ALASKA
Alaska Dispatch

Dermot Cole
September 20, 2013

Fairbanks Bishop Donald Kettler will be leaving Alaska to take over as the Catholic bishop in St. Cloud, Minn., the Fairbanks Diocese announced today.

Kettler, who has been the Fairbanks bishop for 11 years, is to assume his new Minnesota post Nov. 7. An appointed administrator will direct the Alaska diocese until Pope Francis appoints a new bishop.

Kettler oversaw the diocese through the process of dealing with sexual abuse charges and reorganization through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The diocese encompasses a vast territory of about 400,000 square miles.

A press release from the diocese quoted Kettler about his new assignment as saying: “I was deeply touched. While it is sad to leave the people of Alaska, who I have come to love, I have a sense of returning home with this new assignment.”