The Diocese of Bismarck ( la, Dioecesis Bismarckiensis) is a

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ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associ ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

. The current

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the diocese is Bishop David Kagan. It is a suffragan diocese in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The

see city See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

for the diocese is Bismarck. The

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of the diocese is

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, alternatively known as the ''St. Esprit Cathedral'' ( Turkish: ''Saint Esprit Kilisesi''), located on Cumhuriyet Avenue, 127/A, in the quarter of Pangaltı in Şişli district, the former Harbiye, between Taksi ...

. The diocese encompasses 24 North Dakota counties: Adams, Billings, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Divide, Dunn, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Oliver, Renville, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Ward and Williams counties (along with the western part of Bottineau County).

History

On December 31, 1909 Saint Pius X established the Diocese of Bismarck. Its territory was taken from the Diocese of Fargo.

Accusations of clergy sexual abuse

On January 2, 2019, the Diocese of Bismarck released the names of 22 Catholic clergy who, since 1950, were accused of committing acts of sex abuse while serving in the Diocese of Bismarck.

Bishops

The list of bishops of the diocese and their terms of service: #

John Baptist Vincent de Paul Wehrle Vincent de Paul Wehrle, O.S.B., (December 19, 1855 – November 2, 1941) was a Swiss-born Benedictine monk and prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. His birth name was Johann Baptist Wehrle. Wehrle served as the first bishop of the new Diocese o ...

O.S.B. , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

(1910–1939) #

Vincent James Ryan Vincent James Ryan (July 1, 1884 – November 10, 1951) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota from 1940 until his death. Biography Early life The fourth of five chi ...

(1940–1951) #

Lambert Anthony Hoch Lambert Anthony Hoch (February 6, 1903 – June 27, 1990) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Bismarck (1952–1956) and Bishop of Sioux Falls (1956–1978). Biography Early life Lambert Hoch was ...

(1952–1956), appointed Bishop of Sioux Falls #

Hilary Baumann Hacker Hilary Baumann Hacker (January 10, 1913 – November 6, 1990) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota from 1957 to 1982. Biography Early life Hilary Hacker was b ...

(1956–1982) #

John Francis Kinney John Francis Kinney (June 11, 1937 – September 27, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud in Minnesota from 1995 to 2013. Kinney previously served as the fifth ...

(1982–1995), appointed Bishop of Saint Cloud #

Paul Albert Zipfel Paul Albert Zipfel (September 22, 1935 – July 14, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota from 1997 to 2011. Zipfel served as an auxiliary bisho ...

(1996–2011) # David D. Kagan (2011–Present)

Other priests of this diocese who became Bishops

Sylvester William Treinen Sylvester William Treinen (November 19, 1917 – September 30, 1996) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Boise in Idaho from 1962 to 1988. Biography Early life Sylvester Treinen was ...

, appointed Bishop of Boise City in 1962 *

Austin Anthony Vetter Austin Anthony Vetter (born September 13, 1967) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, Diocese of Helena in Montana since 2019. Biography ...

, appointed Bishop of Helena in 2019

Diocesan officers

*Bishop *Chancellor *Financial Officer *Judicial Vicar *Vicar General

Diocesan area

The Bismarck diocese covers 23 western North Dakota counties, over 253,000 people, and over . The diocese ministers to approximately 66,400 Catholic church members.

Diocesan offices

The diocese has 17 offices, including: *Canonical Affairs *Chancery *Communication *Faith Formation *Family Ministry *Fiscal & Properties Management *Insurance & Risk Management *Missionary Activity *Permanent Diaconate *Protecting the Children *Publications & Promotions *Stewardship and Development *Vocations *Worship *Youth Ministry

Diocesan consultative groups

*Corporate Board *Expansion Fund Board *Finance Council *Permanent Diaconate Commission *Priests' Benefit Association *Priests' Personnel Board *Presbyterial Council

High schools

Bishop Ryan High School Bishop Ryan Catholic School is a PK–12 private, Roman Catholic, co-educational school in Minot, North Dakota, United States. It was established in 1958 and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck. It was named for Vincent James Ry ...

, Minot * St. Mary's Central High School, Bismarck *

Trinity High School Trinity High School is the name of high schools: United Kingdom * Trinity High School, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland * Trinity High School, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland * Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre, in Redditch, England *Trini ...

, Dickinson

Notes

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of BismarckRoman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck Official Site-archives
Bismarck Christian organizations established in 1909

Diocese of Bismarck The Diocese of Bismarck ( la, Dioecesis Bismarckiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in North Dakota. The current bishop of the diocese is Bishop David Kagan. It is a suffragan diocese in the eccles ...

Bismarck Bismarck {{NorthDakota-stub