Chad William Zielinski (born September 8, 1964) is an American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who is the fifth bishop of the

Diocese of New Ulm The Diocese of New Ulm ( la, Dioecesis Novae Ulmae) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in western Minnesota, United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan A ...

in the state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He previously served as Bishop of the Diocese of Fairbanks in Alaska from 2014 to 2022.

Biography

Early life and education

Chad Zielinski was born on September 8, 1964, in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, the eldest of five children to Donald and Linda Zielinski. A short time later, the family moved to a farm near

Alpena, Michigan Alpena ( ') is the only city in and county seat of Alpena County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census. After Traverse City, it is the second most populated city in the Northern Michigan region. The city i ...

. After he graduated from Alpena High School, Zielinski and a friend drove to Alaska to work in a fish processing plant for the summer. Zielinski started college in 1982, but then decided to drop out and join the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

(USAF). While stationed in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, he attended

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...

in Boise, Idaho, and Park College. Zielinski's membership in the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

and the influence of base chaplain in Idaho prompted him to consider the priesthood. After completing his Air Force service in 1986, Zielinski enrolled in

Mount Angel Seminary Mount Angel Abbey is a Roman Catholic monastery of Benedictine monks in the northwest United States, located in St. Benedict, Oregon. Northeast of Salem, it was established in 1882 from Engelberg Abbey, Switzerland. The abbey, located on the top ...

in St. Benedict, Oregon, earning a

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's ...

degree. He studied for the priesthood at

Sacred Heart Major Seminary Sacred Heart Major Seminary is a private Roman Catholic seminary in Detroit, Michigan. It is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Detroit. In 2016–2017, 107 seminarians, representing eleven dioceses and two religious orders were enrolled in cla ...

in Detroit, earning a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree in 1996.

Priesthood

Zielinski was ordained into the priesthood for the

Diocese of Gaylord The Diocese of Gaylord ( la, Diœcesis Gaylordensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Northern Michigan region of the United States. It comprises the twenty-one most northern counties of the lo ...

on June 8, 1996, by Bishop Patrick R. Cooney at St. Mary Cathedral in Gaylord, Michigan. After his ordination, Zielinski served in the following Michigan parishes: *

Parochial vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

at Immaculate Conception in

Traverse City Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

until 1998 * Pastor of St. Philip Neri in

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

* Pastor at St. Rita-St. Joseph in Maple City Zielinski was elected to the

Presbyteral Council A presbyteral council or council of priests is a group of priests chosen to assist the local ordinary in an advisory capacity in the governance of a Roman Catholic diocese. Canon 495 of the Code of Canon Law lays down that every diocese must have ...

in 1999. Beginning in 2000, he also served as the pastor for administrative affairs of the Diocesan Mission to Hispanics.

Military service

After the

terrorist attacks The following is a list of terrorist incidents that have not been carried out by a state or its forces (see state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism). Assassinations are listed at List of assassinated people. Definitions of terrori ...

of September 11, 2001, Bishop Cooney released Zielinski from the diocese to serve in the

USAF Chaplain Corps The Chaplain Corps of the United States Air Force (USAF) is composed of both clergy—commissioned officers who have been endorsed and ordained by a religious organization—and enlisted Religious Affairs. As military chaplains, their main pur ...

. He served combat tours in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, celebrating mass with mortar fire in the background. Zielinski was stationed at

Grand Forks Air Force Base Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and west of Grand Forks. The host unit is the 319th Reconnaissance Wing (319 RW) assigned to the Air Combat C ...

in Grand Forks, North Dakota, from 2002 to 2003 and at

RAF Mildenhall Royal Air Force Mildenhall or RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located near Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a Royal Air Force station, it primarily supports United States Air Force (USAF) operations, and ...

in Suffolk, England, from 2003 to 2005. The USAF then assigned Zielinski to the HQ Air Force Recruiting Service at

Randolph Air Force Base Randolph Air Force Base was an United States Air Force base located at Universal City, Texas ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio). Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the Uni ...

in Schertz, Texas, followed by a stint as cadet chaplain at the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from 2009 to 2012. From 2012 to 2014, Zielinski served as chaplain at

Eielson Air Force Base Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and rede ...

in Fairbanks, Alaska. Zielinkski was promoted to major in 2013. He was discharged from the Chaplain Corps before his installation as bishop.

Bishop of Fairbanks

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

named Zielinski as bishop of the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska on November 8, 2014. When named to Fairbanks, he was the first active duty chaplain in the

US Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

to be appointed a Catholic bishop. He was consecrated on December 15, 2014, by Archbishop Roger Schwietz. Archbishop

Timothy Broglio Timothy Paul Andrew Broglio (born December 22, 1951) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, since 2008, and as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop ...

and Bishop Steven J. Raica were the principal co-consecrators. The liturgy was held in the

Carlson Center The Carlson Center is a 4,595-seat multi-purpose arena in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. It is the third largest arena in Alaska by seating capacity after the Sullivan Arena and Alaska Airlines Center, both of which are in Anchorage. It is home ...

in Fairbanks. In a diocese in which only nine of 46 parishes are accessible by road, the clergy, including Zielinski, spend a large amount of time traveling to small remote villages in rough conditions. Zielinski said:

Bishop of New Ulm

On July 12, 2022, Pope Francis named Zielinski the fifth bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota. He was installed on September 27, 2022.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm Official Site

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zielinski, Chad 1964 births Boise State University alumni Living people Clergy from Detroit Military personnel from Detroit People from Alpena County, Michigan United States Air Force chaplains Mount Angel Seminary Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord Roman Catholic bishops of Fairbanks Roman Catholic bishops of New Ulm 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Michigan Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Catholics from Michigan