Msgr. McGee attended St. Leo’s Grade School through the 8th grade, then graduated as part of the Bishop Ryan Class of 1966. He answered his call to the vocation of priesthood in 1984 and was ordained three years later for the Diocese of Crookston on December 19, 1987.
Among his pastoral assignments, Msgr. McGee was associate pastor and pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in East Grand Forks. In 1997, the Red River Flood swamped the Grand Forks area, causing extensive damage to the buildings of Sacred Heart. Both the elementary and high school buildings were damaged beyond repair, and both were later demolished. Monsignor McGee managed the parish and school affairs through the flood and its aftermath, successfully directing a $13 million rebuilding project for both schools. He was later recognized with the Lumen Christi (Light of Christ) Award for his service at Sacred Heart Parish.
In 2007, he was named Chaplain to His Holiness with the title of Monsignor.
After marrying in July 1959 and as their family grew, the Church and the Catholic schools of Minot played a very important part in Don and Bertha Wald's life together. Six children attended Minot’s Little Flower Elementary, and all nine children attended and graduated from Bishop Ryan. Over the years, Don served on the Bishop Ryan School Board and Activities Association, and Bertha served as School Board President. Two of their daughters returned to the halls of Bishop Ryan as teachers, and Don and Bertha continue their affiliation with the school on the Hogan Heritage Society Board of Regents. Don and Bertha are proud to have many grandchildren who have also attended Bishop Ryan.
Don and Bertha have also belonged to several fraternal, community, and church organizations, and for their stewardship, the Wald family was selected as the Knights of Columbus Council 1150 Family of the Year in 1975.
Following his service in the U.S. Army, Fred Voeller returned to Minot, started his career in the furniture business alongside his brother, Roy, and married Catherine “Kaye” Cuff at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church on December 28, 1948. By 1965, Fred owned three furniture outlets in Minot and one in Rugby, and he was once acknowledged to be one of Minot’s most progressive and promotion-minded businessmen.
Fred and Kaye’s home came to be known as the hangout for many classmates of their six children over the years, and helped build their school, too, serving on the original building committee responsible for Bishop Ryan. Fred's deep love and dedication for Bishop Ryancontinue to help provide a Catholic education for children in the Minot community.
Michael Brunner was born and raised in Minot; the only son in a family of girls for Ed and Fern Brunner. He attended Roosevelt School, then St. Leo’s for junior high and Bishop Ryan for his high school years. He graduated from Bishop Ryan in 1962, then pursued and completed a degree in Automotive Technology at the North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton. It was during his time in Wahpeton that he met the love of his life, Bonita Wolter. They married June 12, 1965.
The newlyweds returned to Minot and Mike went to work for Smitty’s Repair. He purchased the business in 1981, managing the operation until his retirement in 2005. Bonnie spent 19 years working side-by-side with Mike, taking care of the bookwork and managing the parts inventory.
Mike and Bonnie raised four children who all graduated from Bishop Ryan, and it was during those years that they first got involved with the many Bishop Ryan fundraising activities. When Bishop Ryan had its yearly booth at the North Dakota State Fair, you could find Mike and Bonnie grilling up burgers and serving pie. For many years, Mike and Bonnie have helped at the Carnival, setting up the Midway and rolling the pigs-in-a-blanket. Like many parents, they’ve spent countless hours in the concession stand, especially during wrestling tournaments that Bishop Ryan has hosted over the years. Mike still proudly wears his BRHS wrestling gear, a love that started when he wrestled for the Lions during his days as a student. Mike actually looks forward to selling the annual Bishop Ryan Lot-O-Dough tickets, and it’s rare to run into him during the last weeks of each year when he doesn’t have a ticket “just for you.”
Outside of Bishop Ryan, Mike and Bonnie are active members of St. Therese, Church of the Little Flower. Mike joined the Knights of Columbus in 1970, and over his membership, he’s been recognized as “Knight of the Year” for his council and runner-up for the state award; he’s a member of the Fourth Degree Knights and has been their Faithful Navigator for two years; and he especially enjoys helping with the Sunday morning Knights of Columbus breakfasts and events at the club. Mike and Bonnie also spent many years with their kids involved with scouting in Minot.
There have been Brunners at Bishop Ryan since the doors opened in 1958, and if Mike and Bonnie have their say, Bishop Ryan will continue to offer a faith-based education for children in Minot for years to come.
