The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis has a rich history with roots reaching back as far as the early Catholic missions to Minnesota in the 1840s. Established as a diocese in 1850 (originally Minnesota and the Dakotas), the Holy See elevated it to an archdiocese in 1888. Its current boundaries encompassing the greater 12 county metropolitan area were defined in 1957; in 1966 it was renamed as the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The archdiocese is now home to approximately 720,000 Catholics. Hundreds of priests, deacons and those in consecrated life, along with tens of thousands of lay personnel and volunteers, serve in 185 parishes, 92 Catholic schools and in many other ministries within the archdiocese.
1840-1841
In 1840, the Bishop of Dubuque sends Father Lucien Galtier to minister to French Canadians recently settled in Pig’s Eye, a community that would eventually become Saint Paul. Volunteers assist with the building of a modest log cabin chapel, and the construction is completed within a few days.
1850
In July, a papal decree establishes the Diocese of Saint Paul, encompassing the Catholic population north of Iowa, including Minnesota and the Dakotas from Lake Superior to the Missouri River – at the time, about 3,000 people. Bishop Joseph Cretin is named the first bishop.
1851
Bishop Joseph Cretin travels to Carondelet, Missouri to request that the Sisters of St. Joseph come to the new diocese. Four sisters arrive by steamboat in November and quickly establish schools for local children, a home for orphans, an Indian mission, and a hospital.
1884
John Ireland (1838-1918) becomes the Bishop of Saint Paul on July 31, 1884. Known as an eloquent speaker and for his positions on immigration and temperance, Ireland was also instrumental in the founding of the United States Catholic Historical Society.
1888
On May 4, the Diocese of Saint Paul is elevated to Archdiocese, and John Ireland is appointed its first Archbishop. At this time, the Catholic population is about 130,000, and there are 195 church buildings, 147 priests, and six men’s and 14 women’s religious communities, as well as hospitals, schools, and homes for the needy within the archdiocesan boundaries.
1895
The Saint Paul Seminary is dedicated.
1907-1908
In June 1907, the cornerstone for the current Cathedral of Saint Paul building is laid, following the elaborate plans of French architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray. The following May, construction also begins on the Pro-Cathedral of Mary, Mother of God, now called the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. The Cathedral of Saint Paul is dedicated in April 1915, although construction is not yet completed.
1926
The Pro-Cathedral was raised to the rank of a minor Basilica by Pope Pius XI. It was the first basilica to be designated in the nation and its name became the Basilica of Saint Mary of Minneapolis.
1941
The Ninth National Eucharistic Congress is held in the Twin Cities under the sponsorship of Archbishop Murray. Clergy, religious and laity from all over the United States, Canada and Mexico participate and more than 100,000 people attended the final procession, despite pouring rain. An emblem designed for the Congress is sold as a souvenir for 50 cents, and the proceeds represent 75% of all financial support earned for the Congress.
Meanwhile, with the United States entering into World War II, each diocese in the nation is asked to release up to 10 percent of its priests for service as chaplains. Over 50 from the archdiocese are accepted; most serve overseas and some are wounded, but all survive.
1962
The Vatican grants official recognition of our patron saints: Saint Paul as our primary patron and Saint John Vianney as our secondary patron.
Cathedral construction
1962-1966
In 1962, Leo Binz is appointed Archbishop of Saint Paul, and he attends the Second Vatican Council in Rome. The Catholic Interracial Council of the Twin Cities is formed in 1965 to assist minority students in local Catholic high schools.
1966
Pope Paul VI issues a decree changing the name of the archdiocese to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and elevating the Basilica to a co-cathedral.
1979
The Commission on Women is established as an Advisory Committee. This is the first diocese to have such a group. It was elevated to a Commission in August 1980. The Commission was disbanded in January 2008 but its work continued through the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women and the Office of Marriage, Family and Life.
1990s
Catholic Charities programs at 30 different sites within the boundaries of the archdiocese serve people who are homeless, recent immigrants, elderly residents, individuals with AIDS, and children from troubled families. Catholic Charities began serving the poorest and most vulnerable members of our community in 1869; the independent non-profit organization continues to serve more than 30,000 of our neighbors every year. In addition, chaplains minister to those in local hospitals and prisons, and many other Catholic ministry groups assist in helping those in need throughout our community.
