Paul Albert Zipfel

Paul Albert Zipfel (born September 22, 1935) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the sixth and current Bishop of Bismarck.

[edit] Biography

Paul Zipfel was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Albert and Leona (née Rau) Zipfel. He attended St. Michael Elementary School in St. Louis from 1940 to 1949, whence he entered St. Louis Preparatory Seminary. After studying at Kenrick Seminary (1955-1957) and the Catholic University of America (1957-1961), Zipfel was ordained to the priesthood on March 18, 1961.

He then obtained his licentiate in Sacred Theology during the following June, and completed his graduate studies at St. Louis University from 1963 to 1965, there earning his Master's in Education. From 1961 to 1989, Zipfel did pastoral work in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, served as an associate pastor, pastor, teacher and administrator at various schools and parishes.

On May 16, 1989, Zipfel was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis and Titular Bishop of Walla Walla by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 29 from Archbishop John May, with Bishops Edward O'Donnell and James Steib, SVD, serving as co-consecrators.

Zipfel was later named the sixth Bishop of Bismarck, North Dakota, on December 31, 1996, being formally installed as such on February 20, 1997. From December 1998 to January 1999, the Bishop was engaged in a debate with a priest of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, after Zipfel forbid the Catholics under his jurisdiction to attend Masses offered at the SSPX's St. Michael the Archangel Church in Mandan^[1]. He was also accused of allowing two priests to serve in his diocese "despite substantiated allegations of sexual molestation of minors which took place many years ago"^[2].