Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo

The Diocese of Fargo (Latin: Dioecesis Fargensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in North Dakota, United States. The cathedra is found within the Cathedral of St. Mary, in the episcopal see of Fargo. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Diocese of Fargo

Dioecesis Fargensis
Cathedral of St. Mary
Coat of arms
Location
CountryUnited States
Territory30 counties in eastern North Dakota
Ecclesiastical provinceSaint Paul and Minneapolis
Deaneries8
Headquarters5201 Bishops Blvd # A, Fargo, ND 58104
Statistics
Area35,786 sq mi (92,690 km2)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2016)
412,669
71,548 (17.3%)
Parishes131
Schools14
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
EstablishedNovember 10, 1889 (133 years ago)
CathedralCathedral of St. Mary
Patron saintOur Lady of the Immaculate Conception[1]
Secular priests103
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopJohn Thomas Folda
Metropolitan ArchbishopBernard Hebda
Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Vicar GeneralJoseph Goering
DeanVery 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

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
  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

Departments

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

  • Archives
  • Catholic Education and Formation Office (CEF)
  • Catholic Schools
  • Cemeteries
  • Communications
  • Evangelization
  • Catechesis
  • Finance
  • Human Resources
  • Marriage & Family Life
  • Marriage Tribunal
  • Properties Management
  • Respect Life
  • Stewardship & Development
  • Technology
  • Youth & Young Adult
Shanley High School, Fargo

Parishes

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

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
  1. "Coat of Arms of Bishop John Folda".
  2. "Diocese of Fargo". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  3. "Diocese of Fargo". GCatholic. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  4. Cardinal Muench Seminary Closed, cardinalmuench.org
  5. "North Dakota dioceses name 53 Catholic officials accused of sexually abusing children". Grand Forks Herald.
  6. "Former North Dakota governor's brother on list of clergy accused of sexually abusing children". Grand Forks Herald.
  7. https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/the-rev-richard-sinner-activist-priest-and-brother-of-governor/article_c714a977-acc2-58e1-8835
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