Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis has publicly announced that he has initiated a canonical process concerning Father Philip Conklin after the young cleric affiliated himself with the Society of St. Pius X and indicated that he does not intend to return to the Novus Ordo establishment.
Parishioners of St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater, Minnesota learned of the development regarding their pastor on September 30, following six months in which Conklin had been on leave while discerning his vocation.
SSPX-attendee Cullum Smith drew attention to the news on X, noting that “this is the first case [of a diocesan priest leaving for the SSPX] I’m aware of in the USA since the consecrations.”
Conklin had been serving two parishes as parochial vicar from July 2024 until March 2026. His decision to leave for the Society comes unusually early in his priesthood as Hebda ordained him on May 25, 2024, and subsequently assigned him to St. Michael and St. Mary. Before entering seminary in 2017, Conklin trained as a pilot, and served six years in the U.S. Air Force as an air traffic controller, later working as a civilian air-traffic contractor at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
Despite the fact that Hebda said that it was “with great sadness” that he was informing parishioners of Conklin’s departure, he is intent on making an example of him. “I have felt compelled to commence a canonical process to clarify the situation and his status,” he said, adding that “at the same time, I have also informed Father Conklin that he is not to exercise any public priestly ministry.” Conklin has not commented on the matter publicly.
The Dispatch
Fr. David Mary Engo in Knoxville associates with the Society
In addition to Conklin, Father David Mary Engo has recently associated himself with the SSPX. Engo, a Franciscan religious operating in the Diocese of Knoxville, also faces repercussions for his decision. The aforementioned Cullum Smith reported the news on X.
In an October 2 letter, Knoxville Bishop Mark Beckman announced that he has “withdrawn all faculties, permissions, and authorizations previously granted to Fr. David Mary for ministry” within the diocese. Consequently, “The faithful are therefore strongly urged not to attend Masses, sacramental celebrations, retreats, conferences, or other religious activities organized or conducted by Fr. David Mary … and [are] not to provide material or organizational support for his ministry or the establishment or maintenance of an SSPX apostolate within the Diocese.”
On Tuesday October 7, Cullum Smith provided additional information on Engo, clarifying that a source informed him the latter lives in the diocese of Knoxville but is actually incardinated in a different diocese. This would explain why the canonical proceedings against him, which are likely to come, were not announced by Beckman.
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Since the July 1 SSPX consecrations, two priests have allegedly left the Society to join the Conciliar Church. It is not readily known if Conklin or Mary Engo have been or will be conditionally ordained by the bishops of the Society, as has generally been the practice in past decades. While there have been numerous “defections” from the Novus Ordo to the SSPX previously, these are the first known cases since the excommunications.