On the journey of life, it’s always good to have a dependable chauffer, and for many years, Bishop Ryan was lucky enough to have one of the best…
Ken Jundt was the third of ten children raised on a farm southwest of Rugby, North Dakota. Their German household revolved around the daily farm chores, family, church and school. Ken graduated from Rugby High School, then went on to serve as a medic in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Delilah Vannatta was growing up on a farm near Elmer, North Dakota, one of seven siblings in a railroad family. She graduated from Anamoose High School, then she and her sister, Jan, moved to California to attend beauty school. It was there that she ran into a familiar farm boy from North Dakota who was serving his country at the base at Twentynine Palms.
After marrying, Ken and Dee moved to Washington for a short while before returning to North Dakota. They made their home in Minot, and their children attended St. Leo’s Elementary, part of a long line of Jundt cousins who would walk the hallways of St. Leo’s and Bishop Ryan.
Like all good Catholic school parents, Ken & Dee were soon roped into the various fundraisers and odd jobs that come with being part of your kids’ school. They helped with the annual school carnival and the food booth at the North Dakota State Fair. They helped cook and serve at the annual student awards banquets and chaperone after-Prom parties in the spring. They were part of the crew that came in to clean classrooms prior to the school year starting, and they helped install the first wood floor that went into the gym. And every year at Norsk Hostfest time, you could find them arm-deep in the best stew and buns ever served to Vikings.
As kids get older, many parents feel like they “adopt” classmates into their families; it was the same for Ken and Dee, except that one adoptee stood out from the crowd: the Bishop Ryan Charter bus. If you ask, Ken will admit to this day that over the years, that bus was his baby. And really, he was the charter bus’ proud papa: when he wasn’t driving the bus, it had its own “room” at his Southdale U-Haul property, and Ken and Dee would make sure that when the bus hit the road, it was safe and shiny. Ken drove hundreds of Bishop Ryan students to all kinds of events around the state, and he was even at the wheel when the Bishop Ryan concert band traveled to a music competition in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the mid-90s. There were even a few quiet trips where the only guest of honor riding in the front seat was Chuckie, their faithful lhasa apso.
Before Ken was sidelined with ankle problems, you could always find him bundled up is his parka at Herb Parker or leaning against the stage wall, cheering on the Lions’ sports teams. You can always find Ken and Dee mixed in with any gathering of Bishop Ryan’s “old guard,” and Ken takes pride in being one of the top-5 Lot O’ Dough and “Dreams Can Come True” sellers each year.
Ken & Dee’s family includes daughter Julie and her friend, Doc; daughter Lisa and her friend, Steve; and son Jason, his wife Stephanie, and their children, Alivia and Andon.
Together, Ken and Dee continue to put in many miles, both on and off the road, in support of Catholic education and Bishop Ryan Catholic School. Among all the entries in their log-book, you’ll find a journal of commitment and Lion pride, along with pages just waiting to be filled.
For nearly 50 years, service to Bishop Ryan Catholic School, Catholic education in Minot, and the area’s Catholic community have been a fundamental part of the lives of Donald and Beatrice Kasper.
Don, originally from Butte, and Beaty Gefroh married 61 years ago at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in her hometown of Karlsruhe, beginning a partnership devoted to the tenants of the Catholic faith. The couple moved to Minot in 1956, where they quickly became a fixture in the Catholic community and were among the founding members of St. John the Apostle in 1961.
In 1968, their oldest son, Gregg, entered Bishop Ryan as a seventh grader. From 1968-1983, at least one of their four children was attending Bishop Ryan. During those years, the Ryan culture became an integral part of daily life. Don spent several years spearheading the success of the annual carnival along with lifelong friends Francis Allers, George Gilfus, Kenny Lindemann and many more. Beaty, a renowned cook, helped Katie Allers bake and frost cakes for the yearly event. For a time, Don also organized and managed the popular rummage sale and auction. Along with Bill Bliven, Don started the popular "Lot-O-Dough" calendar fundraiser.
From successful bingo fundraisers to numerous meetings with the “R” club and selling raffle tickets, you could always count on Don and Beaty to give their time to help the causes of Bishop Ryan.
