Zielinski appointed Bishop of New Ulm Diocese

Pope Francis has named a new bishop for the Diocese of New Ulm.

Tuesday morning, it was announced that Bishop Chad Zielinski would be taking the position.

Zielinski, 57, becomes the fifth bishop of the diocese and is scheduled to be installed during a mass held on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

Previously, Zielinski served as the bishop of the Diocese of Fairbanks in Alaska. He will succeed Bishop John LeVoir, who led the diocese from July of 2008 until Aug. 6, 2020. Officials say the diocese has been led by Monsignor Douglas Grams, a diocesan administrator since LeVoir’s departure.

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According to a biography sent by the diocese, Zielinski was born in Detroit, Mich., and served in the U.S. Air Force before entering Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Oregon.

He was ordained to the priesthood in Gaylord, Mich. in June of 1996.

After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, Zielinski served as a chaplain in North Dakota and was eventually appointed as the Roman Catholic Cadet Chaplain at the U.S. Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. in 2009. He then became the chaplain for the 354th Fighter Wing at the Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska in 2012.