Paul Albert Zipfel (September 22, 1935 – July 14, 2019) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

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 ...

. He served as the sixth bishop of the

Diocese of Bismarck The Diocese of Bismarck ( la, Dioecesis Bismarckiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in North Dakota. The current bishop of the diocese is Bishop David Kagan. It is a suffragan diocese in the eccles ...

in North Dakota from 1997 to 2011. Zipfel served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Saint Louis The Archdiocese of St. Louis ( la, Archidiœcesis Sancti Ludovici) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the City of St. Louis and the Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Pe ...

from 1989 to 1996.

Biography

Early life

Paul Zipfel was born on September 22, 1935, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, to Albert and Leona (née Rau) Zipfel. He had two older siblings, Ralph and Marion. Paul Zipfel attended St. Michael's Elementary School from 1940 to 1949, and afterwards entered the St. Louis Preparatory Seminary. Zipfel then studied at Kenrick Seminary in Shrewsbury, Missouri (1955–1957) and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. (1957–1961).

Priesthood

Zipfel was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Louis on March 18, 1961. Zipfel obtained his Licentiate of Sacred Theology in June 1961 and completed his graduate studies at Saint Louis University from 1963 to 1965, earning a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

. From 1961 to 1989, Zipfel did pastoral work in the archdiocese as an associate

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

, pastor,

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and administrator at various

schools A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

and parishes.

Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis

On May 16, 1989, Zipfel was appointed auxiliary bishop of St. Louis and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of Walla Walla by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on the following June 29 from Archbishop John May, with Bishops

O'Donnell The O'Donnell dynasty ( ga, Ó Dónaill or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell, Ulster, in medieval Ireland. Naming conventions Or ...

and Steib serving as co-consecrators.

Bishop of Bismarck

Zipfel was named the sixth Bishop of Bismarck,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

, on December 31, 1996, being installed on February 20, 1997. Within the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

, Zipfel sat on the Administrative Committee and the Priestly Life and Ministry Committee. In June 2002, Zipfel introduced a zero tolerance policy of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

allegations against priests in the diocese. Anyone accused of abuse would be immediately removed from active ministry and reported to the police for investigation.

Retirement and legacy

Zipfel's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck was accepted by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

on October 19, 2011, and he was succeeded by David Kagan. In retirement, Bishop Zipfel took up residence in Saint Joseph's Hall at the

University of Mary The University of Mary (UMary or simply Mary) is a private, Benedictine university near Bismarck, North Dakota. It was established in 1959 as Mary College. The university is the largest degree-granting institution in western North Dakota. It ...

in Bismarck, where he provided sacramental and spiritual service to students. In 2012, Zipfel was diagnosed with

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

. His family and the Diocese of Bismarck decided to move him back to St. Louis to be closer to family. Zipfel lived at Mother of Good Counsel Home in

Normandy, Missouri Normandy is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,287 at the 2020 census. History The city of Normandy is on land once owned by Charles Lucas. Lucas obtained property from the federal government with land g ...

. Zipfel died on July 14, 2019.

References

External links

Diocese of BismarckDiocese of Bismarck-archive
*

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zipfel, Paul Albert 1935 births 2019 deaths Kenrick–Glennon Seminary alumni Catholic University of America alumni Saint Louis University alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis American people of German descent Clergy from St. Louis Roman Catholic bishops of Bismarck 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Missouri