Don and Beaty’s belief in the importance of a Catholic education was passed down to their children and their families. Four of their 12 grandchildren graduated from Bishop Ryan, including Kelly, who was a member of the historic girls’ basketball teams which won three consecutive state championships from 2013-15. Grandchildren Lisa, Ryan and Aaron also competed in varsity sports, and you could be sure to find Don and Beaty in the gymnasium or at the football stadium cheering on the Lions.
Don, an Army veteran, and Beaty helped spread the greatness of Bishop Ryan throughout the Magic City in their volunteer and work activities. Don was president of the Golden K Kiwanis and a past member of the Morning Lions Club. He coached t-ball for many years and was actively involved in St. John’s Parish as a reader, greeter, and a member of the choir. Also a lifelong Knight of Columbus, Don has been joined in the Knight ranks by sons Gregg and JP and grandson Jon. His ability to connect with friends and strangers served him well during his many years in the sales business. After retiring, Don stayed active as a courtesy driver at Minot Chrysler, where he enjoyed engaging in conversations and hearing his passengers’ stories. Don used his position at Minot Chrysler to start the "Ride & Drive" fundraiser to help Minot schools. Beaty was also an active member of St. Johns, assisting with funeral preparations and serving in the confraternity. She used her skills in the kitchen to the joy of countless satisfied patrons during her career as a cook and baker at places such as the Boys’ Ranch, St. Leo’s Catholic School and Trinity Hospital.
Even when there wasn’t a Kasper attending Ryan, Don and Beaty remained ardent supporters, often taking their grandchildren Jon and Josh to football and basketball games. Following the tragic death of Chuck and Carol’s 16-month-old son, Nathan, in 1985, a scholarship was established to help with the tuition of an incoming sixth grade student. Don continues to oversee that scholarship honoring his grandson to this day.
The Kasper legacy is still very much a part of the Bishop Ryan story. Grandson Aaron is in his first year as a physical education instructor, and granddaughter Lisa Brintnell is in her second year as an administrative assistant. Four great-grandchildren currently attend Bishop Ryan, with more on the way. All four Kasper boys – Gregg, Mark, Chuck and James Patrick – married graduates of Bishop Ryan, and that trend passed on to grandchildren Lisa, who married Bishop Ryan graduate Nate Brintnell, and Ryan, who married Lion graduate Leah Larson.
Don and Beaty’s family includes J.P. and his wife, Sara (Allers), and their family who remain engaged at Bishop Ryan and in Minot’s Catholic community; and Mark and his wife, Mary (Connole), who are members of St. John’s, and their family. Although no longer in Minot, son Chuck and his wife, Carol (Nathan), and Gregg and his wife, Judy (Weeks), along with their respective families, remain active in the Catholic communities of Ogden, Utah, and Danville, Illinois. Following the footsteps of Don and Beaty over their
50-year journey with Catholic education in Minot is a tribute to the strength and reach of their ties to the halls of Bishop Ryan.
In the conversation of individuals and families that have selflessly given of their time, talent and treasure to ensure success in the education of the youth of Minot, the names Daryl and Lorry Kramer will certainly be mentioned.
Daryl and Lorry both grew up on the plains between Plaza and Wabek, North Dakota. They lived through the tough times of their childhood and Daryl survived his time in the Infantry of the United States Army during World War II, where he virtually crossed Europe, engaged in battle most of the time.
They were married on January 3, 1950, in Minot, where they made their home and raised their large family of 10 children. Their family was the center of their lives, and when their children reached school-age, they were members of the Parent Teacher Associations of St. Leo’s and Lincoln Elementary schools. When the children enrolled at Bishop Ryan, Daryl and Lorry served in a myriad of school activities for which they were honored in 1990 as recipients of the Ryan Lion Award, the highest award given by the school at that time. They were very active in the Ryan Boosters, raising funds and organizing and working carnivals for many years. Both were active fans in their children’s sporting events, known for making big noise while toting their legendary cowbell at the football games.
Daryl and Lorry were active in civic affairs, both having served on the Minot City Council. Daryl was also the manager of U.S. Senator Quentin Burdick’s Minot Office for many years, and Lorry served as a member of the North Dakota Water Commission, the First District Health Unit, the board at St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Minot State University Board of Regents. In their later years, both Daryl and Lorry were involved in the Minot Senior Citizens League and the Minot Commission on Aging.