2004
A Global Solidarity Partnership begins with the Diocese of Kitui, Kenya.
2009
The Cathedral of Saint Paul designated a national shrine of the Apostle Saint Paul.
2010
In October, the Archdiocese announces its strategic plan, establishing a framework for greater accountability, ongoing evaluation, improved transparency and more collaboration. As part of the plan, parish mergers and cluster arrangements are announced.
2012
The first annual Archdiocesan Youth Day – inspired by World Youth Day – welcomes nearly 2,000 high school students for Mass, several dynamic speakers, Reconciliation, music and a candlelit adoration procession.
In late 2012, the Archdiocese launches the Rediscover: evangelization and catechesis initiative, calling Catholics “to rediscover the depth and beauty of our Catholic faith,” through online resources, community events, and shared experiences which complement the work being done by parishes, Catholic schools and other ministry organizations within the archdiocese.
2013
Attendance tops 15,000 for the Rediscover: Faith 2013 Speakers Series.
On October 11, Pope Francis appointed Father Andrew Cozzens, a local priest serving as instructor at The Saint Paul Seminary, as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Bishop Cozzens’ ordination to the Episcopacy took place December 9, on the transferred Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, at the Saint Paul Cathedral.
On October 12, the Archdiocese is consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the first Rediscover: Catholic Celebration with a crowd of 5,000 in attendance.
Also in October, the Archdiocese established the independent Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force, which conducted a thorough review of the policies, procedures and processes aimed at establishing and maintaining safe environments in ministry.
2014
In April, the Report and Recommendations of Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force was submitted to the archdiocese. Among those recommendations was that a layperson oversee child protection efforts and report directly to the archbishop. Later that year, Tim O’Malley, a former judge and Minnesota law enforcement leader, was appointed to the new position of director of ministerial standards and safe environment and was tasked with developing the office and creating a team.
Also in April, recognizing both the need to achieve financial sustainability and the desire to ensure high quality Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop John Nienstedt announced the formation of a steering committee to examine Catholic school governance: the Vision 2020 Committee. In October, the Vision 2020 Committee submitted a recommendation to Archbishop Nienstedt about an alternative governance and leadership structure for Catholic Schools in the archdiocese.
More than 5,000 people gather October 3 and 4 for the 2014 Rediscover: Catholic Celebration.
2015
After the state of Minnesota, in 2013, lifted for three years of the statute of limitations on child sex abuse, many victim/survivors came forward. As a means of providing financial restitution equitably, on January 16, 2015, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis filed for Chapter 11 Reorganization under the bankruptcy code.
In June 2015, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office filed six criminal charges as well as a civil petition against the archdiocese for failing to protect children in the case of a former priest. On June 15, Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché resign, with only Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens remaining. Archbishop Bernard Hebda, coadjutor archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, is named apostolic administrator.
In fall 2015, Archbishop Hebda held a series of 10 listening sessions asking for the faithful’s opinions on the archdiocese’s strengths and challenges, as well as characteristics desired in the new archbishop. This move, called “unprecedented” by church experts, yielded feedback from an estimated 2,000 attendees and hundreds of submitted comments, synthesized and reported to the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See to the United States, the diplomatic mission that aids the pope’s selection of U.S. bishops. A representative of the apostolic nuncio was also present at three listening sessions and met individually with more than 30 Catholic leaders.
On December 13, the Holy Doors of the Cathedral and Basilica are opened and a papal blessing is given to mark the beginning of the Year of Mercy.
The Archdiocese and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office entered into a settlement agreement December 18 on the civil petition. The 24-page agreement outlined child protection measures the archdiocese had already implemented or promised to implement, and Ramsey County’s oversight of those measures for three years.
2016
After nine months as the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Bernard Hebda was named the archdiocese’s archbishop March 24. He was installed May 13, the Feast of our Lady of Fatima.
The Ramsey County Attorney dismissed criminal charges against the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis July 20, citing the two parties’ collaboration in child protection efforts.
2017
As part of its bankruptcy, the archdiocese sold its three chancery buildings on Cathedral Hill in St. Paul, as well as a fourth property it owned near Northfield. In February 2017, the Archdiocese moved its offices to St. Paul’s Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood.
The archdiocese was reconsecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on October 13, marking the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima’s final appearance in Fatima, Portugal.
