Introducing Bishop Nienstedt's personal coat of arms

A coat of arms is the emblem of a person, place, or institution that is traditional in the Catholic church. When a new bishop is appointed to a diocese, the usual custom is for a new coat of arms to be designed for the bishop using elements from both his personal coat of arms and the already existing coat of arms of the diocese. However, in 2001, when Bishop John C. Nienstedt became the third bishop of New Ulm, a new design was not immediately able to be made since the original coat of arms had been officially suppressed by the previous bishop, Bishop Raymond A. Lucker.

Why was the shield suppressed?

At the conception of the diocese in 1957, the design of the original coat of arms included symbols incorporated to explain the local history, namely the Dakota Conflict of 1854. Drops of blood covered the field of grain depicting the blood shed by the settlers. A snake had been placed in the river to represent the Dakota people who first inhabited this prairie but the Dakota people considered it to be derogatory as it was used only by their enemies. Throughout the twenty-five years that Bishop Lucker shepherded the Diocese of New Ulm, he developed a close relationship with the Dakota people. As his last official act and a token of friendship to the native people, he called for a redesign of the shield.

Following Bishop Nienstedt’s installation, Deacon Paul J. Sullivan was commissioned to redesign the shields to better reflect the rich heritage of the local people and of the church of south-central Minnesota. At the request of the Dakota people, a geometric butterfly, known in Lakota as "Kimamana" or "everlasting life" was incorporated into the design. In April 2002, the newly designed diocesan coat of arms and the combined coat of arms was completed.

Last February, at the annual Rite of Election held at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, New Ulm, Bishop Nienstedt’s personal coat of arms was publicly displayed on the "cathedra", the bishop’s chair that sits in the sanctuary in the Cathedral. From this chair, the bishop presides, teaches, and conducts worship. The cathedra is only found in the chief church of a diocese.

For his personal coat of arms, Bishop Nienstedt selected a design that reflects his life as a priest and as a bishop. It bears the phrase "Ut Omnes Unum Sint." By the use of this phrase, taken from the Gospel of John (17:21), Bishop recalls the deep desire on the part of the Lord Jesus for unity among his disciples, unity among all believers, unity among nations, "That they all may be one."

The main portion of the design in green with a silver bar, called a "bend," runs from upper left to lower right. The green field is to honor the Irish heritage of Bishop’s mother’s family, the Kennedys. The silver bend reflects the German heritage of his father. By the use of these symbols, Bishop Nienstedt honors his parents, John and Elizabeth (Kennedy) Nienstedt. The gold stag over these symbols is taken from the coat of arms of John Cardinal Dearden, who Bishop Nienstedt had the honor to serve as secretary and who served as Bishop’s mentor. The upper portion of the shield is called a "chief." To the left, the gold crowned red heart represents the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an image symbolic of Bishop’s spirituality. To the right is a red rose symbolic of the Orsini Rose associated with the North American College in Rome (before the war) where Bishop Nienstedt studied theology. The red rose also is a reminder of St. Therese of Lisieux, patroness of the Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, MI where Bishop Nienstedt was serving as pastor when he was called to the episcopacy. The coat of arms is complete with the external ornaments which are a gold processional cross placed in back of the shield and a pontifical hat, called a "gallero," with six green tassels, in three rows, on either side of the shield.These are the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop by instruction of the Holy See.

P. Sullivan