Bishop Carlson has served in Sioux Falls since February of 1994 when he was named co-adjutor bishop, and became bishop in March 1995 upon the retirement of Bishop Paul Dudley.

During a press conference Wednesday announcing his departure from the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls. Bishop Carlson expressed his confidence in what he leaves behind in the diocese. "While my work (here) is finished, a talented staff, and soon a new bishop, will carry on the many things which I have begun," he said. "It's God's work, and I place it in his loving care."

Bishop Carlson is 60 and will be installed as the Diocese of Saginaw’s fifth bishop at St. Mary Cathedral in Saginaw. He replaces Bishop Ken Untener, who died March 27 of complications from leukemia.

Bishop Carlson has spent a decade in the Sioux Falls diocese strengthening vocations, religious education, starting the renovation of St. Joseph Cathedral, the diocese's mother church, and establishing a retreat center for families.

The Saginaw Diocese has roughly the same number of Catholics in its congregation as the Sioux Falls Diocese. The geographic area of the new diocese is much smaller than the Diocese of Sioux Falls. Saginaw is comprised of just 7,000 square miles compared to 36,000 square miles for the Sioux Falls diocese.

Bishop Carlson said at his press conference that his work and success with vocations is likely one of the reasons the pope selected him to go to Saginaw. "I do have a reputation here and there about vocations so that may have even gotten as far as Rome," he said.

Bishop Carlson told reporters he had told the pope's representative to the United States several times that he wanted to stay in eastern South Dakota.

"However, the appointment did not come in the United States, it came from Rome, and I felt that I had to say yes," he said.

"When you become a bishop you make a commitment to serve the Holy Father," Carlson said. "I did pray about it and was given a chance to reflect on it, and the obvious answer was yes."

He will remain administrator of the Diocese of Sioux Falls until his installation in Saginaw.

The process of a new bishop being named for Sioux Falls is expected to take several months, but provisions will be made for administrating the diocese in the interim. Those will be in place by the time of his installation in Saginaw.

There will be more about Bishop Carlson’s appointment to Saginaw in the February issue of The Bishop’s Bulletin.