Background
Flynn, Harry Joseph was born on May 2, 1933 in Schenectady, New York, United States.
archbishop bishop Catholic priest
Flynn, Harry Joseph was born on May 2, 1933 in Schenectady, New York, United States.
Flynn is a graduate of Siena College, having earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in English. After attending Mount Saint Mary"s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland he was ordained a Catholic priest on May 18, 1960. Flynn was incardinated into the Diocese of Albany in the state of New New York
Flynn succeeded his predecessor, Archbishop John Roach, on September 8, 1995. Previously, Archbishop Flynn was the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette in south-central Louisiana, having received his episcopal consecration, in Albany, New York on June 24, 1986. On May 5, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation from the pastoral government of the Archdiocese in accordance with canon 401 1 of the Code of Canon Law.
He was succeeded by Archbishop John Clayton Nienstedt.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of Saint Thomas President of the Saint John Vianney Seminary Board of Directors Flynn is especially noted for his devotion to Catholic education and the emphasis in his ministry on social justice, especially within his own archdiocese. He is also a strong advocate for Catholic economic justice abroad, and many of the parishes in the archdiocese have sister parishes in impoverished nations, such as Costa Rica.
On September 12, 2003 he released a pastoral letter dealing with the issue of racism titled In God"s Image, in which he called for the parishes of the diocese to unite in an effort to end racism and promote diversity and harmony, and in so doing, to make God"s love more present to the rest of the world. Like his late predecessor, Flynn is an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq.
In May 2005, Archbishop Flynn publicly criticized Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty in the Star Tribune for what he perceived as irresponsible tax policies.
In the same month, Flynn departed from archdiocesan precedent by ordering his priests to refuse the Eucharist to any person wearing a rainbow sash – a symbol associated with those advocating change in the Church"s position on homosexual activity. Flynn requested that the Holy See assign a coadjutor archbishop, and on April 24, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed John Clayton Nienstedt, Bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota, as Flynn"s coadjutor. Archbishop Nienstedt succeeded Flynn on May 2, 2008 and also served as apostolic administrator of New Ulm until a successor was named in July 2008.
Archbishop Flynn is a member of several boards and committees. Member of the Board of Trustees at The Catholic University of America
Member of the College of Saint Catherine Board of Trustees
Member of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops Committee for Black Catholics
Member of the USCCB Committee on Sexual Abuse
Member of the USCCB Committee on the Charismatic Renewal Movement.