Rejuvenating a diocese

When Bishop Kinney arrived in 1982, the young and lively priest was filled with ideas and plans, set to rejuvenate the diocese.
 
He had been appointed an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis in January 1977, at 39 years old, the youngest bishop in the U.S. Five years later, in 1982, he became the fifth bishop of Bismarck. In 1995, he was transferred to the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minn. The native Minnesotan headed the Diocese of St. Cloud until his retirement in 2013.
 
Retired Bishop John Kinney of St. Cloud died Sept. 27 while under the care of hospice. He was 82.
 
Changing the structure
 
When Bishop Kinney took over the Diocese of Bismarck, the diocesan staff and offices were very minimal. During his time here, he opened several diocesan offices creating the framework for the staff there is today. He established offices such liturgy, religious education and youth ministry, just to name few.
 
Monsignor Gene Lindemann was the first diocesan priest to be ordained by Bishop Kinney in 1983. In his current role as the moderator of the curia and vicar general, Msgr. Lindemann oversees the diocesan staff structure that was put in place by Bishop Kinney.
 
“Bishop Kinney immediately set out building a ‘structure’ that would enliven and build up the faith of the people of the diocese and engage them in the life of the Church more fully,” Msgr. Lindemann noted.
 
New offices meant a need for space to house them. In the summer of 1984, the diocese purchased the Cathedral convent on the corner of Washington Street and Avenue B and remodeled the interior to create the Center for Pastoral Ministry.  
 
“Bishop Kinney encouraged and promoted the lay faithful to use their gifts and talents,” explained Msgr. Lindemann, noting that this wasn’t a usual practice prior to the Vatican II Council. “He embarked on a planning process, which involved listening to many folks throughout the diocese to determine where we were as a diocese and where we needed to go.”
 
Love for the people
 
Bishop Kinney is remembered as a kind, pastoral leader who loved to be with people, often spending time in the parishes and schools. Bishop Kinney began the Town and Country Celebration tradition that continues today. Monsignor Lindemann described him as collaborative, and a good listener who was open, supportive and encouraging.
 
“He had a great sense of humor,” said Msgr. Lindemann. “He was very social, often opening his residence for gatherings and dinners.”
 
Bishop Kinney had come from rural roots, and he enjoyed the rural setting of western North Dakota. He even decided to live in the country about eight miles east of Bismarck, rather than at the established bishop’s residence near the Cathedral. At the “ranch,” he enjoyed raising peacocks and doves, and his dog, Sabacca, a white Russian wolfhound, all had free reign.
 
His love of the people was infectious and he loved all people, most of all, his priests. “Bishop Kinney had a great love for the priests and promoted ways for us to come together,” added Msgr. Lindemann. He initiated programs for the well-being of priests including spring and fall clergy conferences, priest support groups, priest sabbaticals and oversaw the construction of the Emmaus Place, the home for retired priests.
 
Renovation of the Cathedral
 
Bishop Kinney wanted to renovate the churches in the diocese to conform to the directives of the Vatican II Council. This meant replacing altars, removing canopies over the altars, eliminating communion rails and simplifying church interiors. In many churches, the tabernacles were moved to Blessed Sacrament chapels.
 
Following the annual Chrism Mass in April 1992, Bishop Kinney broke ground for a major renovation of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. Father Tom Kramer, pastor of the Cathedral, oversaw the $1.7 million project that included adding a gathering space, moving the baptismal font to the center of the church, creating a side chapel, renovated the interior of the church and converting the former front entrance into the Blessed Sacrament chapel.
 
Established the African Mission
 
While serving as bishop in Bismarck and St. Cloud, Kinney wrote six pastoral letters on liturgy, youth, AIDS, the sacrament of penance, marriage and social justice. While these areas reflected his passion, he was keenly aware of social justice issues—most notably reflected in his establishment of the Bismarck African Mission in Kenya, East Africa in 1990.
 
A pastoral bishop and gentle shepherd, he had great vision and boldly pursued it. Bishop Kinney left a legacy that his successor, Bishop Paul Zipfel, could proudly continue.
 
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. … Come, share your master’s joy’” (Matthew 25:23). May the angels lead him into paradise.