James Sean Wall is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 prelate

Prelate

A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...

 of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

. He currently serves as Bishop of Gallup

Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southwestern region of the United States, encompassing counties in the states of Arizona and New Mexico and and parts of Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Bernalillo, and Valencia Counties west...

.

Early life and education

James Wall was born on the Navajo Nation

Navajo Nation

The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...

 in Ganado

Ganado, Arizona

Ganado is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,505 at the 2000 census.Ganado is part of the Navajo Nation...

, Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, to James and Joan (née Hamilton) Wall. His parents converted to Catholicism

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 after coming into contact with two Franciscan friar

Friar

A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...

s. One of six children, he has three sisters, Toni, Shani, and Kelly, and two brothers, Scott and Craig. He graduated from Chandler High School

Chandler High School (Chandler, Arizona)

Chandler High School is a high school located in Chandler, Arizona, United States. One of the oldest high schools in Arizona, it was founded in 1912, the year in which Chandler was founded and Arizona became a state....

 in 1983 and attended Arizona State University

Arizona State University

Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...

, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in History

History

History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

 in 1993.

Wall then studied at St. John's Seminary

St. John's Seminary (California)

St. John's Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary located in Camarillo, California. It is within the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The seminarians prepare for assignments in dioceses as well as religious orders. St. John's offers the Master of Divinity degree as a...

 in Camarillo

Camarillo, California

Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at the 2000 census. The Ventura Freeway Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, earning a Master's in Divinity

Master of Divinity

In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...

 in 1998. He also studied at the Liturgical Institute of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary

University of Saint Mary of the Lake

University of Saint Mary of the Lake, also called Mundelein Seminary, is the principal seminary and school of theology for the formation of priests in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, governed from Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It is recognized as the first institution of higher...

 in Mundelein

Mundelein, Illinois

Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 31,064.-History:The community now known as Mundelein has been inhabited since at least 1650, when the Potowatami Indians were known to have been trading with French fur traders....

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

.

Priesthood

Wall was ordained

Holy Orders

The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....

 to the priesthood

Priesthood (Catholic Church)

The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....

 by Bishop Thomas O'Brien

Thomas J. O'Brien (bishop)

Thomas Joseph O'Brien is a former American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Phoenix from 1982 to 2003.-Early life and ministry:...

 on June 6, 1998. He then served as parochial vicar

Curate

A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...

 at St. Theresa Parish in Phoenix

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

 until 2001, and at St. Timothy Parish in Mesa

Mesa, Arizona

According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...

 from 2001 to 2002.

In 2002, Wall became pastor

Pastor

The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

 of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Phoenix. He remained at St. Thomas until his appointment to the diocesan chancery

Curia (Roman Catholic Church)

In Roman Catholicism, a curia consists of a group of officials who assist in the governance of a particular Church. These curias range from the relatively simple diocesan curia, to the larger patriarchal curias, to the Roman Curia, which is the central government of the Catholic Church.Other...

 as Vicar

Vicar general

A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...

 for Priests in 2007. In addition to his pastoral duties, he also served as Administrator pro tempore of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish (2007) and Director of the Mount Claret Retreat Center (2008-2009).

From 2003 to 2007, he was a member of the National Advisory Council for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...

.

Episcopal career

On February 5, 2009, Wall was appointed the fourth Bishop of Gallup

Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southwestern region of the United States, encompassing counties in the states of Arizona and New Mexico and and parts of Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Bernalillo, and Valencia Counties west...

, New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

, by Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

.

Bishop Wall took over the diocese

Diocese

A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

 after its former bishop, Donald Edmond Pelotte

Donald Edmond Pelotte

Donald E. Pelotte, SSS was the third Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico. He was the first person of Native American descent to become a Catholic bishop in the United States; Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., is the only active American diocesan bishop of...

, resigned having previously been granted a one year leave of absence beginning in January 2008, to recover from a fall he suffered on July 23, 2007. Thomas J. Olmsted

Thomas J. Olmsted

Thomas Olmsted is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fourth and current Bishop of Phoenix, having previously served as Bishop of Wichita from 2001 to 2003.-Early life:...

, Bishop of Phoenix, was appointed apostolic administrator sede plena by Pope Benedict for the duration of Bishop Pelotte's absence. On 30 April 2008 the Pope Benedict accepted the resignation from the pastoral government of the Diocese of Gallup, presented by Bishop Pelotte, in accordance with canon 401 § 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

Bishop Wall took canonical possession of the Diocese at his consecration and installation on 23 April 2009.

Bishop Wall was the second youngest US Bishop at the age of 44 (Bishop Cantú

Oscar Cantu

Oscar Cantú is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the Auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio...

is the youngest) and the youngest in charge of a diocese.