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Diocese of Fargo Dioecesis Fargensis
Catholic
Cathedral of St. Mary
Coat of arms
Location
Country	United States
Territory	30 counties in eastern North Dakota
Episcopal conference	United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Ecclesiastical region	Region VIII
Ecclesiastical province	Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Deaneries	8
Headquarters	5201 Bishops Blvd # A, Fargo, North Dakota 58104
Coordinates	46°52′38″N 96°47′22″W / 46.87722°N 96.78944°W / 46.87722; -96.78944
Statistics
Area	35,786 sq mi (92,690 km)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2021) 421,135 69,658 (16.5%)
Parishes	129
Schools	14
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	November 10, 1889 (135 years ago)
Cathedral	Cathedral of St. Mary
Patron saint	Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Secular priests	100, plus 7 religious priests
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	John Thomas Folda
Metropolitan Archbishop	Bernard Hebda
Vicar General	Joseph Goering
Map
Website
fargodiocese.org

The Diocese of Fargo (Latin: Dioecesis Fargensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern North Dakota in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

The mother church is the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo. As of 2023, the bishop of Fargo is John Folda.

History

The Dakotas area went through several Catholic jurisdictions before the creation of the Diocese of Fargo:

• Diocese of Saint Louis (1826 to 1837)
• Diocese of Dubuque (1837 to 1850)
• Diocese of Saint Paul (1850 to 1879)
• Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota (1879 to 1889)

1889 to 1900

The Diocese of Jamestown was erected on November 10, 1889, by Pope Leo XIII, taking the new state of North Dakota from the Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota. The pope named Reverend John Shanley of Saint Paul as bishop of Jamestown. The new diocese covered the entire state of North Dakota. St. James Church was designated the diocesan cathedral.

That same year, Shanley wrote the Fargo Argus defending Native Americans living on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. He denounced actions taken by local Indian agents that hurt the Chippewa/Ojibwe people and highlighted positive aspects of their culture.

Once in Fargo, Shanley purchased property for a new cathedral and started its construction. The basement was completed when a fire destroyed most of downtown Fargo in 1893. Shanley then donated most of the cathedral funds to reconstruct Fargo, delaying the cathedral completion until 1899. Shanley hosted the convention of Catholic Laymen in 1896.

On April 6, 1897, the Vatican renamed the Diocese of Jamestown as the Diocese of Fargo. At this time, the diocese contained 60 churches, 33 priests, 14 schools and one hospital.

1900 to 1970

By the time Shanley died in July 1909, the diocese had 106 priests, 225 churches, six academies, 34 schools and four hospitals.Pope Pius X named Reverend James O'Reilly of Saint Paul as the second bishop of Fargo in December 1909. At the same time, Pope Pius X moved all of western North Dakota from the Diocese of Fargo to the new Diocese of Bismarck.

O'Reilly died in 1934 after 25 years as bishop. The next bishop of Fargo was Aloisius Muench of Saint Paul, appointed by Pope Pius XI in 1935. After World War II, Muench spent much of his time on Vatican assignments in West Germany while still serving as bishop of Fargo. While Muench was in Europe, Pope Pius XII appointed Bishop Leo Dworschak of the Diocese of Rapid City to serve as apostolic administrator in Fargo. In 1947, Pius XII named Dworschak as auxiliary bishop in Fargo. Muench resigned in 1959 as bishop of Fargo after being elevated to the rank of cardinal; Pope John XXIII in 1960 named Dworschak as Muench's replacement.

1970 to present

After Dworschak retired in 1970, Pope Paul VI appointed Reverend Justin Driscoll, president of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, as the next bishop of Fargo. Driscoll died in 1984.

To replace Driscoll, Pope John Paul II named Auxiliary Bishop James Sullivan of the Diocese of Lansing as bishop of Fargo. During his tenure, Sullivan established the Fargo Catholic Schools Network and the Opening Doors, Opening Hearts evangelization program. He improved the financial condition of the diocese and funded the Priest Pension Plan through the Shepherd's Care Campaign. In 2001, John Paul II named Monsignor Samuel J. Aquila of Denver as coadjutor bishop of the diocese to assist Sullivan. When Sullivan resigned in 2002, Aquila automatically succeeded him as bishop of Fargo.

After Aquila was named archbishop of the Archdiocese of Denver in 2012, Pope Francis in 2013 named Monsignor John Folda of the Diocese of Lincoln to succeed him in Fargo. Folda, as of 2023, is the current bishop of Fargo.

Sex abuse

The diocese in 1998 removed Reverend Fernando Sayasaya from ministry at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Fargo after three teenage boys accused him of sexual abuse. Sayasaya went home to the Philippines in December 1998. In December 2002, he was charged with gross sexual imposition. The Vatican laicized Sayasaya in 2005. The Philippines ordered him extradited to the United States in 2010, but he wasn't arrested for seven more years. In 2017. In May 2018, 20 years after he was first accused, Sayasaya pleaded guilty in North Dakota and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In a 2010 article, the Grand Forks Herald discussed a sexual abuse case it had originally reported in March 1994. A Grand Forks man had accused Reverend John Smythe, on assignment from Ireland in the Diocese of Fargo, of sexually assaulting him in 1981 in Langdon when the man was 12 years old. When contacted in 1994 by the Herald, the vicar general for the diocese said they had sent Smythe away for treatment. However, by later 1994, Smythe was in prison in Northern Ireland for sexually assaulting children there. At that point, other alleged victims of Smythe in Langdon had come forward to the diocese.

