Pope taps military priest as
new bishop for Fairbanks
Pope Francis tapped an unexpected priest to
become the new bishop for the Diocese of Fairbanks — Father Chad W. Zielinski,
an active military chaplain at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks
Bishop Elect Zielinski will lead the
nation’s northernmost diocese.
It is
the first time in recent history that an active military chaplain has been
called to be the bishop of a diocese.
Bishop Elect Zielinski’s ordination and
installation will occur on Dec. 15, at 3 p.m. in the Carlson
Center in Fairbanks
A vesper prayer service will take place the
night before at 6 p.m. in Sacred Heart Cathedral.
The Fairbanks
Archbishop Schwietz accepted the role of
apostolic administrator when Pope Francis asked then Fairbanks
Bishop Donald Kettler to lead the diocese of St. Cloud , Minnesota
Archbishop Schwietz praised Bishop Kettler’s
successor.
“Bishop Elect Zielinski exemplifies many of the
qualities needed to serve the people of the Diocese of Fairbanks,” Archbishop
Schwietz said.
“He has learned to work with people from
all backgrounds, and do so under the stresses of war.
Yet he is also
humble and prayerful.
I understand why the Holy Father chose him
as a servant leader for Fairbanks
Bishop Elect Zielinski wasn’t so certain of
that.
Writing to his parishioners at Eielson AFB, he
explained he received a 6:15 a.m. call from the apostolic nuncio, the Vatican ’s ambassador to the United States
At first he thought the Nuncio had made a
mistake.
“I was so tired and could not think
straight, and just kept saying, ‘This makes no sense; how can this be?’” he
recalled.
The Vatican
ambassador “could sense my overwhelming confusion, frustration and
bewilderment,” Bishop Elect Zielinski added.
“So, he said, let’s talk on Monday.
I later apologized and thanked the saintly
man for his patience.”
Bishop Elect Zielinski was ordained a priest
for the Catholic Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan
Before becoming a priest, he was an active
duty Air Force serviceman for four years, before feeling called to the
priesthood.
On learning of Bishop Elect Zielinski’s
appointment to lead Fairbanks
“Father Chad is an
avid fisherman,” he said.
“Our Lord seemed to favor fishermen when he
called his first disciples — Peter, Andrew, James and John.
They responded with a resounding “Yes!” to our
Lord’s invitation: ‘Follow me!’ Now Father Chad has heard this invitation from the
successor of Peter, Pope Francis, to join him on a unique mission as the Bishop
of Fairbanks
Father Chad
Bishop Elect Zielinski attended seminary at Mt.
Angel Seminary, St. Benedict, Oregon, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a
Bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1989.
In 1996 he received a Masters of Divinity
degree from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit , Michigan
Following his ordination as a priest, he
served at several parishes in Gaylord.
Then in 2001 terrorists struck the World Trade
Center
He saw a need for Catholic chaplains in the
military and asked his bishop if he could serve as a chaplain.
He was granted permission and in 2003 found
himself serving in Bagdad .
Bishop Elect Zielinski has seen three tours
of duties in war zones.
His last assignment was in Afghanistan
Often his prayer services and Masses were
punctuated by the sound of live fire.
On one occasion he was travelling in a
military convoy that came under attack and the truck in front of his was
destroyed by a rocket.
One of his parishioners was driving that
truck and died in the attack.
He ended that day conducting a funeral
service.
Archbishop for the Military Services in the
United States Timothy
Broglio celebrated the Fairbanks
“Bishop Elect Zielinski is an exemplary
priest,” Archbishop Broglio said.
”His service as a recruiter of Air Force
chaplains brought us into frequent contact. He later impressed me with his
piety, zeal and immense kindness in his service at the Air Force Academy
The faithful in Fairbanks
I only regret losing a fine chaplain!”
Bishop Elect Zielinski was assigned to
Eielson AFB in 2012.
Until he received the call to be a bishop,
he served as Deputy Wing Chaplain, 354 Fighter Wing.
He wrote his parishioners at Eielson he
spent a long time praying in the chapel after he finally comprehended the
pope’s request.
“My simple approach to this call in life is
to love the Lord my God with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind and
serve my brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Fairbanks
Bishop Elect Zielinski has chosen as his motto:
Illum
Opertet Crescere, “He must increase.”
It is taken from the third chapter of Saint John’s
John the Baptist expresses his joy at the
arrival of Jesus and he tells his disciples, “He must increase; I must decrease.”
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