Diocese of New Ulm


The Diocese of New Ulm is a diocese of the Catholic Church in western Minnesota in the United States. A suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of [Saint Paul and Minneapolis], its cathedral parish is the Cathedral of the [Holy Trinity (New Ulm, Minnesota)|Cathedral of the Holy Trinity] in New Ulm.
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Territory

The Diocese of New Ulm encompasses more than ten counties in southwestern Minnesota. The largest town in the diocese is Willmar with 19,610 inhabitants.

History

1826 to 1957

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. Another was built in 1871, then destroyed by a tornado ten years later. The current Holy Trinity church was completed in 1903.

1957 to 2000

On November 18, 1957, Pope Pius XII founded the Diocese of New Ulm, taking its territory from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul. The pope named Alphonse Schladweiler as the first bishop of New Ulm. During his 18-year tenure, he ordained 64 priests and organized St. Isadore Parish in Clarkfield and Lady of the Lakes Parish in Spicer. In 1972, Schladweiler founded a diocesan newspaper, the Newsletter, and the diocesan pastoral council. He also established a mission in Guatemala, assuming responsibility for staffing a parish in San Lucas Tolimán. Schladweiler retired in 1975.
The second bishop of New Ulm was Raymond Lucker, named by Pope Paul VI in 1975. He placed one of his parishes under interdict until every member received psychological counseling. This happened after a religious sister, trained in New Age spirituality, replaced a crucifix in the church sanctuary with a "cosmic pillow." Lucker retired in 2000.

2000 to present

Pope John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop John Nienstedt from the Archdiocese of Detroit as the third bishop of New Ulm in 2001. He told Catholics not to read Lucker's book on Catholic doctrine. Nienstadt became coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 2007.
Nienstedt's replacement in New Ulm was John M. LeVoir, named by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. In 2017, the diocese filed for Chapter 11, Title 11, [United States Code|Chapter 11 Bankruptcy] following numerous sexual abuse lawsuits against diocesan clergy. LeVoir retired in 2020.
As of 2023, the bishop of New Ulm is Chad Zielinski, formerly bishop of the Diocese of Fairbanks.

Bishops

Bishops of New Ulm

Other diocesan priest who became bishop

John Jeremiah McRaith, appointed Bishop of Owensboro in 1982.

Education

As of 2025, the Diocese of New Ulm has three high schools and 13 primary schools, with an approximate enrollment of 1,800. The high schools include: