Archbishop Bernard Hebda said he has opened a canonical process against Father Philip Conklin to 'clarify the situation and his status.'
(LifeSiteNews) — Father Philip Conklin, formerly a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, has left the diocese to join the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), Archbishop Bernard Hebda announced this week.
Archbishop Hebda explained that the priest had decided to affiliate with the SSPX following a sabbatical to discern his vocation in March, per an article in the Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the archdiocese.
The announcement came in a letter to the parishioners of St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater, where Conklin had served as a priest since his ordination in 2024 until earlier this year.
The archbishop further stressed that, because of Conklin’s affiliation with the Society and his refusal to end it, he decided to open a canonical process to “clarify the situation and his status.”
“At the same time, I have also informed Father Conklin that he is not to exercise any public priestly ministry,” Hebda wrote.
As of this writing, Conklin has not released a public statement on the matter.
The priest’s decision to affiliate with the SSPX is notable since the order has faced significant obstacles since its July consecration of four new bishops without a papal mandate and subsequent Vatican excommunication. Indeed, the order has been barred from using several prominent Catholic churches to celebrate Mass or pray as a group.
In August, Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes banned the SSPX from celebrating Masses, sacraments, and public prayers within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
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