WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pope Francis has appointed Father Chad W. Zielinski, a priest of the Diocese of Gaylord, Mich., to be bishop of the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Bishop-designate Zielinski, 50, is currently serving in the Archdiocese for the Military Services and is on active duty as an Air Force chaplain stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The base is about 25 miles southeast of Fairbanks.

He will succeed Bishop Donald J. Kettler, who was named bishop of St. Cloud, Minn., in September, 2013.

Bishop-designate Zielinski’s episcopal ordination and installation Mass will be Dec. 15 at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. Vespers will take place the evening before at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

His home diocese plans to celebrate Masses of thanksgiving in the Diocese of Gaylord in January, but the details have not been finalized.

“I was completely shocked,” the newly named bishop was quoted in a news release on the Gaylord Diocese’s website. “I just couldn’t believe it. It is nothing I have ever even thought about.”