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Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm

Coordinates: 44°18′43″N 94°27′47″W / 44.31194°N 94.46306°W / 44.31194; -94.46306
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Diocese of New Ulm

Dioecesis Novae Ulmae
Holy Trinity Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country United States
TerritoryMinnesota 15 counties in western Minnesota
Ecclesiastical provinceSaint Paul and Minneapolis
Statistics
Area9,863 sq mi (25,550 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2004)
285,061
69,503 (24.4%)
Parishes82
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedNovember 18, 1957 (67 years ago)
CathedralCathedral of the Holy Trinity
Patron saintMary, Mother of God[1]
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopChad Zielinski
Metropolitan ArchbishopBernard Hebda
Bishops emeritusJohn M. LeVoir[2]
Map
Website
dnu.org

The Diocese of New Ulm (Latin: Dioecesis Novae Ulmae) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in western Minnesota in the United States.

The Diocese of New Ulm is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The Cathedral parish is the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm.

Territory

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The Diocese of New Ulm encompasses more than ten counties in southwestern Minnesota.[3] The largest town in the diocese is Willmar with 19,610 inhabitants; New Ulm is, after Hutchinson and Marshall, the 4th largest city.

History

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1826 to 1957

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Central Minnesota went through several Catholic jurisdictions before the Vatican erected the Diocese of New Ulm:

The New Ulm area would remain part of the Diocese of Saint Paul, followed by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul, for the next 107 years.

The first Catholic church in the city of New Ulm, Holy Trinity, was started in 1857, but was demolished during the Dakota War of 1862.[4] The replacement church was built in 1871, then was destroyed by a tornado ten years later. The current Holy Trinity church was completed in 1903.[4]

1957 to 2000

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On November 18, 1957, Pope Pius XII founded the Diocese of New Ulm, taking its territory from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul.[5][6] The pope named Monsignor Alphonse Schladweiler of Saint Paul as the first bishop of New Ulm.

Following the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council in Rome, Schladweiler worked to implement its reforms.[7] During his 18-year tenure, he ordained 64 priests and organized St. Isadore Parish in Clarkfield (1960) and Lady of the Lakes Parish in Spicer (1962).[8] In 1972, Schladweiler founded a diocesan newspaper, the Newsletter, and the diocesan pastoral council.[7] He also established a mission in Guatemala, assuming responsibility for staffing a parish in San Lucas Tolimán.[7] Schladweiler retired in 1975.

The second bishop of New Ulm was Raymond Lucker of Saint Paul, named by Pope Paul VI in 1975.[9] He placed one of his parishes under interdict until every member received psychological counseling after a nun, trained in New Age spirituality, replaced a crucifix in the church sanctuary with a "cosmic pillow."[10] Lucker retired in 2000 for health reasons.

2000 to present

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Pastoral Center in New Ulm

Pope John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop John Nienstedt from the Archdiocese of Detroit as the third bishop of New Ulm in 2001.[11] He denounced the more progressive views of Lucker and told Catholics not to read Lucker's book on Catholic doctrine.[12] Nienstadt became coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 2007.[13]

Nienstedt's replacement in New Ulm was Reverend John M. LeVoir of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, named by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.[14] A new diocesan pastoral center was completed in 2014.[15] In 2017, the diocese filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy following numerous sexual abuse lawsuits against diocesan clergy.[16] LeVoir retired in 2020.

As of 2023, the bishop of New Ulm is Chad Zielinski, formerly bishop of the Diocese of Fairbanks. He was named by Pope Francis in 2022.[17]

Bishops

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Bishops of New Ulm

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Other diocesan priest who became bishop

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John Jeremiah McRaith, appointed Bishop of Owensboro in 1982.

Education

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The Diocese of New Ulm has three high schools and 13 primary schools, with an approximate enrollment as of 2022 of 1,870.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Holy Day of Obligation)". January 2019.
  2. ^ "Bishop John LeVoir Of Diocese Of New Ulm Resigns". minnesota.cbslocal.com. WCCO. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  3. ^ "About the Diocese of New Ulm". Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Holy Trinity Cathedral history". Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Archived from the original on 2011-09-11. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  5. ^ "Diocese of New Ulm". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  6. ^ "Diocese of New Ulm". Giga Catholic. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  7. ^ a b c "Bishop Schladweiler". Roman Catholic Diocese of New Ulm. Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  8. ^ "Msgr. Alphonse J. Schladweiler named bishop of New Ulm diocese" (PDF). The Prairie Catholic. November 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  9. ^ "Bishop Raymond Alphonse Lucker [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  10. ^ Likoudis, Paul. "Bishop Raymond Lucker: A Tragic Figure of the 'New Catechetics'". CatholicCulture.org.
  11. ^ "Archbishop John Clayton Nienstedt [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  12. ^ McClory, Robert J. (May 7, 2004). "Bishop takes issue with late predecessor". National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009.
  13. ^ "Bishop Nienstedt in line to take Saint Paul-Minneapolis post". Catholic News Agency. April 24, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  14. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 14.07.2008" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. July 14, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "Pastoral Center opens". The Journal. July 31, 2014. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  16. ^ Hopfspenburger, Jean (March 4, 2017). "New Ulm bankruptcy makes Minnesota No. 1 in church bankruptcies - StarTribune.com". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  17. ^ "Bishop Chad William Zielinski [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  18. ^ "Our Schools". Diocese of New Ulm. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
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44°18′43″N 94°27′47″W / 44.31194°N 94.46306°W / 44.31194; -94.46306

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