Superior gets an upgrade: Peter Christensen

From CNA:

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has accepted the resignation offered by Bishop Raphael M. Fliss due to his reaching the canonical age of retirement and named a new bishop for the Diocese of Superior. Bishop-elect Peter F. Christensen will take the helm of the northern-Wisconsin diocese after serving for 22 years as a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis.

Bishop-elect Christensen has an interesting background. He was born in Pasadena, CA, and moved to Minneapolis-St. Paul in 1975. He worked for several years as a commercial artist (graphic designer, claims Rocco) before entering seminary.

Most notably, he was behind the dynamite growth of St. John Vianney Seminary (as rector and spiritual director), where I have several friends now studying. As Rocco notes, "Keeping with a distinct trend of this pontificate, another US cleric with an extensive background in priestly formation has been elevated to the episcopate."

The previous bishop of Superior, Raphael Fliss, had been serving 20 months past his canonical age of retirement (75) prior to this appointment.

The Diocese of Superior website has been updated and says to check the Catholic Herald website for more updates. Bishop-elect Christensen's parish website has a short biography of him.

As Rocco points out, Kalamazoo MI, within a week's time, will also be ready for a new appointment, making it the third diocese in Michigan due for a change (along with Lansing and Detroit). Whadya say, how about a triple play?