The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck is a Roman Catholic

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...

 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...

 in North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

. It was founded on December 31, 1909. It is part of the ecclesiastical province of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is led by the prelature of an archbishop which administers the archdiocese from the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis...

, which is headquartered in the twin cities

Twin cities

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 of Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

 and St. Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

.

The past bishop

Bishop

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s of the diocese are:

• John Baptist Vincent de Paul Wehrle
  John Baptist Vincent de Paul Wehrle
  John Baptist Vincent de Paul Wehrle, O.S.B. was a Swiss-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Bismarck .-Biography:...
  
   (1910–1939)
• Vincent James Ryan
  Vincent James Ryan
  Vincent James Ryan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Bismarck from 1940 until his death in 1951.-Biography:...
  
   (1939–1951)
• Lambert Anthony Hoch
  Lambert Anthony Hoch
  Lambert Anthony Hoch was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Bismarck and Bishop of Sioux Falls .-Biography:...
  
   (1952–1956)
• Hilary Baumann Hacker
  Hilary Baumann Hacker
  Hilary Baumann Hacker was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Bismarck from 1957 to 1982.Hacker was born to Emil and Sophia Hacker in New Ulm, Minnesota. He attended Holy Trinity High School for two years before entering Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary. He studied at St...
  
   (1956–1982)
• John Francis Kinney
  John Francis Kinney
  John Francis Kinney is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the ninth and current Bishop of St. Cloud.-Biography:...
  
   (1982–1995)
• Paul Albert Zipfel (1996-2011)
• David D. Kagan
  David Kagan
  David Dennis Kagan is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the seventh and current bishop of Bismarck.-Early life and education:...
  
   (2011- )

Diocesan area

The Bismarck diocese covers 23 western North Dakota counties, over 253,000 people, and over 34000 square miles (88,059.6 km²). 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 High School
  Bishop Ryan High School is a Catholic high school in Minot, North Dakota. It is located in the Diocese of Bismarck, and is a part of Minot Catholic Schools. The school opened in 1959, replacing St. Leo's, and was named for Vincent James Ryan, the second bishop of the diocese...
  
  , Minot
• St. Mary's Central High School
  St. Mary's Central High School
  St. Mary's Central High School is an accredited Catholic high school located in Bismarck, North Dakota. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck. It currently serves about 367 students an is a member of the Bismarck Catholic Schools. The athletic teams are known as the "The Saints"...
  
  , Bismarck
• Trinity High School
  Trinity High School (Dickinson, North Dakota)
  Trinity High School is a Roman Catholic high school located in Dickinson, North Dakota. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck...
  
  , Dickinson

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck home page