Pope appoints Indiana native who served in East Africa as new St. Cloud bishop

ST. CLOUD — An Indiana native and Oregon pastor will take the helm of the Diocese of St. Cloud early next year as Bishop Donald Kettler retires after serving in the role for nearly a decade.

The Diocese announced Thursday that Pope Francis appointed the Rev. Patrick Neary as the next bishop of the diocese, which encompasses 16 counties in central Minnesota.

Kettler will continue to work as apostolic administrator until Bishop-elect Neary is installed in mid-February.

"Neary is tremendously qualified with his experiences as a pastor, seminary rector, formation director and missioner," Kettler stated in a news release. "I am very appreciative that he said yes to the call to serve the people of this diocese."

Neary, 59, was born in La Porte, Indiana, and entered the undergraduate seminary within the Congregation of Holy Cross at the University of Notre Dame in 1981. He then studied at the Jesuit School of Theology in California and has worked in Chile, Kenya and Uganda, where he served as district superior of Holy Cross in East Africa. He also speaks Spanish, which he learned during a semester in Mexico City.

During his career, Neary has also spent time in the Office of Campus Ministry at the University of Notre Dame and, since July 2018, has served as pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in Portland, Oregon.

"No one is more surprised than I am to be asked to serve as bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud," Neary said. "Yet I have always trusted that Christ has guided me through every stage of my life as a priest. I so look forward to meeting everyone who is a part of this diocese."

The diocese has endured some turbulent years as of late. In May 2020, it announced it would pay $22.5 million to sexual abuse survivors and declare bankruptcy as part of a settlement agreement that addressed allegations made against 41 priests by some 70 survivors dating back to the 1950s. And in November, a St. Cloud priest who spent more than two years in prison after pleading guilty to criminal sexual conduct was removed from the priesthood.

The diocese includes 131 parishes among an estimated Catholic population of 125,000 people.