Bishop Quinn joins Diocese of Winona

By Betsy Baertlein
News Editor

News of a new bishop for the Diocese of Winona has been circulating through the local media.

Bishop Bernard Harrington, whom students may recognize from special masses on campus, submitted a request for retirement to the Vatican upon his 75th birthday in September. His request has not yet been accepted by Pope Benedict XVI, but Bishop John Quinn of Detroit has been named as coadjutor bishop in the meantime.
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As coadjutor bishop, Bishop Quinn will serve with Bishop Harrington until his request for retirement is accepted, said Father Andrew Beerman, rector of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary.

Bishop Quinn, like all appointed bishops, was hand-selected by Pope Benedict to serve the Diocese of Winona. Various committees, both in the United States and Rome, investigate possible candidates for Bishop when a vacancy is anticipated, said Father Beerman. They may suggest current priests and bishops for further investigation. Ultimately, the committees select three candidates most suited to the diocese in need. This list, called a terna, is then submitted to the pope, who in turn selects one candidate, said Father Beerman. However, the pope may choose a candidate outside the terna or have the committees compile a new terna. When placing a bishop with a diocese, factors such as geography and style of church in that region come into play, said Father Beerman.

Bishop Quinn is similar to Bishop Harrington in many ways. According to The Courier, the Winona diocesan newspaper, Bishop Quinn told third graders at Saint Francis of Assissi School in Rochester that “Minnesota has the Minnesota Twins, and now they have the Winona Twins!”
Bishop Quinn is currently 62 years old; he was ordained to the priesthood in 1972. He has had a great variety of assignments, including many parish assignments and serving as associate director for justice and peace and for religious education of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Bishop Quinn is very committed to education, and he currently serves as “the Cardinal’s delegate to Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and remains there as well as an adjunct member of the faculty,” according to The Courier. It is a possibility that Bishop Quinn will teach a class at Saint Mary’s University, said Father Beerman.

Students at SMU will not see any changes in Church teaching with the implementation of a new bishop, said Father Beerman, but they may see changes in diocesan policies and the ways they are implemented. “Brother William is committed to working with Bishop Quinn in helping to foster the Catholic nature of SMU,” said Father Beerman.

According to Father Beerman, Bishop Harrington has a place to live in Rochester after his retirement. He will most likely continue to help the diocese in various ways, including filling in for priests and ministering to prisoners.