By Hilary White
ST. PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, September 16, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The board of Minnesota’s St. Thomas University (UST) has hammered out an agreement with Archbishop John Nienstedt to maintain the school’s historic connection with the Catholic archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis. The board has agreed that it will make no decisions that may affect the University’s Catholic mission or Catholic identity without directly consulting the office of the Archbishop.
Last year, UST board members voted unanimously to change the university’s bylaws and cut its official ties with the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese. The board voted to install Archbishop Harry Flynn, the former head of the archdiocese, as chairman for a five year term. This overturned the university’s traditional connection to the archdiocese that maintained the sitting bishop as ex-officio chair of the board.
St. Thomas is the only Catholic university in the US founded directly by a bishop. Now, however, it is widely known as one of the US’ more liberal Catholic schools. Some Catholic students and others associated with the university feared that last year’s the vote presaged the “complete secularization” of the university.
UST president, Father Dennis Dease, said in a statement that, at the request of Archbishop Nienstedt, the board has elected Father Lee Piché, archdiocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, to the board.
Archbishop Nienstedt said that he will be present at one out of the three annual meetings of the board, the purpose of which will be “to discuss issues related to the University’s Catholic mission.” The archbishop will also meet twice a year with the chair of the board’s executive committee and key trustees.
In May this year, Archbishop Nienstedt replaced Archbishop Harry Flynn, who governed the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese between 1995 and this year and who was often warmly lauded by homosexualist activists around the country for his openness to their movement’s goals.
Catholics who had worked in the archdiocese for years to defend the teachings of the Church on life and family and sexuality issues welcomed the new archbishop, who is widely known for his orthodox defence of traditional Catholic teaching.
Since his installation in the archdiocese, Nienstedt has angered homosexual activists who have operated without restriction in the archdiocese. In November last year he published an article in the diocesan newspaper explaining the Catholic teaching on homosexual activity. In June this year he ordered that the so-called “Gay Pride Masses” at a local parish be stopped. Last month, Archbishop Nienstedt was an early addition to the list of US bishops who individually corrected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s public abortion advocacy.
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