Епископ Фэрго Лео Дворшак сложил полномочия из-за состояния здоровья, его преемником назначен президент колледжа Юстин Дрисколл

On this day in 1970, Fargo Bishop Leo F. Dworschak resigned because of ill health after decades of leadership, with Loras College President Justin A. Driscoll named his successor. Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day: ADVERTISEMENT Dworschak Resigns As Bishop Of Fargo Iowa College Head Named Successor The Most Rev. Leo F. Dworschak, 70, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, has resigned because of ill health. The announcement was made today through the office of the apostolic delegate in Washington, D.C., who said the resignation had been accepted with regret by Pope Paul VI. Appointed by Pope Paul to succeed Bishop Dworschak was the Most Rev. Justin A. Driscoll, president of Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa. Bishop Dworschak will remain as administrator of the diocese until Msgr. Driscoll is ordained and installed. He will be the fifth bishop of Fargo since Bishop John Shanley was appointed in 1889. See more history at Newspapers.com Bishop Dworschak has been bishop of the Fargo Diocese since 1960. Before that he was apostolic administrator of the diocese in 1959, and auxiliary bishop between 1947 and 1959. It was in 1947 that Bishop Dworschak returned to the diocese from Rapid City, S.D., as auxiliary bishop to Most Rev. Aloisius J. Muench who had been appointed by Pope Pius XII as apostolic visitator to Germany. In reality, Bishop Dworschak has been administering the Fargo Diocese since that time, a span of nearly 24 years. ADVERTISEMENT Bishop Dworschak was born April 6, 1900, at Independence, Wis. He studied at St. John’s University and Seminary at Collegeville, Minn., from 1914 to 1926. He was ordained May 29, 1926 in St. John’s Abbey Church, Collegeville. His first appointment in the Diocese of Fargo was that of assistant pastor of St. Anthony Church in Fargo. He served there until 1936. He was also secretary to Bishop James O’Reilly here from 1929 to 1934. In 1935 he was appointed secretary and chancellor of the Diocese of Fargo, and in 1940 was named vicar general. He was named a papal chamberlain to Pope Pius XII in 1939 and domestic prelate in 1941. In 1946 Bishop Dworschak was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City, S.D., by Pope Pius XII, before returning here as auxiliary bishop in 1947. Bishop Dworschak has presided over a period of transition in the diocese as the result of Vatican II, the Ecumenical Council in Rome. It was a period of building in some areas, and cutbacks in others. There were consolidations of parishes and the closing of some parochial schools in the rural area and in some towns. In Fargo, meanwhile, Shanley High School was built shortly after Bishop Dworschak took over as auxiliary bishop in the late 1940s. ADVERTISEMENT The bishop inaugurated the Diocesan Development Program (DDP) in which Catholics of the diocese contribute once a year for the various special needs which formerly required separate collections. In the 1960s under Bishop Dworschak in Fargo, Villa Nazareth, a children’s home replacing the old St. John’s orphanage was constructed; the Cardinal Muench Seminary was constructed in fulfillment of the hopes of the late Cardinal Muench; a new Sacred Heart Convent was built; a diocesan retreat center was created in the former quarters of Sacred Heart Academy; a new South Side parish, the Church of the Nativity, was built. CATCH UP ON THE LATEST TODAY IN HISTORY ARTICLES Bishop Dworschak became a spokesman for ecumenism in the area, participating in inter-faith services and dialogues. He was a popular speaker to Catholic and non-Catholic groups on the effects of the Vatican Council under Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI. In an interview with The Forum in 1965, Bishop Dworschak said that as far as the American bishops were concerned, their greatest achievement at Vatican II was the Declaration on Religious Liberty. He said this declaration became known as the American project in the Council. After Vatican II, the bishop was instrumental in the formation of the Pastoral and Apostolic Council in the diocese composed of clergy, laymen and nuns. It acts as a kind of board of directors, with a voice in administrative policies. He also formed the Ecumenical Commission of the Diocese to promote interfaith study, dialogue, action and worship. As a result of his efforts and the efforts of other area clergymen, Protestant and Catholic, the first community-wide interfaith service was held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fargo in 1966. ADVERTISEMENT In his sermon at the service, Bishop Dworschak made a statement which reflects the change in climate which took place in the diocese while he served: “Ten years ago,” he said, “it is quite unlikely that you would have accepted an invitation to come here; it is even more unlikely that such an invitation would have been extended. “Your very presence here this evening to join us in prayer for unity demonstrates the fact that something of real value has been accomplished,” the bishop told the 700 persons in attendance. Bishop Dworschak today made no announcement as to his retirement plans after installation of the new bishop. By Kate Almquist Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at [email protected]. Listen to this article Conversation