The Diocese of Great Falls–Billings () is a Latin Church diocese of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

eastern Montana Eastern Montana is a loosely defined region of Montana. Some definitions are more or less inclusive than others, ranging from the most inclusive, which would include the entire part of the state east of the Continental Divide, to the least inclusiv ...

in the United States. The Diocese of Great Falls was established in 1904; it became the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings in 1980. The bishop of Great Falls-Billings is Jeffrey Fleming. The diocese has two cathedrals: St Ann's Cathedral in Great Falls, dedicated in 1907, and St Patrick's Co-Cathedral in

Billings Billings is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billin ...

, dedicated in 1908.

History

1800 to 1883

The earliest Catholic presence in present-day Montana was the arrival of Catholic

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

/Haudenosaunee fur traders who settled with the Flathead Nation in

western Montana Western Montana is the western region of the U.S. state of Montana. The most restrictive definition limits western Montana only to the parts of the state west of the Continental Divide. Other common definitions add in the mountainous areas east o ...

around 1811. After hearing about Catholic missionaries from the Iroquois visitors, the Flathead nation sent emissaries to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, four times in the 1830s to petition the Diocese of St. Louis for their own missionaries. At that time, the diocese was responsible for large territories east of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

. Finally, in 1840, the Diocese of St. Louis sent missionary Reverend

Pierre-Jean de Smet Pierre-Jean De Smet, SJ ( ; 30 January 1801 – 23 May 1873), also known as Pieter-Jan De Smet, was a Flemish Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is known primarily for his widespread missionary work in the mid-19t ...

to Montana. Encouraged by his reception by the Flathead Nation, de Smet returned the following year to establish missions. The missions founded by Jesuit missionaries in eastern Montana included: * St. Xavier's Mission in St. Xavier for the

Crow Nation The Crow, whose autonym is Apsáalooke (), are Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana. Today, the Crow people have a federally recognized tribe, the Crow Tribe of Montana, with an Indian reservation, the Crow Indian Reservati ...

(1840) * St. Peter's Mission near

Cascade Cascade, or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science * Air shower (physics), a cascade (particle shower) of subatomic particles and ionized nuclei ** Particle shower, a cascade of secondary particles produced as the result of a high ...

for

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

settlers from Canada (1874)

1883 to 1900

In 1883,

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

erected the Apostolic Vicariate of Montana, including eastern Montana, with territory taken from the Diocese of St. Louis. He appointed Bishop

Jean-Baptiste Brondel Jean-Baptiste Brondel (23 February 1842 – 3 November 1903) was a Belgian-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Vancouver Island in British Columbia and Alaska (1879–1883) and as vicar apostolic and b ...

of the

Diocese of Vancouver Island The Diocese of Victoria () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its episcopal see is in Victoria. The diocese encompasses all of Vancouver Island and several ne ...

as the apostolic vicar. One year later, the same pope created the Diocese of Helena to replace the vicariate. Eastern Montana would be part of the Diocese of Helena for the next 21 years. In 1884, Brondel purchased land in present-day Ashland to found the St. Labre Indian School, staffed by Ursuline Order sisters. The first Catholic parish in

, St. Patrick's, was established in 1887.

1900 to 1930

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

erected the Diocese of Great Falls on May 18, 1904, taking eastern Montana from the Diocese of Helena. The pope named Reverend Mathias Lenihan from the

Diocese of Dubuque The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States. The Diocese of Dubuque was erected in 1837 and ...

as the first bishop of the new diocese. Lenihan served as bishop for 26 years. He was involved in temperance reform, building the

parochial school A parochial school is a private school, private Primary school, primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathem ...

system, and constructing a new cathedral. The new St. Ann Cathedral in Great Falls was dedicated in 1907. Lenihan was instrumental in establishing an

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Providence. In 1913, Lenihan introduced Benedictine sisters from Germany to minister to minister in Poplar to Native Americans at the

Fort Peck Indian Reservation The Fort Peck Indian Reservation (, ) is located near Fort Peck, Montana, in the northeast part of the state. It is the home of several federally recognized bands of Assiniboine, Lakota, and Dakota peoples of Native Americans. With a total ...

. The diocese also established several new parishes during his episcopate. Lenihan retired in 1930.

