Archbishop John Clayton Nienstedt was born March 18, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan. He is the son of the late John and Elizabeth Nienstedt of Harrison Township and the second oldest in a family of six children. He has two brothers and three sisters. Archbishop Nienstedt was ordained to the priesthood on July 27, 1974, at Sacred Heart Church, Dearborn, Michigan, following studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, and the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

Archbishop Nienstedt holds a Bachelor of Arts from Sacred Heart Major Seminary; a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University; and a Licentiate and Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Institute of Saint Alphonsus, Rome. His doctoral topic was “Human Life in a Test-tube; the Moral Dimension of In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer.”

In 1994, Archbishop Nienstedt was appointed Pastor of the Shrine of the Little Flower Parish, Royal Oak, Michigan. Prior to that, he served for six years as Rector and President of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. Archbishop Nienstedt’s previous assignments include: Associate Pastor, Guardian Angels Parish, Clawson, Michigan; Priest-Secretary to Cardinal John Dearden; Weekend Associate Pastor, St. Fabian Parish, Farmington Hills, Michigan, and Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Farmington, Michigan; Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Detroit; Service in the Vatican Secretariat of State; and Pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Union Lake, Michigan.

On June 12, 1996, Pope John Paul II named Archbishop Nienstedt an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Cardinal Adam Maida, Archbishop of Detroit, ordained him a Bishop on July 9, 1996, by. Archbishop Nienstedt served as Bishop for the Dearborn, Downriver, Monroe, Northwest Wayne, Southland, and Western Wayne Vicariates from 1996-2001.

On June12, 2001, Pope John Paul II named Archbishop Nienstedt the Third Bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm. He was installed on August 6, 2001.

On April 24, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Nienstedt the Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of New Ulm. He served in this latter position until December 13, 2007. On May 2, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Harry Joseph Flynn was born in Schenectady, New York, in 1933. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Albany in 1960, was consecrated the coadjutor bishop for the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana in 1986, and served as bishop of that diocese from 1989 until1994. He was appointed coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 1994, and upon the retirement of Archbishop Roach, became the diocese’s seventh Archbishop on September 8, 1995.
 
Archbishop Flynn was well known for his pastoral kindness to individual persons. With an encyclopedic memory for individuals' names and needs, he reached out constantly to people of all ages, religions, and stations in life. He directed that personal enthusiasm and warmth to the recruitment of candidates for the priesthood, and for most of his tenure, the Archdiocese ordained more priests than it lost each year through death and retirement.

 Even before coming to Saint Paul and Minneapolis, he had already distinguished himself by his direct, kind, and honest response to those harmed by clergy sexual abuse, as well as to the perpetrators of that abuse. He joined his predecessor, Archbishop John Roach, as a member of the first Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse by Priests, a committee chaired by former Archdiocesan auxiliary, Bishop John Kinney of Saint Cloud. Archbishop Flynn later became chairman of the committee, and guided it through the challenging days of 2002-03 as the bishops faced a nationwide scandal.

Among his chief organizational accomplishments, Archbishop Flynn saw the completion of a $100 million capital campaign (Growing in Faith); the creation of the Catholic Finance Corporation; promulgation of a sweeping reform of Church employment practices (Justice in Employment); and ongoing improvements to Archdiocesan financial transparency and clergy assignment practices.

Archbishop Flynn was deeply devoted to the spiritual formation of clergy, of religious, and of lay people. He often served as a retreat master for dioceses and religious communities, and frequently assisted parish priests in hearing confessions.

Like his predecessor, Archbishop Flynn relied upon auxiliary bishops to assist him in his leadership, and consecrated Frederick Campbell and Richard Pates as auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese in 1999 and 2000. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop John Nienstedt of the Diocese of New Ulm as the coadjutor Archbishop of the diocese.

Archbishop Flynn retired as Archbishop of the Archdiocese on his birthday, May 2, 2008. Although he is no longer the ordinary of the Archdiocese, he continues to serve the Archdiocese by celebrating some of the numerous confirmation Masses held at the Cathedral of Saint Paul and the Basilica of St. Mary. He also continues to celebrate Mass, give retreats and talks, and attend other events when requested. During the summer months he resides at his home in New York returning to his home in Minnesota in the fall.

Bobbi assists the retired Archbishop Flynn with his role in the Archdiocese. She takes care of Archbishop Flynn’s correspondence and schedule. She also helps Archbishop Nienstedt in various capacities, including entertainment organization and set-up. Bobbi has been working in the Chancery for over forty years, and has assisted many Archbishops in her time.

Thomas facilitates the work of Archbishop Nienstedt as well as Auxiliary Bishop Piché and Fr. Laird, the Vicar General/ Moderator of the Curia. He also assists in the communication and implementation of Archdiocesan policies. Thomas is a new addition to the Archbishop’s office, and began working in the Chancery in 2009.

Deb assists the Archbishop with his daily tasks. This includes his correspondence to the large amount of mail and phone calls he receives every day, the visitors and guests he receives at the Chancery, making travel arrangements, and other secretarial work. She has been working with Archbishop Nienstedt since 2008.