2018
On May 31, the Archdiocese reached a consensual plan with a committee representing clergy sexual abuse survivors to resolve its bankruptcy, offering $210 million for restitution to claimants. At the time, the settlement was the largest ever reached in a bankruptcy case related to clergy sex abuse.
2019
In June 2019, Archbishop Hebda prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide a Synod process he was launching in the archdiocese. This multi-year Synod process was designed to involve every Catholic in the archdiocese. Nineteen Prayer and Listening Events took place involving more than 8,000 Catholics, who reflected on what is working well in the archdiocese, and what pastoral challenges and opportunities lie ahead. Archbishop Hebda attended each of those three-hour events. Eleven additional events focused on targeted groups, such as college students, parish staff members and youth.
Paula Kaempffer, with decades of experience in Catholic ministry, was hired to coordinate outreach to victim/survivors in the archdiocese. Kaempffer is a survivor of clergy sexual abuse she suffered as an adult working in the Church.
2020
In January, the Archdiocese was dismissed from Ramsey County’s oversight that was condition of 2015 settlement agreement. The Archdiocese continues to be dedicated to creating and maintaining safe environments, as well as providing resources for victim/survivors.
In March, the first recorded case of COVID-19 – a new virus that was quickly turning into a pandemic – came to Minnesota. State government called for a shutdown of most establishments and a suspension of large group gatherings, including public Masses.
Clergy, alongside staff at parishes, Catholic schools and Catholic organizations, responded in extraordinary and creative ways to continue ministering to the faithful. Catholic entities continued serving vulnerable populations, who were among those suffering the most from the pandemic. Priests held parking lot Masses and heard confessions outdoors. Parishes began livestreaming Masses. A Litany in Time of Need – recorded by Archbishop Hebda and a local Catholic high school student – aired daily on Relevant Radio. Many events were offered online, including the Archdiocese’s Virtual Holy Week Retreat.
Catholics in health care partnered with priests to form the COVID Anointing Corps, learning Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) procedures to offer the Anointing of the Sick to those suffering from this new virus. Those suffering, the priests, and medical personnel were surrounded by the prayers of thousands of the lay faithful who requested to receive text messages when an anointing was taking place.
As victim/survivor offerings moved online, the ministry spread to new audiences – throughout the archdiocese and even nationally. The broad reach of this ministry continues today.
In light of the pandemic, in April, Archbishop Hebda announced that the Parish Consultation stage of the Archdiocesan Synod originally scheduled for fall 2020, would be delayed by one year. During that time, the Archdiocese produced video resources to inspired by the Synod feedback from year one, including the Praying with Scripture series, a virtual Healing and Hope retreat, a Faith and Culture series and a Synod at Home.
After much work on planning and precautions, as well as leadership interactions with state government officials, limited public Masses resumed in May. Pews were roped off to maintain social distancing, masks were used, Communion was not distributed from the chalice, and there was to be no congressional singing – all efforts to avoid the spread of COVID-19 while returning to the source and summit of our faith.
Protests focused on racial justice and police reform in the Twin Cities and around the country followed the May 25 police-involved death of George Floyd, an African American. Rioting also broke out in St. Paul and Minneapolis and other U.S. cities. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that at least 1,500 buildings in the Twin Cities were vandalized or looted. Dozens of buildings were destroyed by fire.
Writing for The Catholic Spirit in June, Archbishop Hebda expressed his confidence that “those who will gather in our parishes to explore this sin of racism will be able to recommend concrete steps for addressing that sin and contribute to healing the wound that has been laid bare in recent weeks.” He also noted a new Drexel Mission Schools Initiative, named for St. Katherine Drexel, intended to focus support for elementary schools serving some of our most economically challenged and racially diverse communities.
In August, taking into account information gathered from the prior Prayer and Listening Events and focus groups, Archbishop Hebda discerned the Synod’s three focus areas, which he announced in August 2020: forming parishes in the service of evangelization, forming missionary disciples who know Jesus’ love and respond to his call, and forming youth and young adults in and for a church that is always young.
On December 8, this archdiocese joined the universal Church in commencing a Year of Saint Joseph. The archdiocese was consecrated to St. Joseph that day, and many resources were offered to the lay faithful in the ensuing year, including the Cuppa Joe series.
