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Bishop of Diocese of New Ulm Retires Early

Free Press
August 6, 2020

https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/bishop-of-diocese-of-new-ulm-retires-early/article_9d54903a-d761-11ea-a458-6b7bbec89c7c.html

New Ulm Diocese Bishop John LeVoir answers questions after testifying in bankruptcy court in March.

NEW ULM — The bishop in the Diocese of New Ulm has stepped down, citing health reasons.

Pope Francis accepted Bishop John M. LeVoir’s resignation, which is effective as of today, according to a diocese news release.

LeVoir, 74, who was appointed bishop of New Ulm in July 2008, is now considered a retired bishop. Typical retirement age for a bishop is age 75, the release said.

Since early July, LeVoir has been undergoing a physical and psychological assessment at Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center in Alma, Michigan, a facility operated by the Religious Sisters of Mercy. He expects to remain there until early September to undertake a therapy plan.

“Although these last years have been very challenging for the diocese and the life of the Church, it has been a privilege to have served the faithful of the Diocese of New Ulm,” LeVoir said in a statement. “As bishop, it has not only been a great honor, but an enriching experience as I have come to know many people throughout this local Church ... It would not have been possible to serve as their shepherd without their continued support, cooperation, and prayers.”

Levoir testified in March at a hearing in which a $34 million settlement with survivors of clerical sex abuse in the diocese was approved by a federal bankruptcy court judge. LeVoir issued an apology to the 93 abuse survivors, several of whom were in the courtroom.

According to the Code of Canon Law, when the bishop of a diocese vacates his office and no simultaneous appointment is made by the Holy See to fill it, a diocesan administrator is elected by the diocesan College of Consultors.

The administrator is elected from the active priests of the diocese and is at least 35 years of age. Once he accepts the election, he holds the power of a bishop until the pope appoints a new bishop.

There is no timeline for the appointment of a new bishop. However, the search for a replacement will begin immediately, a process run primarily by the Vatican.

A native of Minneapolis, LeVoir was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1981. He was serving as pastor at the Church of St. Michael and the Church of St. Mary in Stillwater when Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the fourth bishop of New Ulm.

Established on Nov. 18, 1957, the Diocese of New Ulm consists of 15 counties in south and west-central Minnesota: Big Stone, Brown, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Redwood, Renville, Sibley, Swift and Yellow Medicine.

 

 

 

 

 




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