Dubuque archbishop retires, former Des Moines bishop named apostolic administrator

April 11, 2023

Dubuque Archbishop Michael Jackels’ request to retire early for medical reasons was accepted April 4; Des Moines Bishop Emeritus Richard Pates was named apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Dubuque pending the appointment of a new archbishop.

In a statement addressed to Catholics in the archdiocese, Archbishop Jackels said, “Jesus called me to this ministry, and I wouldn’t take my hands from this plow unless Jesus, through his Vicar on earth, called me away.”
 
Bishop Pates said that his service as apostolic dministrator, “begins with heartfelt thanks on behalf of all of you for the generous and effective ministry of Archbishop Michael Jackels these past 10 years.  He has exemplified the qualities of a shepherd so frequently cited by Pope Francis of being close to his flock and envisioning the archdiocesan community as providing a 'field hospital' to address the needs of our present culture.”
 
Archbishop Jackels was appointed as Archbishop of Dubuque on April 8, 2013 and led the archdiocese through the Covid-19 pandemic, times of economic prosperity and uncertainty, global conflicts, societal struggles on the topics of politics, racism, and right to life issues, and most recently an archdiocesan participation in the global synod process announced by Pope Francis.

Bishop Pates retired from the Des Moines Diocese in 2019. Since then, he served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois from December of 2019 to September 2020 and the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota from April to December of 2021.