Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo

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Diocese of Fargo Dioecesis Fargensis
St. Mary's Cathedral
Location
Country	United States
Territory	30 counties in eastern North Dakota
Ecclesiastical province	Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Deaneries	8
Headquarters	5201 Bishops Blvd # A, Fargo, ND 58104
Statistics
Area	35,786 sq mi (92,690 km2)
Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members)	(as of 2016) 412,669 71,548 (17.3%)
Parishes	131
Schools	14
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	November 10, 1889 (132 years ago)
Cathedral	Cathedral of St. Mary
Patron saint	Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception[1]
Secular priests	103
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	John Thomas Folda
Metropolitan Archbishop	Bernard Hebda Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Vicar General	Joseph Goering
Dean	Very Reverend Dale Lagodinski Very Reverend Paul Duchschere Very Reverend Chad Wilhelm Very Reverend Frank Miller Very Reverend Msgr. Dennis Skonseng Very Reverend Wenceslaus Katanga
Map
Website
fargodiocese.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo (Latin: Dioecesis Fargensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the American state of North Dakota.

Fargo is the episcopal see of the diocese. It is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The Cathedral parish of the diocese is the Cathedral of St. Mary.

History[]

The diocese was founded on November 10, 1889 by Pope Leo XIII as the Diocese of Jamestown. The name of the diocese was changed to the Diocese of Fargo on April 6, 1897, and the Diocese of Jamestown was made into a titular see.

It lost territory when the Diocese of Bismarck was established by Pope Pius X in 1909.^[2][3]

Bishops[]

Bishops of Fargo[]

The bishops who have served the Diocese of Fargo as diocesan bishop and their terms of service:

1. John Shanley (1889–1909)
2. James O'Reilly (1909–1934)
3. Aloisius Joseph Muench (1935–1959), appointed Apostolic Nuncio and Titular Archbishop (elevated to Cardinal in 1959)
4. Leo Ferdinand Dworschak (1960–1970)
5. Justin Albert Driscoll (1970–1984)
6. James Stephen Sullivan (1985–2002)
7. Samuel Joseph Aquila (2002–2012), appointed Archbishop of Denver
8. John Thomas Folda (2013–present)

Other bishops who once were priests of the Diocese of Fargo[]

• Raymond W. Lessard, appointed Bishop of Savannah in 1973
• William Theodore Mulloy, appointed Bishop of Covington in 1944
• Vincent James Ryan, appointed Bishop of Bismarck in 1940

Departments[]

The Diocese of Fargo operates a number of departments serving the various needs of the bishop and parishes. The departments include:

Parishes[]

A partial list of parishes of the Diocese of Fargo follows.

• St. Joseph's Chapel, Minto

Deanery 1: South-East[]

Dean: Very Reverend Dale Lagodinski

Deanery 2: Fargo[]

Dean: Very Reverend Paul Duchschere

Deanery 3: Grand Forks[]

Dean: N/A

Deanery 4: North-East[]

Dean:N/A

Deanery 5: Devils Lake[]

Dean: Very Reverend Chad Wilhelm

Deanery 6: North-West[]

Dean: Very Reverend Frank Miller

Deanery 7: Jamestown-Valley City[]

Dean: Very Reverend Msgr. Dennis Skonseng

Deanery 8: South-West[]

Dean: Very Reverend Wenceslaus Katanga

Education[]

Schools[]

School	Location	Established	Affiliation(s)
Primary and middle schools
Holy Family–St. Mary's Catholic School	Grand Forks	2005
Holy Spirit Catholic Elementary School	Fargo	1953
Nativity Elementary School	Fargo	1961	Sisters of the Presentation of Mary (former)
St. Alphonsus School	Langdon	1941
St. Ann's Native American Catholic Elementary School	Belcourt	1999	Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity
St. Catherine Elementary School	Valley City
St. John's Academy	Jamestown
St. Joseph Catholic School	Devils Lake	1957	Sisters of Mercy (former)
St. Michael's Catholic School	Devils Lake	1916	Sisters of St. Joseph (former)
St. Therese the Little Flower Catholic Elementary School	Rugby	1943
Sacred Heart Middle School	Fargo
Secondary schools
Shanley High School	Fargo	1882	De La Salle Christian Brothers (former) Presentation Sisters (former)

Former schools[]

The Diocese of Fargo operated Cardinal Muench Seminary, established in 1962, for the formation of men to the priesthood. The seminary was closed in May 2011 due to increased cost of operation and lack of funding.^[4]

• St. Alphonsus High School
• St. Mary's Elementary School

Coat of arms[]

Coat of arms of Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo

Notes Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected Adopted 1897 Escutcheon The arms of the diocese are composed of a blue field on which is placed a gold cross, that reaches to the four edges of the design. Upon the cross is a blue horseshoe and in the upper left of the diocesan arms (chief dexter) is a golden garb of wheat also known as a "wheatsheaf." Symbolism The entire design is rendered in blue and gold, the traditional colors of the Blessed Virgin Mary, titular of the Cathedral-Church in the See City which was named for W.G. Fargo who started the "pony express," symbolized by the horseshoe at the center of the design. In the upper left is a golden wheatsheaf, in heraldry known as a "garb," to signify the major crop of the State of North Dakota, and the material used to make "the Bread of Life," the most blessed Eucharist.

Accusations of clergy sexual abuse[]

On January 2, 2020, the Diocese of Fargo unveiled the names of 31 clergy who, since 1950, were "credibly accused" of sexually abusing children while serving in the Diocese.^[5] Among those named were Rev Richard Sinner, brother of former North Dakota Governor George A. Sinner.^[6] Rev. Richard Sinner was an outspoken activist for aiding Central American refugees, abolishing nuclear weapons, and promoting music and song.^[7]

See also[]

Notes[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo.

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo Official Site

Coordinates: 46°52′38″N 96°47′22″W / 46.87722°N 96.78944°W / 46.87722; -96.78944