1930 to 1980

The second bishop of Great Falls was Reverend Edwin O'Hara from the

Diocese of Oregon City The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (''Archidioecesis Portlandensis in Oregonia'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western Oregon in the United States. Established in 1846, it was the second Catholic archdiocese establi ...

, named by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

in 1930. Concerned at the lack of doctrinal education among rural Catholic children, O'Hara introduced the

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) is an association established in Rome in 1562 for the purpose of providing religious education. In modern usage, it refers to the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., which owns the copyright on t ...

(CCD) program in the diocese in 1930. O'Hara worked to implement CCD throughout his diocese and the United States. His efforts led to a revitalization of CCD and rapid adoption of it throughout the country. O'Hara then promoted the establishment of CCD neighborhood groups of four to six adults to study a single work for eight weeks, twice a year. By 1934, more than 400 adult CCD groups existed in the diocese. The movement spread nationwide, with tens of thousands of adult groups. O'Hara became bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City in 1939. To replace O'Hara,

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

appointed Monsignor William Condon from the Diocese of Spokane. Condon retired in 1967. His replacement was Auxiliary Bishop Eldon Schuster of Great Falls, named bishop by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

that same year. Shuster retired in 1977.In 1978, Reverend Thomas Murphy of the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. The Vatican erected it as a diocese in 1843 and elevated it to an ar ...

was appointed bishop of Great Falls-Billings by Paul VI.

1980 to 2010

On February 14, 1980,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

renamed the Diocese of Great Falls to the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings to reflect the population growth in Billings. In 1987, Murphy became the

coadjutor archbishop The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

of the

Archdiocese of Seattle The Archdiocese of Seattle () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in western Washington State in the United States. The diocese was known as the Diocese of Nesqually from 1850 to 1907. The mother ch ...

. To replace Murphy in Great Falls-Billings, John Paul II appointed Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Milone from the

Archdiocese of Omaha The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Omaha () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern Nebraska in the United States. Archbishop Michael George McGovern was installed on May 7, 2025. As of 2017, th ...

. In 2005, the Northern Cheyenne Nation sued the St. Labre Indian School in Ashland and the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. The plaintiff alleged that both organizations used the tribe's poverty to raise millions of dollars, but shared almost none of it with the nation. The lawsuit claimed

breach of contract Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other part ...

, cultural genocide,

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

, and unjust enrichment. Murphy retired early in 2006 due to health concerns.

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

then named Bishop Michael Warfel from the Diocese of Juneau as the next bishop of Great Falls-Billings.

2010 to present

In 2013, the

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the supreme court, highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court w ...

reversed parts of a lower court ruling dismissing the Northern Cheyenne suit. However, the Supreme Court did say that the Northern Cheyenne had failed to prove allegations of breach of contract,

negligent misrepresentation In common law jurisdictions, a misrepresentation is a false or misleading'' R v Kylsant'' 931/ref> statement of fact made during negotiations by one party to another, the statement then inducing that other party to enter into a contract. The m ...

, fraud and wrongful conversion. The court also out claims of cultural genocide. The Northern Cheyenne and St. Labre School reached an out-of-court settlement in December 2014. The school agreed to pay the nation $6 million in 2014, $1 million per year from 2015 to 2019, and $60,000 per year beginning in 2020. In early 2016, the diocese created the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings Juridic Persons Capital Assets Support Corporation (the "Capital Assets Support Corporation", or CASC), a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization. The diocese then transferred most of its cash and assets to CASC by the end of 2016. Critics accused the diocese of trying to protect the church's assets from victim claims by transferring them to an organization it controlled. In March 2017, the diocese filed for Chapter 11

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

in the light of multiple lawsuits for sexual abuse of minors by clergy. In July 2018, Warfel reprimanded two priests from the diocese. The priests, wearing clerical garb, had attended a political rally in Great Falls for President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. The rally organizers had seated the two priests in highly visible positions in the first row behind the podium. The priests were seen clapping when Trump joked about the

MeToo movement #MeToo is a social movement and Consciousness raising, awareness campaign against sexual abuse, sexual harassment and rape culture, in which women publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was init ...

and when he referred derisively to U.S. Senator

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...

as "

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

". Warfel later told the priests that they should have worn civilian clothes to the rally and should have requested less visible seats. Warfel retired in 2023. Jeffrey M. Fleming, who had served as coadjutor bishop of the diocese since April 19, 2022, automatically became its bishop on August 22, 2023.

