The Most Rev. William M. Joensen, Ph.D. was ordained and installed as the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines on Sept. 27, 2019. 

Born in 1960, Bishop Joensen completed studies at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio in 1989 and earned a doctorate in philosophy at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 2001. 

He was a member of the philosophy faculty at Loras College, where he served in a variety of roles, including dean of campus spiritual life.  In addition to assisting with various regional health care-related ethics committees, then-Father Joensen participated for 12 summers as a faculty member for the Tertio Millennio Seminar in Krakow, Poland, which draws young adults from the United States, Poland, and eastern and central Europe, exploring Catholic social teaching in the spirit of St. John Paul II.