David Kagan


David Dennis Kagan is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the seventh and current bishop of Bismarck.

Early life and education

David Kagan was born in Waukegan, Illinois, and grew up in Spring Grove. He received the primary education at Saint Peter School in Spring Grove. He entered the Salvatorian Seminary in St Nazianz, and then studied philosophy at Loras College/St. Pius X Seminary in Dubuque, and Theology at the Pontifical North American College and Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He followed to obtain licenciate in Canon Law at the Gregoriana.

Priesthood

He was ordained priest on June 14, 1975 in the Diocese of Rockford. He served at the following assignments: parish vicar of Saint Patrick Parish in Dixon and teacher of religious education at Newman Central Catholic High School in Sterling ; teacher of religious education at Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford, and vice-official of Diocesan Tribunal ; judicial vicar ; parish administrator of Saint Anne Parish in Warren and of Saint Joseph Parish at Apple River ; chaplain at the Sisters of St Clare and parish vicar at St Peter's Cathedral in Rockford ; pastor of Saint Mary Parish in Byron and teacher of ethics at Saint Anthony College of Nursing in Rockford ; and pastor of the Proto-Cathedral of St James in Rockford.
He served as president of the Presbyterial Council, and editor of the Diocesan weekly paper. Kagan was admitted to the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem as a Knight Commander in March 1995. In 1994, Kagan was named Vicar General and Moderator of Curia, as well as Honorary Prelate. In 2011 he was promoted to Protonotary Apostolic.

Episcopacy

Bishop of Bismarck

Kagan was named bishop of Bismarck on October 19, 2011, following the retirement of Bishop Zipfel, 77, after a ministry of fourteen years. He was consecrated and installed as bishop at Bismarck's Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on Wednesday, November 30, 2011. Archbishop John Clayton Nienstedt of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis was the principal consecrator; Bismarck's Bishop Emeritus Zipfel and Bishop Thomas G. Doran of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, were the principal co-consecrators. This was the first episcopal consecration at which Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano represented Pope Benedict XVI in his official capacity as Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.

Episcopal succession