Daryl and Lorry’s family include:
-daughter Colleen Ronning, her husband Ron, their children Beth (Isaac) Odahlen and Zachary (Susan) Ronning, and grandchildren Conor and McKenna Odahlen and Fletcher Ronning
-daughter Joanne Kramer
-son Chuck Kramer, his wife Nancy, their children Matt (Keli) Kramer and Jesse Kramer, and grandchildren Emma and Haley Kramer
-daughter Barb Kramer
-daughter Mary Lou Neault, her husband Patrick, and their son Manny
-son Bruce Kramer, his wife Lisa, and their children Eric, Eli and Sylvie
-son Bryan Kramer, his wife Cindy, and their children Ben Kramer and Hannah (Dillon) Langerud
-son Tim Kramer, his wife Chris, and their children Evan and Mason
-daughter Julie Schwab, her husband Loren, their children Maggie (Jake) Williams and Isaac, Greta and Jacob Schwab, and grandson Roman Williams
-son Mark Kramer, his wife Michelle, and their children Jonah, Eden and Nora
Daryl and Lorry’s legacy extends past the boundaries of time, talent and treasure and continues to provide blessings for Bishop Ryan, the community of Minot, and beyond.
Orlin Backes and Millie Jensen met while attending Minot State University, where he was studying to receive his teaching degree and she was working on becoming a registered nurse. After Orlin and Millie finished their studies, they were married at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Minot on October 15, 1958. Their plan was for Orlin to teach for two years and then go to law school at the University of North Dakota.
The spring before Orlin was set to enter law school, they discovered Millie was pregnant with their second child. Realizing it would be difficult for Millie to work and care for two young boys under the age of three while Orlin was attending law school, they decided to that Orlin would wait to start law school. Their local pastor, Fr. Lukach, would come to visit Orlin and Millie at their home once or twice each week, always asking, “Is the coffee pot on?” when he arrived. Millie would make a pot of coffee and they would discuss any topic that came to mind. One evening, Orlin mentioned to Fr. Lukach that Millie was pregnant and they had decided to delay law school, and his response started off with “Orlin, you go to law school. The Good Lord will look out for you.” Orlin and Millie discussed Fr. Lukach’s advice and decided to go with the original law school plan and see what happened. While registering for law school, Orlin found a job opening at the law school library, working from 3:00 in the afternoon until the library’s closing at 11:00 each night, Monday through Friday. Since he left home at 7:30 each morning for his law school classes, this meant Orlin would not see Millie and their two boys during the week; however, Orlin did have the weekends to spend with his family.
Orlin finished law school and immediately had job offers as clerk for an 8th Circuit Court Judge with chambers in St. Louis, Missouri, and with the U.S. Department of Interior in Washington, D.C., acquiring land for the government. Orlin and Millie decided to return to Minot where both their parents lived so that the boys would get to know their grandparents.
In Minot, Orlin went to work for what is today the law firm of McGee, Hankla & Backes, spending 50 years practicing with the same firm. One of the highlights of his practice came when son Jon decided to return to Minot from Denver and join the same firm. Orlin and Jon spent over 20 years practicing law together and built a father-son bond of love and respect, which was more than Orlin could ever have expected.
Orlin also became involved in helping the City of Minot, serving as chairman of the Flood Control Committee following the 1969 Souris River flood. Orlin and the committee were successful in orchestrating the construction of the Rafferty and Alameda dams in Canada and raising Lake Darling to provide 100-year flood protection for Minot.
After being asked to develop an economic development program for Minot, Orlin became the first chair of the Magic Fund Committee. During that time, Orlin built a close relationship with Luke Murano, the owner of the Philadelphia Macaroni Company, who agreed to invest approximately 50 million dollars in a durum and wheat milling company in Minot called Minot Milling Company. Orlin and economic development director Lee Peterson also worked to bring ING to Minot, employing up to 950 employees processing insurance policies and claims. Many other small companies also located in Minot with help from the Magic Fund.
Millie always had a keen interest in the arts. She co-chaired the committee to locate the Taube Museum of Art in downtown Minot in what was once the Union National Bank building. Millie also encouraged Orlin to chair the Artspace Committee which coordinated a beautiful building adjacent to the Taube that combined commercial living space and work space for artists.
In 1994, Orlin was elected Mayor of Minot, and Millie became First Lady.
