Father Jonathan Shelley, who has been out of ministry since June 2012, will return to limited ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Bernard Hebda announced Jan. 11.
In a statement, Archbishop Hebda said Father Shelley will serve in local prisons and jails under the direction and guidance of the archdiocese’s corrections ministry coordinator, and his activities “will be subject to the security and oversight procedures of the Minnesota Department of Corrections and any county facilities visited,” as is the case with anyone ministering in a secure facility.
Father Shelley was removed from active ministry in 2012 after investigators discovered that pornography was on his computer in the early 2000s. The Washington County Attorney’s Office declined to file charges against Father Shelley after investigators found that the images did not depict minors.
The archdiocese’s Ministerial Review Board, which is composed of laity and clergy who examine claims of clergy misconduct, reviewed the case and recommended that he be allowed to return to limited ministry, the statement said. Tim O’Malley, the archdiocese’s director of ministerial standards and safe environment, and Archbishop Hebda approved the recommendation.
Father Shelley most recently served as parochial administrator of St. John the Baptist in Hugo.
