Bishop Chad W. Zielinski / Diocese of Fairbanks
Chad Zielinski, a former chaplain for the Air Force and current bishop of Fairbanks, was named by Pope Francis on Tuesday to oversee the Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota.
Since August 2020, when Bishop John M. LeVoir, who presided over the over 10,000-square-mile Diocese of New Ulm southwest of Minneapolis, resigned at the age of 74 due to health issues, the office has remained empty.
Since 2014, Zielinski, 57, has served as the bishop of Fairbanks. On September 27, he will be consecrated bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm.
Prior to becoming a bishop, Zielinski worked as an Air Force chaplain for 12 years, the last two of which he spent at the Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, which is located 26 miles southeast of Fairbanks. He loves to fish a lot.
In northern Alaska, the Diocese of Fairbanks spans more than 409,000 square miles. With 46 Catholic parishes—nine of which are accessible by car—and around 11,500 Catholics, Fairbanks is the diocese in the country with the widest geographic distribution. There are approximately 166,800 people living in the area.
Nearly 51,000 Catholics are served by the 59 parishes that make up the Diocese of New Ulm.
Bishop Zielinski, the oldest of five children, was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964.
After finishing high school, he joined the American Air Force. He served tours of duty in war zones throughout his military career, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
He sensed a call to the priesthood while attending college in Ohio, and in 1986, following a tour of duty, he enrolled in the seminary.
At the age of 31, he was ordained as a priest, and from 1996 to 1998, he worked at the Empire and Maple City, Michigan, parishes.
His bishop gave him permission to join the Archdiocese for the Military Services after he felt called to assist those in the military during the terrorist attacks of 2001.
He served as a military chaplain at various Air Force facilities in the United States and Suffolk, England.
In a statement on July 12, Zielinski said, “As I depart the wide expanse of Northern Alaska, I am fully aware of the innumerable gifts I received from 46 parishes.
He continued, “The patient faithful of the entire Diocese of Fairbanks helped shape me to be the shepherd I am today.
My mind and heart have been opened to the cultural beauty and depth of our Native Alaskan brothers and sisters by them.
As I visit parishes and people in this lovely prairie country of south and west-central Minnesota, I come to the Diocese of Fresh Ulm with the same open heart and mind, eager to learn and encounter new joys, he remarked.