(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 Saint 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 Fr. 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.”
READ: SSPX pilgrims barred from venerating relics of Canadian Martyrs
“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, Fr. 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.
READ: SSPX expresses ‘sorrow and incomprehension’ over Lourdes restrictions
The bishop previously openly welcomed Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. Last year, a joint Muslim-Catholic pilgrimage to Lourdes was organized by an ecumenical group called “Together with Mary.”
The next month, pro-LGBT Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl of Graz-Seckau likewise barred the SSPX from the Basilica of Mariazell for its annual public Rosary this fall despite having a much more accommodating history with homosexual and Muslim groups.
That same month, during a pilgrimage to Assisi led by Father Gabriele d’Avino, the superior of the SSPX’s District of Italy was not permitted to enter the St. Francis Basilica and instead prayed the Creed outside.