Priests receive new assignments, one to retire

June 10, 2004

Msgr. Roger Augustine has announced new assignments for 10 priests and the retirement of another.

Father Nickolas Becker will move from parochial vicar of Blessed Sacrament in Sioux City to administrator of St. Joseph Church, Neptune; Assumption Church, Merrill; and St. Joseph Church, Ellendale.

This native of Wesley graduated from the University of Notre Dame and then attended St. Meinrad Seminary. He earned a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in Catholic thought and life. Bishop Daniel N. DiNardo ordained him on Sept. 7, 2002, at the Cathedral of the Epiphany.

Upon ordination, he was assigned to serve at Blessed Sacrament.

Father Robert Brown, pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Mount Carmel, St. Francis of Assisi Church in Maple River and St. Bernard's of Breda has been assigned as the administrator of St. Louis Church in Royal.

This graduate of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn. and the Gregorian University in Rome is a native of Ayrshire. He earned a master's degree in guidance from Creighton University in Omaha. Bishop Poggi ordained him on Dec. 18, 1963, at the Church of Cristo Re in Rome.

Father Brown has served at Kuemper High School, Carroll; Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish and High School, Fonda; St. Edmond's High School, Fort Dodge; Heelan High School, Sioux City; Sacred Heart Church, Sioux City; St. John Parish, Gilmore City; St. Margaret Parish, Rolfe and St. Mary High School in Storm Lake.

Father Michael Erpelding has been named the co-administrator of St. Boniface Church in Sioux City and will also serve as Judge and Defender of the Bond in the Diocesan Tribunal.

This native of Algona attended Des Moines Area Community College, Briar Cliff University in Sioux City and St. Paul School of Divinity at the University of St. Thomas. He was ordained on June 3, 1989, by Bishop Lawrence D. Soens at Cathedral.

He has served at Immaculate Conception, Sioux City; Kuemper High School, Carroll; Holy Spirit, Carroll; St. Mary School and High School in Storm Lake and St. Edmond's High School.

Father Timothy Fitzgerald, pastor at St. Louis Church in Royal and St. Mary's in Everly, will become the chaplain at the Marian Home in Fort Dodge.

This Boone native attended University of Northern Iowa, Briar Cliff College and Kenrick Roman Catholic Theological Seminary. He earned a master's of divinity. Bishop Soens ordained him on June 2, 1990, at the Cathedral of the Epiphany.

He has also served at Corpus Christi, Fort Dodge; Blessed Sacrament, Sioux City; St. John Parish, Gilmore City and St. Margaret Parish, Rolfe.

Father Andrew Hoffmann, pastor at St. Joseph Church in Le Mars and president of Gehlen Catholic Schools, has been named administrator of Sacred Heart Church, Manning.

This graduate of Loras College and The Pontifical College Josephium School of Theology in Worthington, Ohio, is a native of Carroll. He earned a master's in guidance counseling at Creighton University and completed additional coursework at St. Thomas College in St. Paul, Minn. Bishop Frank Greteman ordained him on June 1, 1974, at Holy Spirit Church in Carroll.

He has also served at Sacred Heart Church and St. Edmond School, Fort Dodge; St. Mary Parish and High School, Storm Lake; St. Joseph Church and Spalding High School, Granville; and St. Rose of Lima, Denison.

Father Brian Hughes has been named the co-administrator of St. Boniface Church in Sioux City while remaining the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Sioux City.

This Emmetsburg native attended Loras College and St. Meinrad Seminary. He was ordained on June 6, 1981, by Bishop Frank Greteman at St. Thomas Church in Emmetsburg.

He has also served at St. Lawrence, Carroll; St. Joseph Church and Gehlen High School, Le Mars; Heelan High School, Sioux City; St. Anthony Parish, Hospers; Spalding High School, Granville and Briar Cliff University.

Father James McAlpin, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Manning, will now serve as administrator of St. Bernard Church, Breda; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mount Carmel and St. Francis of Assisi, Maple River while remaining the dean of the South Central Deanery.

This graduate of Loras College and Mount St. Bernard Seminary in Dubuque is a native of Fort Dodge. Bishop Joseph Mueller ordained him on May 30, 1964, at Cathedral.

He has served at St. Cecelia, Algona; St. Mary, Storm Lake; St. Lawrence, Carroll; St. Benedict; Sacred Heart, Fort Dodge; Sacred Heart, Boone; St. Patrick, Sheldon and Sacred Heart in Manning.

Father Allan Reicks has been named parochial vicar of Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City.

This native of Carroll graduated from Briar Cliff College and Josephinum. He earned his master's of divinity. He was ordained by Bishop Frank Greteman on May 29, 1976, at Holy Spirit in Carroll.

He has served at St. Mary's, Storm Lake; Sacred Heart, Boone; St. Rose of Lima, Denison; St. Brigid, Grand Junction; St. John, Paton; St. Joseph, Wesley; St. Mary, Armstrong; Sacred Heart, Ledyard; Sacred Heart, Ruthven; Sacred Heart, Ayrshire; St. Martin Church, Odebolt and St. Joseph in Wall Lake.

Father Kevin Richter, pastor of St. Boniface Church in Sioux City, will serve as administrator of St. Joseph Church in Le Mars.

This Sheldon native graduated from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn. and American College in Louvain, Belgium. Bishop Soens ordained him on July 16, 1988, at St. Patrick's in Sheldon.

He has served at St. Lawrence Church and Kuemper High School, Carroll; St. Anthony's, Hospers; Spalding High School, Granville; St. Mary Church and School, Remsen and St. Mary Parish, Hawarden.

Father Mark Stoll, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Neptune and administrator of Assumption, Merrill and St. Joseph, Ellendale; will now serve as administrator of Immaculate Conception Church in Moville while remaining as vice chancellor and judge in the diocesan tribunal.

This graduate of Loras College and St. Meinrad School of Theology is a Hospers native. He earned his master's of divinity. He was ordained by Bishop Soens on June 13, 1992, at the Cathedral of the Epiphany. In 1995, he completed graduate studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

He has also served at Corpus Christi, Fort Dodge and St. Joseph, Schaller.

Father Eugene Walding, chaplain at Marian Home in Fort Dodge, will retire.

This Sioux City native attended Iowa State University, Morningside, St. Benedict in Atchison, Kan. and Mount St. Bernard Seminary in Dubuque. Bishop Joseph Mueller ordained him on June 4, 1966, at Cathedral.

He has served at Kuemper High School and St. Lawrence, Carroll; St. James Church and Gehlen High School, Le Mars; Nativity, Sioux City; Corpus Christi, Fort Dodge; St. Boniface, Charter Oak; St. Mary, Ute; Sacred Heart, Templeton and was a chaplain at nursing homes in Sioux City as well as the Marian Home in Fort Dodge.