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N.D. (AP) – A priest from Nebraska is the newest bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo.

Pope Francis announced Monday that he had appointed Monsignor John Folda as the eighth bishop of the Fargo diocese, which serves more than 130 parishes and 72,000 parishioners in eastern North Dakota.

The 51-year-old Folda current serves as rector of St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, Neb. He will be ordained as the Fargo bishop in late June. He succeeds Samuel Aquila who left as Fargo bishop last June to become archbishop of the Archdiocese of Denver.

The former bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo says he offers “congratulations, prayers and friendship” to the new bishop. Aquila says in a statement that Folda “is a man of deep faith, warm leadership, and unwavering fidelity to the teachings of the Church.”