Pope Names Rockford, Illinois Vicar General as Bishop of Bismarck, North Dakota, Accepts Resignation of Bishop Zipfel

WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI has named Msgr. David Kagan, 61, vicar general of the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, as bishop of Bismarck, North Dakota, and accepted the resignation of Bishop Paul Zipfel, 76, from the pastoral governance of the diocese.

The appointment and resignation were publicized in Washington, October 19, by Msgr. Jean-Francis Lantheaume, Chargė d’Affaires at the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States.

David D. Kagan was born November 9, 1949, in Spring Grove, Illinois. He holds bachelor of arts degrees in philosophy and theology; a master of arts degree in theology and a licentiate in canon law. He studied at St. Pius X Seminary, Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa; North American College, Rome and the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

Bishop-elect Kagan was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Rockford in 1975. After ordination he had several parish assignments and chaplaincies in the diocese and was an official in the diocesan tribunal from 1979-2005. He has been moderator of the curia since 1994, vicar general since 1995, a member of the diocesan financial review committee since 2002, a member of the diocesan ecumenical commission since 2003 and associate publisher of the diocesan newspaper, The Observer, since 2007.

Bishop Zipfel was named Bishop of Bismarck in 1996, and was an auxiliary bishop of St. Louis, 1989-1996. He holds a licentiate in sacred theology from The Catholic University of America and masters degrees in counseling and educational administration from St. Louis University.

As a member of the U.S. bishops’ conference, he served on the Communications Committee and the board of bishops for the American College Louvain.

The Bismarck Diocese comprises 34,268 square miles in North Dakota. Its Catholic population is 59,418, or 22 percent, of a total population of 267,046.

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