Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Bishop Walker Nickless of the Diocese of Sioux City; Appoints Rev. John Keehner as Successor
WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Ralph Walker Nickless, 77, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Sioux City, and has appointed Reverend John E. Keehner, Jr., as Bishop-elect of Sioux City. Bishop-elect Keehner is a priest of the Diocese of Youngstown and currently serves as pastor of four parishes in Ashtabula County, Ohio: Our Lady Queen of Peace in Ashtabula, Corpus Christi in Conneaut, Saint Andrew Bobola in Kingsville, and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Geneva. The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington, D.C. on February 12, 2025, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The following biographical information for Bishop-elect Keehner was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Father Keehner was born November 19, 1965, in Youngstown, Ohio. Bishop-elect Keehner pursued studies at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English. He also studied at Saint Mary’s of the West Seminary in Cincinnati where he received a master of divinity and a master of arts in biblical studies. Additionally, Bishop-elect Keehner received a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 12, 1993.
Bishop-elect Keehner’s assignments after ordination include: associate pastor at Saint Charles Borromeo parish in Boardman (1993); judge (1999; 2004), advocate, episcopal delegate, defender of the bond for the diocesan tribunal (2004); vice rector (2000), administrator (2006), and rector (2007) of Saint Columba Cathedral in Youngstown; director of campus ministry at Youngstown State University (2003); administrator, then pastor of Saint Casmir parish in Youngtown (2006-2007); pastor at Saint Christine parish in Youngstown (2012); canonical pastor of Saint Luke in Boardman (2017); pastor at Saint Paul in North Canton (2019). Since 2024, he has served as pastor of four parishes in Ashtabula County, Ohio: Our Lady Queen of Peace parish in Ashtabula, Corpus Christi parish in Conneaut, Saint Andrew Bobola parish in Kingsville, and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Geneva.
Bishop-elect Keehner’s additional responsibilities for the Diocese of Youngstown have included: member of the Priest Council, member of the Diocesan Board of Religious Education, member of the Board of Meditation and Arbitration for the Diocesan Office of Conciliation, administrative secretary for the Presbyteral Council, spiritual director for the diocesan diaconate program, and dean of the Ashtabula Deanery. Bishop-elect Keehner speaks English, Spanish, and some Italian.
The Diocese of Sioux City is comprised of 14,518 square miles in the State of Iowa and has a total population of 460,323 of which 78,045 are Catholic.
###