It
was April 2, 2007, when Bishop Nienstedt
first learned that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed him Coadjutor Archbishop
of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
and to eventually succeed the current Archbishop Harry Flynn. “I was
driving in my car near Marshall, MN,
when my cell phone rang. I could see it was from the Vatican,
but the cell phone signal in that area was not very strong and the calls
kept dropping!
“I
kept saying, ‘Hello, hello.’ I could see it was the Nuncio
calling, but there was not a connection.”
It
took Bishop Nienstedt 45 minutes to finally establish a clear connection,
and to learn the Pope appointed him to lead the Archdiocese.
At
the same time, the Holy Father assigned Bishop Nienstedt to be the Apostolic
Administrator of the Diocese of New Ulm until another bishop has been
named. This process could take anywhere from 6 months to two years.
(Turn to page 8 in this issue to learn about the selection of a bishop.)
As
Apostolic Administrator, Archbishop Nienstedt will have the same administrative,
executive, and legislative power of a diocesan bishop.
On
Tuesday, April 24, 2007, Archbishop
Flynn introduced his successor at a news conference held at the Archdiocese.
Archbishop
Flynn has indicated that he is confident Bishop Nienstedt is the right
man to lead the 646,000 members of the Archdiocese and intends to invite
the new Coadjutor Archbishop to share full leadership of the Archdiocese.
During an interview with the StarTribune, Bishop Nienstedt stated that
his priorities in the archdiocese will include vigorous recruiting for
the priesthood, working with the Archdiocese’s priests to strengthen
their churches, and improving training for lay ministers.
In response to the Holy Father’s appointment, Archbishop Nienstedt
wrote to the faithful of the Diocese of New Ulm:
Dear
Friends in Christ,
Today
our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has announced his appointment of
me as Coadjutor Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. At the same time, he has assigned me to be
the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of New Ulm until another bishop is named. I asked for
this latter consideration in light of the Diocesan 50th Anniversary
celebrations we have planned for 2007-2008. I thought, "How can
we have a real celebration of this local Church without a bishop?"
Well, now you will have an archbishop instead!
I
received word of this new assignment on Monday of Holy Week. Believe
me when I say it made it much easier to enter more fully into the Lord’s
suffering and dying this year, as I find leaving here and going there
a tremendous burden as well as a great challenge. Over these past six
years, I have come to love our Diocese, to love our parishes, Area Faith
Communities and all of our people, especially our youth. I believe we
have done some really good things together: our Plan for Parishes, our
Operation Andrew and Miryam Dinners, our Diocesan Ministries Appeal,
our Chrism Masses, my Prayer Groups, to name but a few. I did not ask
to leave, but a call from the
Church
is a call from God. I promised when I became a bishop that I would go
where I was needed. I leave my future in the hands of my superiors
who represent the Will of God for me.
But
I also suspect we will have at least the next year together until a
new bishop is installed. Since I will begin to take up my pastoral
responsibilities in the Cities in June, I will have to make arrangements
to divide my time with the Episcopal Vicars and the Diocesan Chancellor.
During the interim, it is expected that no new initiatives should take
place. But we have already made so many plans for our anniversary year,
I do not think this will be a problem. I ask for your patience as we
manage this transition together.
Please
know that this Diocese will always have a special place in my heart.
And please pray for me as I begin this challenging ministry on behalf
of our Lord Jesus and in the name of His Body, the Church.
Thank
you!
Apostolic
Administrtor Archbishop John C. Nienstedt
What’s
a coadjutor?
A
coadjutor archbishop shares with the archbishop the governance, administration
and pastoral ministry of an archdiocese. An archbishop consults regularly
with his coadjutor on important matters regarding the archdiocese. A
coadjutor archbishop immediately succeeds the local archbishop upon
his resignation and automatically takes his place if he is absent or
incapacitated.
