It’s official
May 2, 2008 by Amy
On his 75th birthday, Archbishop Harry Flynn has retired and his coadjutor, John Nienstedt, is the new Archbishop of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
(The other US hierarchy-related news this week was Wednesday’s long-awaited resignation of 63-year old Donald Pelotte of Gallup, who had been assaulted last year in a bizarre and confusing incident.)
The Nienstedt appointment is a good thing, no?
More coverage on the website of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. This Friday’s issue is a tribute to Archbishop Flynn on the occasion of his retirement.
Click here for the story.
Personally, I am very grateful to Archbishop Flynn for his years of service, and the friendship he extended to me personally during a difficult hour in my life and vocational discernment. I gather that my experience is not unique. I’ll be writing more in an extended post on my blog this weekend.
I am also looking forward to Nienstedt’s future as leader of the archdiocese. As Flynn himself said, they bring different gifts to the table. No one bishop provides everything a diocese needs. This change will be purifying for many, I think, but I pray and believe that it will be, in the long run, a blessing for the archdiocese and the Church.
I’m also looking forward to the release of Flynn’s final pastoral letter entitled The Moral Conscience. More on that here.
Thank God Bishop Pelotte is retired. Hopefully, he’s being cared for.