of the Great Divorce". In it I discussed one of the saddest dimensions of Church history. The basic principle of the chapter is that putting aside some very important dimensions (good and bad) of the Protestant Reformation, one of the biggest tragedies was that it in effect caused a divorce in the body of Christ. Studies of divorce and children of divorce demonstrate so much to us. One thing that is characteristic of families touched by divorce is that generations after the divorce, children still carry the anger, suspicion, pain and hurt. For example, they may not know what the issues of the original divorce were but they still know "whose side they're on". This has been tragic and is so often one of the biggest impediments to any true ecumenical work. Now I am watching it happen in our midst. I watch the pain my own children feel to know that friends they cherish and love they can no longer see. I watch it in my own heart when men, who I loved like brothers, mistrust me and see things so very differently than I do. It hurts. I feel like I'm involved in a divorce. As the weeks and months go on I see the impact of so much of this not only on myself and my wife but my children. Years of external compliance will now require years of internal rebuilding, affirmation and help. I only hope that you understand how deeply and honestly I desire only what is good for all of you. I cherish the work we sought to accomplish for the Lord and for His church. I cherish so many memories but I can no longer walk as a member of Servants of Christ the King. I can no longer continue on in a covenant relationship with this Community. I am therefore ending my public commitment with this letter. I am grateful to God for the common baptismal bond we have in the Roman Catholic Church and I look forward to working with so many of you in our

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continued efforts to proclaim the gospel "in season and ' out of season". I thank you for the love you've shown me and and my family over the years and I want you to know that I am willing to discuss anything about the Community, my views, or my participation with anyone who so desires, as I am able. There is nothing mysterious about any of this. I am trying to be as open and honest as I can. May God in His infinite mercy bless each of you during these days of reflection, review, conversion and purification.

KAF/cs

'Dysfunctional' Setting led to Man's Resignation

By ANDY ZlBHITOSKY The Intelligencer Staff The Servants of Christ the King community's affiliation with the disciplined Spirit of the Sword in part led to a former coordinator terminating his membership in late February. Attorney Keith A. Fournier of Wintersville in his letter of termination to community members wrote the Sword of the Spirit started to take on the form of an extended dysfunctional family in the charismatic community. "I believe that our extended family, Servants of Christ the King, got off the track. It gave over its 'formation' to a parent who was sick and the cycle of dysfunction was passed on," he said. Fournier said the pastoral care system, the formation process and teaching became "outside-in" and fostered co-dependency and shame. The community, like a dysfunctional family, used a "no talk" rule and a "need to know" approach to protect its secrets and inability to function. "Initially, we were all well aware of our neediness, brokenness, vulnerability and weakness. We kept few secrets, but things changed. Using .the words of confidentiality (which it was not) and loyality (which it was not) we soon became as sick as our secrets," he said. Fournier submitted the letter of termination about four months after resigning as coordinator for 10 years at the community, primarily based in Greater Steubenville area. He and his family plan to move to Virginia Beach in the near future. The attorney intends to practice law at the American Center for Law and Justice specializing in .religious liberties, pro-life and pro-family work. The facility was founded by evangelist Pat Robertson. Contacted about the letter, Fournier declined to discuss it due to an ongoing' pastoral visitation into the Servants of Christ the King community ordered by Bishop Albert Otten.weller. "At this time, out of deference and respect to my Bishop and church, I wiIi not make any statements regarding this matter. This is an internal chruch matter under the canon law," he said, adding "I have a great love and affection for members and the leaders of the community." Ottenweller ordered the pastorial visitation into the community because of allegations that leaders were abusively controlling members' lives and of his concern over the community being tied to Sword of the Spirit. At the advice of Ottenweller, the communuity has discontinued affiliation with the. Sword of the Spirit which' promotes a strict pastoral hierarchy in which leaders allegedly control members lives. The pastoral visitation team has given current and former members of the' community an opportunity to discuss the charismatic covenent. In the letter of membership terimination, Fournier stated he would be willing to meet with the group. "I'm willing to discuss anything about the community, my views or participation with anyone who so desires ...There is nothing mysterious about any of this," he said. . Fournier stated he was "deeply hurt" with the many rumors circulating about him. implying that he was the one 'spearheading the investigation into the community. "The irony of it all is that I was not a part of either of the groups that are being identified as its initiators. But that doesn't really matter now," he said. "I have been asked in and I will full)! participate. I have no venge.ance in my heart, only concern." Fournier stated so much of the charismatic community was well intentioned, but somehow got sidetracked. The group of people who understood their weaknesses, vulnerability, need for Jesus Christ and power of the Holy Spirit "became a highly- . disciplined closed system which not only exacted' perfection from its members, but often judged. others with a standards of condescension," he said. ".I was one of the architects and the builders," he said. "I have personally apologized to those who I'm aware I have hurt in my well-intended, but often misguided zeal." Fournier wrote he has established a 12-step process to try to recover from the negative effects of the community and make restitution for 'his part in it. Following a one-year absence from the community, Forunier noted he got a clearer picture of the charismatic covenent and feels the courtship practices and approach to marriage preparation were wrong. "I think worst of all was the way we began slowly and subtly to 'evaluate' one another in the name of 'pastoring' and 'formation," he said. "It is not my desire to get into a battle over words. My deepest, sincerest desire is to follow the Lord Jesus and to be part of this great renewal which he has intitiated." . A .spokesrnan for the Servants of Christ the King declined to comment on the letter while the pastoral visitation is under way.

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