Bishop Emeritus Joseph L. Charron, C.PP.S.

Born Dec. 30, 1939 in Redfield, South Dakota, Bishop Joseph Charron, C.PP.S. joined the religious community of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in 1965.

He was ordained a priest June 3, 1967 by Bishop Edward McCarthy in Carthagena, Ohio. He studied at the University of Dayton and St. Charles Seminary, both in Ohio; Lateran University in Rome, where he earned his licentiate in theology; and Academia Alfonsiana in Rome, where he earned a doctorate in moral theology.

He served as an assistant professor of theology at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota from 1970-1976. From 1976-1979 he served as Assistant General Secretary and Associate General Secretary of the United States Catholic Conference and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In 1979, Bishop Charron became provincial director of the Kansas City Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, a post he held until 1987. He returned to St. John's University where he served as adjunct professor of theology 1987-1990.

On Nov. 6, 1989, he was appointed auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota and on Jan. 25, 1990 he was ordained a bishop.

Three years later, on Nov. 12, 1993, he was appointed the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines, where he served for more than 13 years. On April 10, 2007, he announced that he was retiring for health reasons.