2021
In January, Archbishop Hebda announced in The Catholic Spirit a Project Isaiah initiative which, following a consulting process, aimed to make clear the Archdiocesan central office’s mission and direction. As an important step forward for this initiative, the Archdiocesan corporation named its first chief operating officer, Bill Lentsch, a lifelong Catholic from St. Paul who formerly served in leadership at Delta Air Lines.
On July 1, the dispensation of the Sunday obligation – which had been in place since the pandemic began – was lifted, and Catholics in our local church were welcomed via the Back to Mass campaign, emphasizing how we are “created for Communion.”
In fall 2021, Catholics met at their parishes for a six-week teaching and discussion series to further explore the Synod focus areas. Between mid-September and mid-November, 95% of parishes in the archdiocese participated in the Synod’s Parish Consultation with Small Groups, yielding nearly 69,000 Parish Consultation feedback forms submitted from the sessions, including short “My Best Idea” statements. Participants provided responses in both English and Spanish.
In October, Pope Francis named Bishop Andrew Cozzens the bishop of Crookston, Minnesota. He was installed as bishop of Crookston December 6.
Then, on December 10, Father Joseph Williams, a priest who had served the archdiocese for 20 years, was named by Pope Francis as the latest auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
2022
The episcopal ordination of Bishop Williams took place January 25 at the Cathedral of Saint Paul.
Feedback from the Parish Consultation with Small Groups led to the development of propositions, or action items, related to the Synod focus areas. Those propositions were refined through the one-day Parish Synod Leadership Team Consultation, which took place in parishes in late February and early March.
At the Synod 2022 Assembly, held Pentecost weekend, June 3-5, at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, participants prayerfully discerned which of those propositions to recommend to Archbishop Hebda as the best ways to realize the goals of the Synod’s focus areas. Participants numbered about 500 Catholics and represented most parishes and many Catholic institutions in the archdiocese.
After the three-year Archdiocesan Synod process, on the weekend of Christ the King, Archbishop Hebda released his first pastoral letter, entitled, You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent from the Upper Room, which laid out Archbishop’s vision for a new model to renew this local Church.
2023
The appointment of Father Michael John Izen, a priest who had ministered in the archdiocese throughout his nearly 18 years of priesthood, as the next auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese was announced January 5. His episcopal ordination took place April 11.
Year 1 of Archbishop Hebda’s pastoral letter implementation, focused on creating or growing a small group ministry at every parish, began July 1. The archdiocese adopted as its approach to small groups the Parish Evangelization Cells System (PECS). Drawing from international experience and a deep Catholic identity, PECS provides a structure and format rooted in a devotion to the Holy Spirit and Eucharistic adoration.
In September, Archbishop Hebda launched his monthly video series, Together on the Journey, reaching tens of thousands of Catholics and sharing his personal stories, catechesis, insights and encouragement. He also began Weekly Word reflections which reach thousands of subscribers.
This same year, an effort in the archdiocese to offer the Eucharist in the homes of victim/survivors began. For victim/survivors, coming to church for them can be too traumatic. Through this ministry, communion can be brought directly to them, by a victim/survivor.
2024
As part of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival (July 2022-2025), led by Bishop Cozzens, the Marian Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage reached the archdiocese May 24, following its launch on Pentecost at Lake Itasca, in the Diocese of Crookston. The pilgrimage made stops at many parishes, as well as Faithful Shepherd Catholic School and Little Sisters of the Poor. The Source and Summit Procession, a 4.5-mile pilgrimage from The Saint Paul Seminary to the Cathedral of Saint Paul, attracted 7,000 participants.
On May 21, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams was announced the coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey. His Mass of Welcome took place in Camden September 10.
Timed well with the National Eucharistic Revival, Year 2 of pastoral letter implementation began July 1, with a focus on the Mass – particularly, Jesus in the Eucharist. The Year 2 Implementation Plan encouraged continued work on PECS small groups, participation in key liturgies throughout the year, educational opportunities on liturgy and sacred art, and additional opportunities for clergy, lay ministers and the faithful.
The appointment of Father Kevin Kenney, a native of Minneapolis and priest of 30 years with the archdiocese, as the next auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis was announced July 25. His episcopal ordination took place October 28.
The universal Church prepared with a year of prayer in anticipation of the 2025 Jubilee Year, beginning December 24 in Rome and December 29 in dioceses worldwide.