Sexual abuse

In 2012, the first of several sexual abuse lawsuits was filed against the diocese, alleging abuse of both boys and girls by diocesan clergy and employees. Over 60

plaintiffs A plaintiff ( Π in legal shorthand) is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an ''action'') before a court. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy. If this search is successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the ...

had joined the suits by April 2015. By 2017, the diocese faced more than 400 potential sexual abuse lawsuits. In March 2017, just weeks before the first sexual abuse trials were to begin, the diocese filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

. The diocese then agreed to compensate 72 plaintiffs in the lawsuits and establish a fund to compensate future unknown victims. In response, the alleged victims and other church creditors sued the diocese in January 2018. They alleged that the diocese illegally triggered its bankruptcy by creating CASC, in what they termed as a fraudulent attempt to hide $16 million assets. The victims also argued that the assets of 14 of the 50 parishes should be considered diocesan assets and subject to entailment. In response to this lawsuit, the diocese filed a motion to dismiss its bankruptcy proceeding. Another 14 victims came forward after the bankruptcy filing. In April 2018, the diocese and the sexual abuse victims announced a new bankruptcy plan and settlement, with terms similar to the 2015 bankruptcy filing by the Diocese of Helena. In addition, the Great Falls-Billings plan also required the diocese to begin "intensive background checks and screening of potential seminarians" and to publish a list of all known abusers, past and present, that were named in the lawsuits. A federal court approved the new Great Falls-Billings bankruptcy plan in August 2018. The diocese would pay $20 million to 86 alleged victims, setting aside another $1.75 million to cover administrative costs and to compensate f victims who came forward in the future. The 86 victims were to receive their payments within a month. The $20 million was to come from the following sources: * Catholic Mutual, the diocese's liability insurer ($8 million) * The diocese ($4 million) * Individual parishes ($4 million) * CASC ($2 million) * The Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana ($1 million) * St. Labre Indian School ($1 million) In November 2018, Reverend Lothar Krauth, a retired priest from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Great Falls, was arrested on charges of possessing

child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...

. Receiving a tip from the

US Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions involv ...

, local police found thousands of images of young children engaged in sexual activity in Krauth's residence. He pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography in April 2019 and was sentenced in October 2019 to five years in prison.

Bishops

Bishops of Great Falls

# Mathias Clement Lenihan (1904-1930) #

Edwin Vincent O'Hara Edwin Vincent O'Hara (September 6, 1881 – September 11, 1956) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls in Montana from 1930 to 1939 and bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City in Mi ...

(1930-1939), appointed Bishop of Kansas City; later elevated to

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

(ad personam) in 1954 # William Joseph Condon (1939-1967) # Eldon Bernard Schuster (1967-1977) # Thomas Joseph Murphy (1978-1980), title changed with title of diocese

Bishops of Great Falls-Billings

# Thomas Joseph Murphy (1980-1987), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Seattle and subsequently succeeded to that see # Anthony Michael Milone (1987-2006) # Michael William Warfel (2007–2023) # Jeffrey M. Fleming (2023–present), coadjutor from 2022

Former auxiliary bishops

Eldon Bernard Schuster (1961-1967), appointed Bishop of Great Falls

Education

High Schools

As of 2025, the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings operates three high schools: *

Billings Central Catholic High School Billings Central Catholic High School is a private, Catholic high school in Billings, Montana, United States. It is one of three Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Great Falls–Billings. Background Billings Central Catholic opened in 1944 ...

– Billings *

Great Falls Central Catholic High School Great Falls Central Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the List of cities and towns in Montana, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cas ...

– Great Falls * St. Labre High School – Ashland, is a mission school for members of the Northern Cheyenne and Crow tribes

University

University of Providence The University of Providence (UP, formerly University of Great Falls) is a private Catholic university in Great Falls, Montana, United States. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History The University of ...

– Great Falls, sponsored by the Sisters of Providence

Hospitals

As of 2025, the diocese has two Catholic acute-care hospitals, both operated by Intermountain Health: * Holy Rosary Hospital – Miles City, * St. Vincent Regional Hospital – Billings

References

Notes

Citations

Arms

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings Great Falls Diocese of Great Falls Christian organizations established in 1904 Great Falls Great Falls 1904 establishments in Montana Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017