Active Duty ping.
Posted on 11/09/2014 8:09:01 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
FAIRBANKS—Pope Francis has named the chaplain of Eielson Air Force Base as the new bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks.
Rev. Chad W. Zielinski, an active military chaplain at Eielson, will be ordained Dec. 15 at the Carlson Center.
A news release announcing Zielinski’s appointment noted the pope’s “reputation for doing the unexpected” and noted this is the “first time in recent history an active military chaplain has been named to be the Ordinary, or spiritual head, of a diocese.”
At a news conference today at the Kobuk Center, Zielinski said his life was "uprooted" and took a true "about face" two weeks ago when he received a 6 a.m. phone call from the apostolic nuncio, the Vatican's ambassador to the United States.
Zielinski said he felt "confusion and frustration" when he was awakened from a "dead sleep" to be informed he had been chosen as the next bishop. Zielinski's first thought: "This doesn't make sense. How can this be? I kept telling him I don't have qualifications to be a bishop."
Two days later Zielinski called back the nuncio to accept the position. In preparation, the 50-year-old priest said he has "dedicated a lot of time to fasting and prayer."
Zielinski said his coming transition from military chaplain to bishop is "still a mystery… I've lived in this culture for 12 years; you can't just rip that out of the core of your being."
The Fairbanks diocese, home to about 11,000 Catholics, is the nation’s northernmost diocese. It has been without a bishop since September 2013, when Bishop Donald Kettler was appointed bishop of the diocese in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
The Fairbanks diocese has since been under the direction of Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz, of Anchorage since November 2013. Schwietz has been serving as apostolic administrator of the diocese. Schwietz introduced Zielinski at the news conference, attended by roughly 30 diocese members and media. He said one of the many joys bestowed upon bishops is being present when priests are asked to become fellow bishops.
"The more I have had an opportunity to talk with (Zielinski) the more I'm certain the Holy Spirit inspired Pope Francis' choice for the Diocese of Fairbanks,” Schwietz said. “You've prayed that prayer for a new bishop, and you've prayed it well.”
Zielinski said he doesn't know the biggest challenges facing the diocese but that he plans to rely on the confidence and expertise of staff to move forward. "I see a very steep learning curve," he said. Zielinski said members need to turn to each other as brothers and sisters, not just to sit in church and pray but to do something. "Hope is courage to identify wounds and move forward." Schwietz said he's unsure why a local priest was chosen to become bishop. He explained bishops are chosen from three names sent to the Holy See and noted Zielinski may have been an attractive choice because he originates from a different diocese but is already familiar with the Fairbanks community. When asked if he knew who nominated him, Zielinski joked, "No, but I should probably hear their confessional."
Zielinski enlisted in the Air Force in 1983 and served four years active duty. He then attended Mt. Angel Seminary, St. Benedict, Oregon, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1989. He received a master’s of divinity degree from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, in 1996.
He was ordained a priest for the Catholic Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, in 1996 and served at several parishes there. The 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States then led him to ask his bishop if he could serve as a chaplain in the military, according to the news release from the Fairbanks diocese. The request was granted, and in 2003 he was serving in Baghdad, Iraq.
Zielinski has served three tours in war zones, with his most recent assignment being in Afghanistan, where he served 18 forward combat positions, according to the church. He said he performed baptisms in tents, gave Catholic mass from the top of MRE boxes, prayed with soldiers before foot patrols and officiated at funerals only hours after a death.
“On one occasion he was traveling in a military convoy that came under attack and the truck in front of his was destroyed by a rocket,” the diocese’s news release says. “One of his parishioners was driving that truck and died in the attack. Rev. Zielinski ended his day conducting a funeral service.”
Kettler, who led the Fairbanks diocese from 2002 to 2013, praised Zielinski’s selection.
“I came to know Bishop-elect Zielinski when he arrived in Fairbanks in 2012 at Eielson Air Force Base to serve as a chaplain,” Kettler said in a statement provided by the Fairbanks diocese. “He impressed me with his exemplary service to the base’s military personnel and their families.
“I offer my congratulations and prayerful support to Bishop-elect Zielinski and all the people of the Diocese of Fairbanks, which holds a special place in my heart,” Kettler said.
Zielinski is a native of Alpena, Michigan. He grew up on a 120-acre farm and believes strongly in the statement of Pope Francis that "Priests and bishops need to smell like their sheep."
Zielinski and Schwietz are now headed to the weeklong gathering of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore, Maryland, which starts Monday.
Ping.
Active Duty ping.
That’s a great story..
I am not sure. But, I think that would be unprecedented in the modern day.
Certainly a lot of things in Francis Papacy is unprecedented..
Prayers for his success!
There are a couple of diocese Latin Masses in Alaska if my list is current — prayers that they continue despite the pope and his overt hostility toward trads.
Thank-you and God Bless you for your service to God, the Church, and to the USA! Congrats!
....And in a special way, on this eve to Veterans Day.
All those vestments seemed TOO warm most of the time...but in Alaska they wouldn’t be...AND he can add some woolies underneath, if necessary. Though, maybe where he is the heat is kept at the “blasting furnace” level and one can almost wear t-shirts inside.
A Dominican Rite Missa Cantata is sung every Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in the Cathedral.
Thanks for the ping I don’t know a lot about him
I got check back with my Alaskan kin folks
Since I not sure about Fairbanks I know for a fact there is Anchorage church that still have Latin mass
Congratulations, Father Zielinski, and welcome... Fairbanks will be proud to have you.
I believe I see the AF Good Conduct Medal amongst the Chaplain’s decoration. That means he’s former enlisted. Always like to see an officer that spent time as an enlisted man, means he has a very good understanding of the service.
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