Love Holy Trinity Blessed Mission (LHTBM) is a Chicago, Illinois based organization. It represents itself as a Roman Catholic mission. The group is active in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. The organization was founded in Chicago, and is currently led by Kyo McDonald and Father Len Kruzel, a former priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago. LHTBM began as a series of prayer meetings and Bible study groups in 1992. McDonald and Kruzel oversaw the expansion of the group into Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. The organization is currently seeking approval from the Vatican to become a formal religious order. The order is made up of lay Brothers and Sisters who live in a communal setting. LHTBM owns a convent and school in Chicago, a number of properties in Dubuque, Iowa, and a farm near Bellevue, Iowa that it plans to use as a retreat center. The Bellevue property was sold for $965,000 in May 2007 as reported in local news outlets . Controversy LHTBM is the subject of much controversy. The organization itself claims a commitment to scripture and prayer, and that it has helped many to make their faith a more important and meaningful part of their lives. Some say the organization is a cult, expressing concerns over the group's interpretation of Catholic religious teachings and citing demands of obedience from members as well as detachment from relatives and the outside world. Msgr. James Barta, Vicar General of the Dubuque Archdiocese, said that members seem to believe that McDonald was in direct communion with God. He said, "I asked them one time, who is your superior, who is your guide, your mentor in all of this? They said, Kyo McDonald. And I said well, who is her superior, who is her guide, her mentor? They said, the Holy Spirit. So, that's a big jump there." The Dioceses of Madison, Rockford, and the Archdiocese of Dubuque have all issued formal statements warning local Catholics not to associate with the group. Dubuque Archbishop Jerome Hanus has stated that the group is not an approved Catholic group, that Catholics should avoid the group, and that the group is not to distribute literature on church property or use church facilities for meetings. The notification by Dubuque Archbishop Jerome Hanus was partially in response to a situation where a young woman, who had planned to attend Loras College, suddenly moved to the group's convent in Chicago