MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio
Tom Scheck · St. Paul, Minn. · Dec 17, 2013
Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché will take over Archbishop John Nienstedt’s public duties while the Twin Cities Catholic church leader steps back from public ministry during a police investigation. Nienstedt is being investigated by police for allegedely touching a boy on the buttocks.
Piché, a Minnesota native, must temporarily be the public face of an archdiocese that is facing fierce criticism for how it handled clergy sexual abuse.
Raised in Minneapolis, Piché first started attending Mass at St. Charles Borromeo in the St. Anthony suburb. The oldest of seven children, he took a special interest in the church as a youngster.
The Catholic Spirit newspaper, which is owned and operated by the archdiocese, wrote in 2009 that Piché started talking about becoming a priest when he was in the eighth grade.
“We always respected the priesthood…and I think that was the thing that impressed him,” Piché’s father, LeRoy, told the newspaper. “We let the Holy Spirit do the work, as we do in every case.”
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