Samuel Joseph Aquila is the seventh and current Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo is a Roman Catholic diocese in North Dakota. It was founded on April 6, 1897 by Pope Leo XIII. Fargo, North Dakota is the episcopal see of the diocese.-Bishops of the Diocese of Fargo:...

 (known as the Diocese of Jamestown from 1889–1897) in North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

.

He was born on September 24, 1950 in Burbank, California

Burbank, California

Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....

 and ordained a priest in 1976 in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver

The Archdiocese of Denver is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for Denver, Colorado and the Colorado counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan and Weld in the northern part of the state. The Archdiocese's home is at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate...

. From 1999-2001 he was the first rector of the St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver and Chief Executive Officer of Our Lady of the New Advent Theological Institute. In 2000, Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 named him a Monsignor

Monsignor

Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...

. In 2001 he was named coadjutor Bishop

Coadjutor bishop

A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...

 of Fargo and became Bishop of Fargo on March 18, 2002, succeeding Bishop James Sullivan.

In 2005-2006, he was named interim administrator of the Diocese of Sioux Falls

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls is a Roman Catholic diocese in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It was founded on November 12, 1889 by Pope Leo XIII and comprises that part of South Dakota east of the Missouri River. The architect for the St...

 in South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

 until the consecration of Paul J. Swain

Paul J. Swain

Paul Joseph Swain is the current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls.- Early life :Swain was a convert from Methodism and attended law school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was born in Newark, New York. He served in Vietnam and, after his return home, was legal counsel...

as Bishop of Sioux Falls.