The Rev. Paul Sirba, who in July was appointed vicar general of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, got another promotion this week.

He was named the new bishop of the Duluth Diocese.

At first, Sirba thought the call from Rome was a joke, said the Duluth News Tribune. Apparently he's got priest friends who like to tease.

But it was real, and the 49-year-old Sirba — who before the vicar general job had been spiritual director at the St. Paul Seminary — will replace Archbishop Dennis Schnurr, who was named coadjutor of Cincinnati a year ago.

Said the paper:

Sirba, a Bloomington, Minn., native, said he has spent a lot of time in the Northland. His eldest brother, the Rev. Joseph Sirba, is a long-serving priest in the Duluth diocese at St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Longville.

Sirba said he likes to hike and travel and credits his family with helping him choose the religious path he took as a senior in college. He plans to take time to get to know the parishes of the diocese and the priests, deacons and parishioners.