Today the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has appointed two bishops to American episcopal seats. Interestingly, both were ordained priests of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska.
Bishop Michael O. Jackels, currently bishop of Wichita, Kansas, has been appointed archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa. He is replacing Archbishop Jerome Hanus, 72, who said in a statement released this morning that he submitted his resignation to the Holy See because of declining health.
From the Diocese of Wichita’s website: “Appointed the 10th Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita on January 28, 2005 by Pope John Paul II, Bishop Jackels (pronounced JAKE-uhls) was ordained at the Church of the Magdalen on Monday, April 4, 2005. Prior to leading the Diocese of Wichita, Bishop Jackels worked for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome for eight years under Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.” He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska in 1981.
The second US episcopal appointment announced today was Msgr. John Folda as the new bishop of Fargo, North Dakota. Msgr. Folda, currently the rector of St. Gregory the Great Seminary and co-vicar for religious for the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, succeeds Samuel Aquila, who was appointed archbishop of Denver in May 2012. Folda was ordained a priest of Lincoln in 1989.
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