Cardinal impacts diocese in ministry as head shepherd

March 20, 2008

On his road to becoming a "prince of the church," a portion of the spiritual journey for Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo took place in the Diocese of Sioux City.

Msgr. Daniel N. DiNardo was named coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City on Aug. 19, 1997 and his Episcopal ordination was held on Oct. 7, 1997 at Nativity Church in Sioux City. He became the sixth bishop of the diocese on Nov. 28, 1998.

In Sioux City, he was known for a strong focus on vocations, the strengthening of adult religious education programs, a continued emphasis on the value of Catholic schools and the creation of safe-environment programs for children.

During his time in the diocese, one of the highlights for the cardinal was celebrating the 100th anniversary of the diocese. On June 16, 2002, the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo came to the diocese to celebrate a centennial Mass with Bishop DiNardo.

Cardinal DiNardo established The Centennial Campaign for Excellence during the diocese's centennial year. The campaign established endowments in four specific areas of diocesan life - Catholic schools, multicultural ministries, Catholic Charities and adult formation, religious education and youth ministry. That was the first diocesan-wide capital campaign that the diocese ever had.

Through this successful campaign he was able to have a positive impact on various diocesan ministries at present and will for years to come.

He was also known for being a strong advocate for good stewardship - time, talent and treasure - of both personal and diocesan resources. Many parish stewardship initiatives were started during his tenure in the diocese.

It was during the cardinal's time here when the diocese established a program to train priests as spiritual directors.

The Bishop's Scholarship for students attending Briar Cliff University was established by Cardinal DiNardo. The scholarship continues to be given to two students from parishes in the Diocese of Sioux City each year.

Progress continued in the clustering process of parishes in the diocese during his time here.

Ordinations in diocese

Priests:

Father Jeff Schleisman - June 10, 2000

Father Brad Pelzel - Aug. 10, 2002

Father Nicholas Becker - Sept. 7, 2002

Father William McCarthy - May 31, 2003

Transitional Diaconate:

Father Matthew Hewitt - Aug. 9, 2003

Permanent Deacon:

Deacon Joseph Graves - June 12, 1999

Deacon Louis Meiners - June 14, 2002

Cardinal Daniel Nicholas DiNardo was born May 23, 1949, in Steubenville, Ohio. He was ordained a priest for the Pittsburgh Diocese in 1977. From 1984 to 1990 he was a staff member of the Vatican Congregation for Bishops.

During his time in Rome, he also served as director of Villa Stritch, the residence for U.S. priests working at the Vatican, and taught a theology seminar in methodology at Gregorian University.

Cardinal DiNardo received bachelor's and master's degrees from The Catholic University of America in Washington, where he is currently a member of the board of trustees. He also received a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and a degree in patristics, the study of the Fathers of the Church, from the Augustinianum in Rome.

He became coadjutor of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in 2004 and became head of the archdiocese in February 2006 with the resignation of Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza.