Chad Zielinski, a former chaplain for the Air Force and current bishop of Fairbanks, was appointed to lead the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota, by Pope Francis on Tuesday.
Since August 2020, when Bishop John M. LeVoir, who presided over the over 10,000-square-mile Diocese of New Ulm southwest of Minneapolis, retired 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 around 166,800 people living in the region.
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 conducted tours of service in conflict 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 service, 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 individuals in the military during the terrorist events of 2001.
He served as a military chaplain at various Air Force facilities in the United States and Suffolk, England.
“As I leave the vast expanse of Northern Alaska, I am fully aware of the countless blessings I received from 46 parishes,” Zielinski said in a July 12 statement.
“The faithful of the entire Diocese of Fairbanks patiently helped form me to be the shepherd I am today,” he added. “Our Native Alaskan brothers and sisters have opened my mind and heart to the cultural beauty and richness of their traditional way of life.”
“I come to the Diocese of New Ulm with the same open heart and mind, eager to learn and encounter new blessings as I visit parishes and families in this beautiful prairie land of south and west-central Minnesota,” he said.