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Pope Francis this morning named Father Kevin Thomas Kenney, a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, assigning him the titular see of Cunavia.
Bishop-elect Kenney is currently the pastor of the Church of St. Olaf in downtown Minneapolis, the parochial administrator of the Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Minneapolis, and chaplain at DeLaSalle High School.
At the Archdiocesan level, Bishop-elect Kenney has served as the Archdiocesan Vicar for Latino Ministry, as a member of the Comprehensive Assignment Board (CAB), as a member of the Board of Trustees of The Saint Paul Seminary and, most recently as a member of the Priests Advisory Committee convened to assist with the upcoming capital campaign. As an auxiliary bishop, Bishop-elect Kenney will work alongside Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Izen to lead the Church in the 12-county metro area.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”Episcopal Ordination of the Most Reverend Kevin Thomas Kenney” txt_align=”center” style=”custom” css=”” custom_background=”rgba(195,149,25,0.45)”]
All are invited to attend the episcopal ordination of Bishop-elect Kevin Kenney on Monday, October 28 at the Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul.
[/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Of his appointment, Bishop-elect Kenney said, “My phone rang on Saturday afternoon in late June as I had just settled into my office chair to prepare for weekend Masses. I noticed the area code 202, Washington, DC and I said to myself, ‘No, it can’t be.’ We all know how the rest of the call went but I honestly had to tell Cardinal Christophe Pierre I had to pray about the appointment before saying ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ He said, ‘Okay, but don’t wait too long.’ I knew it was an honor to be chosen by Pope Francis, and all the readings that weekend and week ahead pointed me in a direction I was hesitant to go. I battled between my head and my heart and finally succumbed to saying, ‘Yes.’ I had begun thinking and reflecting on my potential retirement in the years ahead and the adventures I could have in ministry. Every time I now pass a picture of Pope Francis, I thank him for the new and blessed adventure that is ahead. 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.’”
Archbishop Hebda said, “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.”
Bishop Izen added, “Bishop-elect Kenney will be a great blessing to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. He has a vast experience in our Archdiocese; I know he’s already popular with the Latino community, and I’m confident that energy will only grow. He’s got big shoes to fill with Bishop Williams moving to the Diocese of Camden, but I think Bishop-elect Kenney will do great. I am also thankful that Pope Francis was able to move so quickly with this appointment.”
His episcopal ordination is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, October 28, at the Cathedral of Saint Paul. The ordination will be live streamed on the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis’ Facebook page.
Archbishop Hebda will introduce Bishop-elect Kenney today at 10 a.m. at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul. The introduction will be live streamed on the Archdiocese’s Facebook page. Media interested in attending in-person should contact Tom Halden, Director of Communications, at haldent@archspm.org.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=””]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=””]More About Bishop-Elect Kenney
Bishop-elect Kenney was born in Minneapolis on December 29,1959 to William and Dorothy Kenney. He is the fifth of eight children. He grew up in Minneapolis, attending Annunciation Grade School in 1974, then graduating from DeLaSalle High School in 1978.
Bishop-elect Kenney earned degrees in business administration and Spanish from the College of St. Thomas (now the University of St. Thomas) and upon graduation moved to Chicago to work as a lay volunteer with the Claretian Missionaries, a religious community of priests and brothers founded by St. Anthony Marie Claret. In that capacity, he worked for two years with inner-city youth and taught English as a second language (ESL). The Claretians then hired him as the director of the Claretian Lay Volunteers. After leading that program for two years, he entered formation to become a Claretian and was sent to Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago to complete his studies for priestly ordination. After five years of formation with the Claretian Missionaries, he discerned that he was being called to the diocesan priesthood and was accepted as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. While in formation at The Saint Paul Seminary, he completed his last credits towards his Master of Divinity with a world mission concentration from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1993. On May 28, 1994, Archbishop John Roach ordained Father Kenney to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Following ordination, Father Kenney was assigned as parochial vicar at St. Olaf in Minneapolis, serving the business community and the homeless from 1994-1998. In 1998, he was sent by Archbishop Harry Flynn to pastor the parish of Our Lady of Peace in South Minneapolis. After serving one six-year term at that parish, Father Kenney was transferred to lead the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul, where he served from 2004 to 2015, providing pastoral care to the vibrant and growing Latino community in the area. From 2010 to 2018, he served as Vicar for Latino Ministry, and in 2013, he was instrumental in reopening the Office of Latino Ministry for the Archdiocese.
In 2015, Father Kenney was named pastor of Divine Mercy parish in Faribault and the Church of St. Michael in Kenyon.
In 2019, Archbishop Hebda asked Father Kenney to return to Minneapolis to serve as pastor of St. Olaf and administrator at Sts. Cyril and Methodius, a parish that originally served Slovak Catholics but that now serves as a hub for the Ecuadorean community in the Twin Cities. In addition to these assignments, he has served as a chaplain at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis and as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas teaching Intro to New Testament in the three-year Latino Lay Ministry Certificate Program.
Please see The Catholic Spirit for more information on Bishop-elect Kenney’s appointment and see the Archdiocese’s event page for additional information on his episcopal ordination.
Promotional Materials:
- PDF announcement (English, Spanish)
- Video: Introduction to Bishop-elect Kenney
- Bulletin announcement (English and Spanish)
- Photo of Bishop-elect Kenney (vertical, horizontal)
- Social media graphic (English, Spanish)
- Hashtag: #bishopelectkenney
- QR code to this announcement
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