William Michael Joensen

Styles of
**William Michael Joensen**
Styles of; William Michael Joensen
Reference style	His Excellency; The Most Reverend;
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

William Michael Joensen

Ph.D.
His Excellency, The Most Reverend; William Michael Joensen; Ph.D.
Bishop of Des Moines
Archdiocese	Dubuque
Diocese	Des Moines
Appointed	July 18, 2019
Installed	September 27, 2019
Predecessor	Richard Pates
Orders
Ordination	June 24, 1989; by Daniel Kucera
Consecration	September 27, 2019; by Michael Owen Jackels, R. Walker Nickless, and Thomas Zinkula
Personal details
Born	July 8, 1960 (age 63); Waterloo, Iowa, US
Motto	Exquirite faciem suam; (Seek His face)

William Michael Joensen (born July 8, 1960) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines in Iowa since 2019.

Biography[edit]

Early life and education[edit]

William Joensen was born on July 8, 1960, in Waterloo, Iowa to Alfred W. Joensen and Marilyn E. (née Simington) Joensen. He is the eldest of five children and grew up in Ames, Iowa.^[1] Joensen received a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. He was attending medical school at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, when he decided instead to study for the priesthood. Joensen's seminary education was at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio.^[2]^[3]

Priesthood[edit]

On June 24, 1989, Joensen was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Dubuque by Archbishop Daniel Kucera in the Church of the Nativity in Dubuque.^[4]

After his 1989 ordination, the archdiocese assigned him as associate pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Dubuque and faculty member of Columbus High School in Waterloo. He left these two posts in 1992 to become associate pastor of the Church of the Resurrection Parish in Dubuque.^[5] Joensen in 1995 went to Washington D.C. to attend the Catholic University of America, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 2001.^[6]^[3]

When Joensen returned to Iowa, he served as a chaplain at Clarke College in Dubuque from 2003 to 2010. At Loras College in Dubuque, Joensen served as chaplain, associate professor of philosophy, and dean of campus spiritual life. At Dubuque's St. Pius X Seminary Joensen was the spiritual director. Joensen also served as a faculty member at the Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society in Krakow, Poland.^[6]^[2]

Bishop of Des Moines[edit]

Pope Francis appointed Joensen as the tenth bishop of Des Moines on July 18, 2019. His episcopal ordination took place on September 27, 2019, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Des Moines, Iowa.^[7] Archbishop Michael Jackels was the consecrator, with Bishop R. Walker Nickless and Bishop Thomas Zinkula as the co-consecrators.^[4]

In January 2023, Joensen published a decree that required students in Catholic schools to dress according to their gender at birth and use bathrooms and locker rooms accordingly.^[8]

References[edit]

^ "Joensen named 10th bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines". The Daily Nonpareil. Council Bluffs, Iowa. August 7, 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
^ ^a ^b Moines, Diocese of Des. "Bishop Joensen". www.dmdiocese.org. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
^ ^a ^b Fleig, Shelby. "Meet the next Des Moines bishop: a philosopher, advocate and self-described 'Iowa guy'". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
^ ^a ^b "Bishop William Michael Joensen [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
^ "Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Bishop Richard Pates, Appoints Rev. William Joensen as Bishop-Elect of Diocese of Des Moines". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
^ ^a ^b "University spiritual life dean appointed Des Moines bishop". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
^ Shelby Fleig (September 27, 2019). "Diocese of Des Moines welcomes Bishop William Joensen at ordination". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
^ Tugade, F. Amanda (January 18, 2023). "Des Moines bishop explains why diocese has new gender identity policies at schools, churches". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2024-02-06.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Richard Pates	Bishop of Des Moines 2019-Present	Succeeded by Incumbent

[Nonpareil-1] "Joensen named 10th bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines". The Daily Nonpareil. Council Bluffs, Iowa. August 7, 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-12.

[:0-2] Moines, Diocese of Des. "Bishop Joensen". www.dmdiocese.org. Retrieved 2021-12-28.

[:1-3] Fleig, Shelby. "Meet the next Des Moines bishop: a philosopher, advocate and self-described 'Iowa guy'". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2021-12-28.

