He was ordained Aug. 4, 1973, at his home parish, Blessed Sacrament Church in Denver, Colorado, by Denver Archbishop James Casey.

Today, he is the bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City, which includes Catholic parishes in Webster County and all of its surrounding counties.

Nickless was ordained the bishop of the Diocese of Sioux City Jan. 20, 2006, at Nativity Church in Sioux City, by Dubuque Archbishop Jerome Hanus. He adopted the motto, “Speak the truth in love” for his episcopacy.

“It’s gone very, very fast. When I was a young priest or a young seminarian, I never thought that I’d be here 50 years later talking about that when it seems like I just began,” he said of his 50th anniversary.

He noted that his brother priests have been great role models for him throughout his ministry as “they’ve helped me get to 50 years as a priest because they’ve paved the way before me by their example, their dedication, their commitment.”

“I’ve been inspired by the young priests that I’ve been privileged to ordain here in the Diocese of Sioux City,” he said. “I’ve been blessed and privileged to ordain 15.”

As the bishop is waiting for Pope Francis to name his replacement so that he can pass the torch to his successor, he has advice for priests in active ministry from his half-century of priestly ministry.

“Be faithful to your promises,” he said. “Be faithful to what you promise and the Lord will be faithful to you … Teach what the church teaches, but do it in love and care for each individual person that you know is going to hear this. So be gentle in that speech, but speak the truth and not be afraid.”

“You have to be a joyful person … young people, young men need to see priests happy and joyful, not sad,” he added.