Orlin and Millie have also been active in Minot’s Catholic community. Orlin was the first lay Eucharistic minister at Our Lady of Grace, and he served as a trustee (before parish councils) and later chaired the fund drive to build the gathering space and classroom addition at the church. Millie served as president of the Ladies Altar Society and prepared desserts for many funerals and other church events. With Bishop Ryan, Orlin held term as president of the School Board and was a founding member of what is known today as the Bishop Ryan Catholic School Hogan Heritage Society Board of Regents.
Orlin and Millie have four children: Brent, Jon, MaryBeth and Paul. They also have 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
God has provided them with a blessed and wonderful life in Minot.
Alvina Regina Jacques was born to Philip Lucien Jacques and Regina Elmire (DuBois) Jacques on their farm in Tarsus, near Bottineau, North Dakota, on July 11, 1914. Alvina was born prematurely and she was very small; her exact birth weight isn’t known, but because the smallest scale on the farm only measured five pounds and over, her family knew she was smaller than five pounds. Unsure that Toots would survive, her parents put her in a cigar box and placed her on the coal stove, a homemade incubator. Toots did survive and grew up on the family farm with her parents and two brothers, Elmer and Clifton. She often remembered that they didn’t have much growing up, but they were happy because they didn’t know anything different.
The Jacques family only spoke French at home and they began affectionately referring to Alvina as “Tout Petite,” meaning “too small” in French. Eventually, the moniker was shortened to “Tootsie,” and later “Toots,” which became Alvina’s lifelong nickname.
Toots spoke no English when she started school in a one-room schoolhouse near Bottineau. Each morning, her dad would put her on her horse or in a buggy behind her horse, pat the horse’s rear, and the horse would take her to school and return to the farm. In the afternoon, the horse, when prompted, would travel back to school by itself to collect Toots and complete the roundtrip home once again. Wanting to send Toots to a Roman Catholic school, Philip and Regina sent her away to Willow City to attend the Notre Dame Academy in middle school. Toots later attended Bottineau High School, where she graduated as Valedictorian of the Class of 1932.
Not far away in Kenmare, Cyrel John Butz was born on December 12, 1914, to German farmer John Butz and his Irish wife, Mary “Mamie” (McDermott) Butz. John and Mary met near the McDermott and Butz family homesteads near Bethel, Minnesota, then moved west where the Butz brothers ran a butcher and meat shop, and later, a bar and restaurant in Kramer, North Dakota. John died in 1928 when Cy was only 14 years old, so Cy left school to go to work and help run the family businesses.
Sometime around 1932, Cy was at the local roller skating rink when he met a petite “pretty French lass” with bright red hair and a spunky spirit. It wasn’t long before he knew he had met “the one” for him.
Toots attended the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota, on an academic scholarship during the 1932-1933 school year. Cy convinced Toots to abandon her studies, move home, and become his wife. Cy and Toots married on June 26, 1933, but because of the Great Depression, times were tough and there was no money for a fancy wedding dress or honeymoon. Cy and Toots spent their honeymoon camping in a tent at Lake Metigoshe, and they spent the first few years of their marriage helping Cy’s mother run the bar and restaurant and meat store in Kramer.
Cy and Toots eventually moved to Williston, where their oldest son, Mark, was born. At the time, Cy and his business partner ran a candy business selling and delivering candy to small towns and cities throughout eastern Montana and western North Dakota. After Williston, the family moved to Minot where son Jacques and daughter Jill were born. After World War II started, Cy and Toots relocated to Chicago where Cy worked in the trucking industry. They returned to Minot in 1949 and Cy took a chance on a new business venture, opening Magic City Beverage, a Budweiser Beer wholesale distributorship. Magic City Beverage continues to be run by Cy and Toots’ sons and grandsons, a thriving and vibrant part of Minot’s business economy.
The family attended Mass and the children attended school at St. Leo’s in Minot. In addition to 40-plus years of PTA, Toots was active in dinners, bake sales and fundraisers benefiting various charities and the Catholic school where her children attended. She was active in the Altar Guild and other church activities, and she was often a room mother, scout leader and dance chaperone, as well. Mark graduated from St. Leo’s, then Jacques was part of the first graduating class at Bishop Ryan in 1959, followed by Jill, Pat and Carla.
