After
several years of consultation and preliminary planning, the schedule
for the year-long observance of the Diocese of New Ulm’s
50th Anniversary has been announced by Bishop John C. Nienstedt. The
anniversary theme is "a Loving People
in a Holy
Place"
– Un Pueblo Amoroso en un Lugar Santo.
The
Diocese of New Ulm was established on November 18, 1957 by Pope Pius XII. It is comprised of 15 counties in
Minnesota: Big Stone, Brown, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle,
Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Redwood, Renville, Sibley,
Swift, and Yellow Medicine, for a total of 9,863 square miles.
Currently,
the total population of the the diocese is
285,453, with a Catholic population of 68,943, according to the 2005
Official Catholic Directory published by P.J. Kenedy
and Sons, New York.
Past
ordinaries are Bishop Alphonse J. Schladweiler
(1957-1975), Bishop Raymond A. Lucker (1975-2000). Bishop John C. Nienstedt
was appointed bishop of New Ulm June
12, 2001 and installed
August 6, 2001.
The
50th Anniversary observance will officially begin next year on November 7, 2007, in Hutchinson, with a gathering of priests, pastoral administrators,
faithful of the diocese, and bishops from around the country.
The
anniversary will be celebrated throughout the entire year, concluding
on November 16, 2008
in Marshall.
Tentative
plans for the year-long celebration will include parish celebrations
and a diocesan festival, a heritage tour of Ulm/Neu
Ulm in Germany and Rome led by Bishop Nienstedt, and special outreach projects.
All
celebrations and events will incorporate Spanish-language.
Calendars,
50th Anniversary books, and other mementos will be available for purchase.
Parishes,
Area Faith Communities, as well as diocesan offices, councils, committees,
and organizations are busy with the final planning for the events. The
Diocesan Pastoral Council, under the chairmanship of Mrs. Doreen Kronback,
will coordinate the preparation at DPC meetings.
