Pope Francis makes Kenney the 39th Saint Paul Seminary alumnus to be appointed to the episcopate.
Briefly
- Pope Francis has named Fr. Kevin Kenney auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
- Kenney was ordained in 1994 after attending The Saint Paul Seminary.
- After serving in a variety of parish and diocesan leadership roles, the Twin Cities native will be ordained a bishop Oct. 28.
When Fr. Kevin Kenney got the formal call to the episcopate from apostolic nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre late last month, the 1994 Saint Paul Seminary alumnus had to pause.
“I had to pray about the appointment before saying ‘yes’ or ‘no,'” said Kenney, who was named auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on Thursday morning.
“Okay,” Pierre told him through his thick, French accent, “but don’t take too long.”
Kenney becomes the 39th priest to attend The Saint Paul Seminary and go on to become a bishop. As part of his new assignment, the Twin Cities native will return to the seminary’s board of trustees (where he served from 2001-07), playing a strategic role in the formation of future priests, deacons and lay leaders for the Catholic Church in the Upper Midwest and beyond.
Episcopal ordination of Fr. Kevin Kenney
- 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28 | Cathedral of St. Paul (map)
- Watch live: Metro Cable Channel 6
- Live stream options: Cathedral Facebook, Cathedral YouTube, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Facebook
“I was delighted to learn … of Pope Francis’ appointment of one of our own, Bishop-elect Kevin Kenney, as a new auxiliary bishop for The Saint Paul Seminary’s home archdiocese,” Saint Paul Seminary Rector Fr. Joseph Taphorn said. “Since undergoing formation at our seminary in the early 1990s, Fr. Kenney has been a bridge to Christ for countless Catholics in the Twin Cities and beyond. His example as a joyful, Catholic leader will serve our community well, and I am looking forward to working closely with him as a member of our board of trustees. God continues to bless this archdiocese with effective, compassionate and holy servant leaders, and it is truly a blessing to count Bishop-elect Kenney among that group.”
The fifth of eight children in a large, Catholic family, Kenney was born in 1959 in Minneapolis. He graduated from DeLaSalle High School in 1978 and earned degrees in business administration and Spanish from the College of St. Thomas (now the University of St. Thomas); he’d go on to serve as chaplain at his high school alma mater and as an adjunct professor at St. Thomas.
He entered seminary after working as a lay volunteer with the Claretian Missionaries in Chicago. Since ordination, he has served in the following roles:
- Parochial vicar at St. Olaf parish in Minneapolis from 1994-1998
- Pastor of Our Lady of Peace in South Minneapolis from 1998-2004
- Member of The Saint Paul Seminary board of trustees from 2001-2007
- Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul from 2004-2015
- Archdiocesan vicar for Latino ministry from 2010-18
- Pastor of Divine Mercy in Faribault and the Church of St. Michael in Kenyon from 2015-19
- Pastor of St. Olaf and Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Minneapolis from 2019 till now
“In appointing you to be a bishop, Pope Francis has chosen a friend of the poor to be a shepherd for his people,” Pierre said during Kenney’s ordination Mass on Monday, Oct. 28 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. “Your service among those who are endangered, overlooked has given you a sensitivity to people’s poverty, which is sometimes material poverty but also can take on many different forms. God has annointed you to be a messenger of the hope that comes from the personal love and compassion that God has for each one of us. Each one of us, in his or her own way, experiences poverty of some sort, and God is there to provide for each one of us.”
“His heart seems to beat with the heart of Jesus.” — Archbishop Bernard Hebda on Bishop Kevin Kenney
In his official letter appointing Kenney a bishop ready by Pierre on Monday, Pope Francis wrote: “Taking into consideration your qualities, character, prudence and virtues … you, beloved son, are suitable for taking this rather weighty office.”
While working as vicar for Latino ministry, Kenney was instrumental in reopening the office of Latino ministry for the Archdiocese. His predecessor, fellow seminary alum Bishop Joseph Williams, has a similar connection the Twin Cities Catholic Latino community.
Williams was named coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey in May.
“Every time I now pass a picture of Pope Francis, I thank him for the new and blessed adventure that is ahead,” Kenney said. “I thought to myself, ‘I began as a missionary and now I will end as a missionary, going into the world in a new way, to proclaim and live the good news of Jesus Christ.’”
Said Archbishop Bernard Hebda, chair of the seminary board:
“The Archdiocese is blessed by Pope Francis’ appointment of such a fine pastor as auxiliary bishop. The choice of an Archdiocesan priest to be a successor of the apostles always honors the local Church that has nourished and sustained his vocation. I am grateful that the Holy Father has recognized in Bishop-elect Kenney the same exceptionally compassionate priestly heart that I have come to know in the nine years that I have been serving here. I look forward to collaborating in a new way with Bishop-elect Kenney as he assumes his new role.
“His heart seems to beat with the heart of Jesus.”