[:2-4] "Bishop William Michael Joensen [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2021-12-28.

[usccb-5] "Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Bishop Richard Pates, Appoints Rev. William Joensen as Bishop-Elect of Diocese of Des Moines". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 2019-07-18.

[cna-6] "University spiritual life dean appointed Des Moines bishop". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2019-08-12.

[Fleig-7] Shelby Fleig (September 27, 2019). "Diocese of Des Moines welcomes Bishop William Joensen at ordination". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines. Retrieved 2019-10-02.

[8] Tugade, F. Amanda (January 18, 2023). "Des Moines bishop explains why diocese has new gender identity policies at schools, churches". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2024-02-06.

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v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines
Bishops	Austin Dowling Thomas W. Drumm Gerald T. Bergan Edward C. Daly, OP George Biskup Maurice J. Dingman William H. Bullock Joseph L. Charron, CPpS Richard E. Pates William Michael Joensen
Churches	List List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines Cathedral St. Ambrose Cathedral, Des Moines Parishes St. Peter's, Council Bluffs St. Patrick's, Cumming Basilica of St. John, Des Moines St. Anthony, Des Moines St. Augustin, Des Moines St. Patrick Church, Imogene St. Patrick's, Perry All Saints, Stuart St. Boniface, Waukee St. Boniface, Westphalia
Education	Mercy College of Health Sciences Dowling Catholic High School, West Des Moines Saint Albert Catholic Schools, Council Bluffs
Priest	John Joseph Boylan
Miscellany	Catholic Pastoral Center
Iowa portal Catholicism portal

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
Ordinaries	Bishops Mathias Loras Clement Smyth Archbishops John Hennessy John Keane James Keane Francis Beckman Henry Rohlman Leo Binz James Byrne Daniel Kucera Jerome Hanus Michael Jackels Thomas Robert Zinkula
Auxiliary bishops	Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald Loras Thomas Lane George Biskup Loras Joseph Watters Francis John Dunn William Edwin Franklin
Churches	Cathedral St. Raphael's Cathedral, Dubuque Parishes Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville St. John XXIII, Cedar Rapids Holy Ghost, Dubuque Holy Trinity, Luxemburg Sacred Heart, Dubuque Sacred Heart, Fillmore St. Boniface, New Vienna St. Donatus, St. Donatus St. Joseph, Elkader St. Joseph, Key West Saint Joseph the Worker, Dubuque St. Martin, Cascade St. Mary, Guttenberg St. Patrick, Dubuque St. Patrick, Garryowen St. Lawrence, Otter Creek St. Paul, Worthington Saints Peter and Paul, Petersburg Former parishes Saint Joseph's Prairie Church St. Mary, Dubuque St. Joseph, Stone City
Education	Higher education Clarke University Divine Word College Loras College Mount Mercy University St. Pius X Seminary, Dubuque High schools Beckman High School, Dyersville Columbus High School, Waterloo Don Bosco High School, Gilbertville Marquette High School, Bellevue Newman Catholic High School, Mason City Wahlert High School, Dubuque Xavier High School, Cedar Rapids Primary schools Mazzuchelli Middle School, Dubuque Holy Family Catholic Schools, Dubuque St. Mary's School, Guttenberg Former schools Sacred Heart School, Dubuque St. Luke's School, St. Lucas
Religious orders	New Melleray Abbey Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Priests	John George Alleman John Patrick Carroll James Vincent Casey Joseph Crétin Justin Albert Driscoll Thomas William Drumm Raymond Philip Etteldorf Daniel Mary Gorman Edward Howard William Michael Joensen Louis Benedict Kucera Mathias Clement Lenihan Thomas Mathias Lenihan J. A. M. Pelamourgues Aloysius Schmitt Joseph Clement Willging Thomas Zinkula
Miscellany	Mount Saint Bernard Seminary and Barn Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto Historic District
Catholicism portal

Biography[edit]

Early life and education[edit]

Priesthood[edit]

Bishop of Des Moines[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]