Archbishop John Nienstedt has an­noun­ced the appointment of Father David McCauley as interim director of the Minnesota Catholic Con­fer­ence. He replaces Christ­opher Leifeld.

A native of St. Paul, Father Mc­Cau­ley was or­dained in 1963 for the Diocese of Fargo, N.D., where he served in pastoral and campus minis­try. He served as pastor of Nati­v­ity in Fargo from 1981 until 1995, when he re­­turn­ed to St. Paul to become exe­cutive director of the Minnesota Cath­olic Conference, which is the public policy and advocacy voice of Minne­sota’s Catholic bishops.

He served as director for six years and returned to parish ministry in the archdiocese. He served St. Amb­rose in Woodbury, Mary, Queen of Peace in Rogers, St. Rita in Cottage Grove and retired as pastor of St. Pascal Baylon parish in 2009.

Father McCauley will serve as in­ter­im director of MCC while a na­tion­al search for a new executive director is being conducted.