Cy and Toots were involved with Bishop Ryan from the very beginning, with Cy serving as chairman and chief fundraiser for the first Building Committee, raising the money to build Minot’s new Catholic high school. Later, Cy would go on to hold the position of president of the Bishop Ryan Foundation for many years, and son Jacques would also serve in that role.
Pat Limke was born February 2, 1939 in Sherwood, North Dakota. The son of David and Jean Limke, he was raised on a farm in Lansford along with his three brothers and two sisters. He graduated in 1957 from Lansford High School, and then from Minot State University in 1962 with degrees in Chemistry and Physical Education.
Jackie Sidener was born and raised in Lansford, the first of four girls and two boys for R.T. and Helen Sidener. Jackie graduated from Lansford High School in 1962 and received a teaching certificate from Minot State University.
Following college, Pat taught in Walhalla, North Dakota, for two years. He then taught in Munich, North Dakota, for six years, where Jackie also taught for two. Pat and Jackie were married on May 29, 1965.
The couple moved to Minot in 1970, with Pat as a science teacher and assistant boys’ basketball coach at Bishop Ryan High School and Jackie at the beginning of a 33-year career as a para-professional with the Minot Public Schools. After one year in the classroom, Pat was appointed as Bishop Ryan’s principal, and during that time, he completed his Master’s degree in administration through Northern State University. He served as Superintendent at Bishop Ryan until 1985.
Pat returned to his alma mater and spent five years as the Superintendent in Lansford before purchasing Northern Trophy and Engraving in 1990, a business that he owned and operated for 21 years.
Even while they spent many years watching over other children, Pat and Jackie were very involved in the lives of their five children, all graduates of Bishop Ryan, and now their 12 grandchildren, two who attend Bishop Ryan today. Their family includes:
-Gregory (BR ’85) and his wife, Brenda, and their children, Lauren and Brett
-Andrea (BR ’86) and her husband, Rick Hedberg, and their children, Mason and Madeline
-Grant (BR ’88) and his wife, Kristi (BR ’88) and their children, Grant, Grayson and Grady
-Garth (BR ’89) and his wife, Stephanie, and their children, Justin, Patrick, Tatum, Gannon and Carter
-David (BR ’98)
Pat and Jackie have been active members of the parish at St. Therese, Church of the Little Flower since 1970. Along with their Catholic faith, Catholic education and Bishop Ryan Catholic School have always and will always be an important part of their lives.
Gerald James Walsh was born May 4, 1928, the fourth child and first-born son of James and Magdalena (Frost) Walsh. Growing up near Minot, his elementary education took place in rural schools before he started at St. Leo’s High School, a member of the graduating class of 1946. During his first year of college at St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, he felt a call to the priesthood and transferred to Crosier Seminary in Onamia, Minnesota. After two years, he entered St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, completing courses in philosophy and theology. He was ordained by Bishop Lambert Hoch on Ascension Thursday, 1955, at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck.
His first assignments in the Bismarck diocese included the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, the Church of St. Boniface in Grenora, and the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Hanks. Following these temporary assignments, he was assigned to the Church of St. Patrick in Dickinson as parochial vicar.
In June 1959, Bishop Hilary Hacker assigned Monsignor Walsh to the Chancery Office as vice chancellor, and soon after, chancellor of the diocese, a post he kept for 11 years. In 1970, he returned to the Church of St. Patrick in Dickinson as pastor, and he remained there until 1983 when Bishop John Kinney assigned him to the Church of St. Pius V in New Salem and the Church of St. Mary, Queen of Peace in Almont.
It was during this time in south-central North Dakota that Bishop Kinney chose Monsignor Walsh as his vicar general, an office which he held from 1982-1993. In 1991, he was also asked to serve as director of priestly vocations and vicar for presbyters for the diocese, and that same year, His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, named him a Prelate of Honor to His Holiness with the title of Reverend Monsignor.
When Bishop Kinney moved to the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota in 1995, Monsignor Walsh was elected by the Diocesan College of Consultors as apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Bismarck. He remained in this office until the introduction and installation of Bishop Paul Zipfel in early 1997.
Among his notable honors, Monsignor Walsh was received as a member of the Equestrian Order of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in 1995 under the title of Knight Commander, and from 2006-2008, he served as national chaplain for the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.
He retired from active ministry in 1998, but during his winters in Tucson, Arizona, you would often find him helping in parishes on the weekends.
Monsignor Walsh passed away in Bismarck on September 22, 2015.