I’ve been reading, here and there for the past month or so, about this group. It is "Catholic" and claims identity as a sort of new movement with official recognition forthcoming, but it is widely perceived as a cult. It is particularly active in Chicago, southern Wisconsin and Iowa. I do believe I posted about it before, but a quick search doesn’t turn it up. Ah, well.

Anyway, big news today that Cardinal George has banned the group:

Amid allegations that a Chicago-based religious group uses coercive tactics and misrepresents Roman Catholic teachings, Cardinal Francis George on Friday banned the mission from meeting in archdiocese facilities.

"While they have been functioning here for a number of years, the `Love Holy Trinity Blessed Mission’ has no official approval as a lay movement or as a religious order in the Catholic Church," the cardinal said in a statement.

George also said Rev. Len Kruzel, who had been working with the group full time, would be recalled to a pastoral position.

Three other head bishops from Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa already have warned their dioceses that the group, which bills itself as a Roman Catholic mission, is not approved by the church. The strongest statement, from the Dubuque archbishop, raises concerns ranging from manipulation of Scripture and secretiveness to authoritarian leadership and forced separation from family.

George’s statement came after a six-month review of the ministry by pastors, canonists and theologians whose inquiries into the group’s theology went largely unanswered, archdiocese officials said.

The Love Holy Trinity group, founded 12 years ago, has said that it holds weekly prayer meetings in nearly 100 Catholic churches in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin. It hopes to be recognized as a religious order.

Members are led by Agnes Kyo McDonald and Kruzel.

Multiple telephone calls seeking comment from Love Holy Trinity were not returned.

Here’s a rather bare-bones website of the group, with mostly pdf versions of their publications, which mostly consist of testimonies of the greatness of the group by purported members.

Here’s a lengthy, interesting discussion board on the group, with very sad testimony from those whose family members have gotten involved in the group, and discussions of the impact of the group on parishes

Below the jump, the text of Cardinal George’s statement, faxed to all parish offices:

For well over a decade, a group called the “Love Holy Trinity Blessed Mission” has called people to prayer and conversion of life in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Its spiritual leader is Agnes (Kyo) McDonald. While they have been functioning here for a number of years, the “Love Holy Trinity Blessed Mission” has no official approval as a lay movement or as a religious order in the Catholic Church. The question of what sort of recognition to give them began a series of inquiries that have been misinterpreted by some as attacks.

Over the past several years, I have heard many stories of a deepening of the spiritual life from Catholics who have been part of this group. I have also heard stories from those who claim it is coercive of its members and theologically inadequate or even false. In an effort to make an informed judgement on the group, I asked several canonists and theologians to obtain copies of writings, programs and testimonies. I released Fr. Len Kruzel, a priest in good standing of the Archdiocese of Chicago, who had personally benefited spiritually from the Mission, to minister to them full time.
The studies and inquiries remain inconclusive about the theological foundations of the Mission, even though some information has been given. I cannot come to a definitive conclusion about the value of the Mission nor its ultimate relationship to the Church. I find it necessary now, however, to make two practical decisions, based on pastoral prudence in this situation.
1) The Love Holy Trinity Blessed Mission may not use the facilities of the Archdiocese of Chicago for its meetings nor for the distribution of its publications;
2) I am calling Fr. Len Kruzel from full time ministry among them to a regular pastoral assignment in Archdiocesan ministry. His assignment will be decided after a period of two weeks from September 21, 2005, in order to allow time for this transition in a way respectful of all concerned.
These decisions will cause some pain to those affected by them, but I hope they will contribute to a fuller discernment of the place of the Love Holy Trinity Blessed Mission in the Church and to the guidance of Catholics of the Archdiocese.

Here’s a link (pdf) to Archbishop Hanus of Dubuque’s statement of a couple of weeks ago, very similar.