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Posted on 04/25/2007 10:28:29 AM PDT by NYer
The man who will be the next leader of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis could bring changes in style and focus over time, church observers said Tuesday.
New Ulm Bishop John Nienstedt, 60, was introduced as Pope Benedict's choice to succeed Archbishop Harry Flynn, whom Nienstedt will shadow until Flynn retires in about a year.
Nienstedt, a Michigan native, said he intends to carry on Flynn's work on behalf of immigrants and the poor.
Observers said it's too early to tell whether the newcomer will shift direction at the archdiocese, which has been relatively free of controversy under Flynn's moderate leadership. But they saw Nienstedt's passion for bioethics and moral theology as a clue that he may take a stronger stand on such issues as contraception and gay marriage.
In an interview before Tuesday's news conference in St. Paul, Nienstedt -- a tall, athletic man with a crisp manner whose official title will be coadjutor archbishop -- said his priorities will include vigorous recruiting for the priesthood, working with the archdiocese's priests to strengthen their churches and improving training for lay workers.
He has pushed for an amendment to the state Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman and has taken conservative stances on issues ranging from Terri Schiavo to the causes of homosexuality. But he skirted questions about whether he will be liberal or conservative, calling such labels "too political" and saying that "the Holy Spirit, not I" will mediate disagreements among Catholics.
"The church is like a football field with goalposts and boundaries, but a good many things can be accomplished within the structure of the game," he said. "Jesus has given us instructions, and we have to be faithful to them, so if someone is out of bounds, they may be whistled down. But yes, we can always talk about issues."
Broader public role predicted
Prof. Robert Kennedy, head of the Catholic Studies Department at the University of St. Thomas, said he wouldn't be surprised if Nienstedt, given his background as a moral theologian, were more outspoken than Flynn on issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion and stem-cell research.
But Nienstedt's chief challenges, Kennedy predicted, will be demographic changes: a surge of Hispanic newcomers changing the face of the U.S. church even as they ensure its growth and "this period in which a lot of people are becoming more casual about their faith."
The Rev. Thomas Reese, senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University in Washington, said that although Nienstedt may be considered conservative by some, he took a cautious stance while serving as chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on priestly formation. "He was chair when all hell broke loose with the sex abuse crisis and looked hard at what we were doing wrong," Reese said. "And priests are better trained now, and there is a better screening process."
A 'contraceptive mentality'
At the news conference, Nienstedt lamented "the contraceptive mentality in this country" that has made Catholic families smaller, saying it has made parents more reluctant to encourage their sons to become priests and imperiled some Catholic schools. "If we want to keep the schools alive, we have to tell Catholics to have more babies," he said.
[Has any other Bishop had the guts to say that since the publication of the Humanae Vitae Birth Control Encyclical by Pope Paul VI? I hope and pray to hear a lot of truth coming from Coadjutor Archbishop Nienstedt.]
He acknowledged that one challenge to recruiting new priests was the pall cast over the priesthood's image by the sex abuse scandal.
He said he intends to spend as much time as possible at Catholic seminaries and schools to seek out new church leaders and hear the concerns of young people. [...snip] StarTribune Read it All
My parish is doing it’s part!
Average of 4 children, at least five families with over 8.
(one is working on #13)
Some are even adopting.
Come on Catholics, catch up!
They just ALWAYS have to bring up the “sex scandal” (actually the homosexual scandal), even though it is in the past and the false shepherds who encouraged it are imprisoned, laicized, or dead.
I've never understood the unwillingness of so many Church leaders to speak out forcefully on these issues. If they don't believe Church teaching, that's one thing. But my guess is that most of them simply lack courage.
But taking on the enemy is fun! I ran for school committee years ago in my hometown, and I settled the score for 12 years of educational abuse. The school administration, school worshipers and local newspaper hated me, but the kids loved me. I had a blast. It sure feels better to take up arms against your oppressor than to sit on your hands.
Tentatively, I will say Fr. Nienstedt sounds like the type of priest we need to have more of.
“”If we want to keep the schools alive, we have to tell Catholics to have more babies,” he said.”
Going to church might help too. ;)
On any given Sunday, I might see 10 under the age of 40 at Mass. For lack of financial resources for repairs, our kneelers are being removed, and I really think our parish may not last the year.
Preaching in favor of larger families from the pulpit would probably be quite effective if it is tried more often.
For most it would fall on deaf ears, but for a significant minority it would not.
At my parish I can think of 30 regulars under the age of five, out of a congregation of about 300.
My pastor does condemn contraception from the pulpit.
Hmmm, lower per child tuition for each subsequent enrollment from the same family, perhaps?
We are in a small city with 2 Catholic Churches within a few blocks of each other. (rich church/poor church) I’m not sure what the attendance is like at the cathedral, but our little church has the attached elementary school, so you’d think we’d have more little ones at Mass.
Where is your parish? And what kind is it? Just curious.
We have the world’s best parish!!!
SS Cyril and Methodius in Sterling Heights, MI
It is Slovak with one Slovak language Holy Mass (five in English) but the majority of our parish is made up of good solid Catholics who just love the Our Lord, Our Mother, the wonderful traditional new mass and our loving Pastor (May God Bless him and give him long life!) Most of us are not even Slovak but they started the parish in the 1920’s, moved it up north in the 80’s and welcomed all in the middle of Liturgical innovation central.
We are very blessed. Check us out
http://www.saintcyrils.org/
Is this code for an ECUSA-like congregation?
That’s easy for him to say.
Should at least try to keep pace with the muslims and Mexicans, anyhow.
BTTT for later.
I am in a very small parish - < 50 families, many of whom are too elderly to help. In order to keep the Church open, we run several annual fundraisers. When our pastor arrived 6 years ago, the current church was so run down that the neighbors believed he had been sent to shut it down for good. Instead, he tightened the purse strings and started the fundraisers. It's a struggle but where there's a will, there's a way. 4 years ago, with permission from the parish, he acquired a 150 y/o boarded up AME Church. Since then, we have had the building recognized as a state landmark, applied for and received matching state grants. I don't know how he does it but God bless this holy priest for his stamina and determination!
Go for it! And if you need guidance or help, just freepmail me. Most of all, rally the parishioners to pray for the parish.
Beautiful parish .... lots of children! Children bring health to a parish. Thank you for posting the link.
Thanks, NYer! Your story is encouraging. Our priest is a shared priest, which makes it tough. We used to have a huge annual bazaar, which drew people from all over the city. I’m not sure why we stopped having it. Maybe because there simply were not enough volunteers. I’ll have to check.
If you go to the Christmas pictures and click on page four- picture number 0437, my daughter is the shepherd with the big stuffed sheep.
When she asked to be the first female shepherd in the history of our parish, our pastor said, “Well Shepherds need wives too!”
I love our parish!
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