NEW ULM -- The Rev. John LeVoir, a parish priest and Minnesota native, was named Monday as the new bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm.
LeVoir, 62, succeeds the Rev. John Nienstedt, who became archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2007, leaving the New Ulm diocese without a key spiritual leader.
LeVoir said Monday that he knows he "has much to learn about serving as a bishop and about the New Ulm diocese."
He asked parishioners and clergy to be patient and to pray for him.
"With the help of God's grace, I will do my best to be a faithful shepherd," he said.
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A date for his installation as the new bishop hasn't been set yet.
LeVoir is taking the spiritual helm of Minnesota's most rural Catholic diocese. The Diocese of New Ulm covers 15 counties in southwestern Minnesota. It encompasses 68,000 Catholics, 77 parishes, four oratories and 19 parochial schools.
Monsignor Douglas Grams, the diocesan administrator, said the diocese looks forward to LeVoir's leadership.
"We have been praying for a new bishop for more than a year. We are grateful that our prayers have been answered," he said.
LeVoir has degrees in chemistry, accounting and history. He worked as a public accountant and taught accounting at the University of Minnesota during the 1970s before turning to a religious career.
He received a master's in theology at St. Paul Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood in 1981. He served parishes in St. Anthony, South St. Paul and most recently in Stillwater.
Nienstedt, the archbishop, said LeVoir is "a priest of deep devotion" and "a skilled administrator" whose selection by Pope Benedict XVI is a good match for the New Ulm diocese.
He asked the people of the diocese "to welcome their new shepherd with open minds and hearts and to support him with their prayers."