In January 2020, the diocese published a list of 31 diocesan clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse of children, dating back to 1950. The list included Reverend Richard Sinner, brother of former North Dakota Governor George A. Sinner.

In July 2021, the diocese announced that the Diocese of Lansing had confirmed several credible sexual abuse allegations against Bishop Sullivan. While assigned as a priest at the Church of the Resurrection Parish in Lansing, Michigan, in the 1960s, Sullivan allegedly touched two young boys inappropriately and used sexual language with them. After the announcement, the John Paul II Catholic Schools network in Fargo renamed Sullivan Middle School as Sacred Heart Middle School.

In December 2022, a woman reported to the diocese that she had been sexually victimized by Reverend Neil Pfeifer, pastor of three churches in the Jamestown area, between January and March 2021 during counseling sessions. Frustrated with the pace of the diocese investigation, the woman filed charges against Pfeifer with the police in January 2023. Later that month, the diocese removed Pfeiffer from ministry. He was arrested February 2023, and charged with sexual exploitation by therapist. Pfeifer denied the charges. He was later accused of a similar offense in Logan County.

Bishops

Bishop of Jamestown

John Shanley (1889–1909)

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 diocesan priests who became bishops

• 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 the following departments:

• 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

Deaneries and parishes

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

• St. Joseph's Chapel, Minto

Deanery 1: South-East

Dean: Dale Lagodinski

Deanery 2: Fargo

Dean: Paul Duchschere

Deanery 3: Grand Forks

Dean: N/A

Deanery 4: North-East

Dean:N/A

Deanery 5: Devils Lake

Dean: Chad Wilhelm

Deanery 6: North-West

Dean: Frank Miller

Deanery 7: Jamestown-Valley City

Dean: Dennis Skonseng

Deanery 8: South-West

Dean: Wenceslaus Katanga

Education

As of 2023, the Diocese of Fargo has one high school and 13 primary and middle schools.

Schools

Former schools

The Diocese of Fargo operated Cardinal Muench Seminary, established in 1962, for the formation of men to the priesthood. The seminary closed in May 2011 due to increased costs and a lack of funding.

The following schools are closed:

• 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 background of the arms is a blue field. It contains a gold cross with a blue horseshoe. The background also displays a golden sheaf of wheat. Symbolism Blue and gold are the traditional colors of Mary, mother of Jesus. The horseshoe evokes William Fargo, founder of the pony express. The wheat sheaf honors the major crop of North Dakota, used to make the eucharist.

See also

• Catholic Church by country
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Ecclesiastical Province of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
• List of Catholic archdioceses (by country and continent)
• List of Catholic dioceses (alphabetical) (including archdioceses)
• List of Catholic dioceses (structured view) (including archdioceses)
• List of Catholic dioceses in the United States

Notes

1. ^ Annuario Pontificio (2022) via Catholic-Hierarchy.org

References

1. ^ "Diocese of Fargo". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. March 29, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
2. "Coat of Arms of Bishop John Folda".
3. Becklund, Scott. "The Making of Bishop Shanley", Fargo History Project, North Dakota State University
4. ^ Stelten, Leo. "History of the Diocese". Diocese of Fargo. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-06-08.
5. Brennan, Mary. "Bishop John Shanley". Collections of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
6. Lounsberry, Clement Augusts. "Founding of the Catholic Church in North Dakota". Early History of North Dakota.
7. Pace, Edward A., ed. (1922). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. XVII. New York: The Encyclopedia Press, Inc.
8. "Diocese of Fargo". GCatholic. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
9. "Bishop James O'Reilly". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
10. "Aloisius Joseph Cardinal Muench [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
11. Colman James, Colman James (1969). American Nuncio: Cardinal Aloisius Muench. Collegeville, Minnesota: Saint John's University Press. pp. xi.
12. "Bishop Justin Albert Driscoll". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
13. ^ "Bishop James S. Sullivan dies June 12". New Earth. June 2006. Archived from the original on 2009-03-08. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
14. "Archbishop Samuel Joseph Aquila [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
15. Lee, Stephen J. (February 19, 2002). "Police Looking for Former Fargo Priest Sayasaya Accused of Sexual Abuse". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
16. "Authorities Still Working to Bring Former Priest from Philippines". Associated Press. June 25, 2003. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
17. "Priest Extradited from Philippines Pleads Guilty to 2 Counts". Cache Valley Daily. May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
18. "Priest in Irish church abuse scandal had ties to North Dakota parishes". Grand Forks Herald. 2010-03-24. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
19. "North Dakota dioceses name 53 Catholic officials accused of sexually abusing children". Grand Forks Herald.
20. Kolpack, Dave (January 2, 2020). "North Dakota Dioceses Release List of Accused Clergy Members". Associated Press. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
21. MIller, Matthew (2 July 2021). "Lansing Diocese: Accusations that ex-bishop sexually abused two boys are 'credible'". Fox 47 News. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
22. "Sex abuse claims against ex-Fargo bishop credible, Sullivan Middle School renamed". KVRR Local News. 2021-07-02. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
23. Staff, Valley News Live- (2023-02-03). "UPDATE: Details on Jamestown priest arrested on sexual exploitation charges". www.valleynewslive.com. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
24. "Priest allegations reported to Diocese of Fargo before turning to law enforcement, attorney says". Jamestown Sun. 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
25. "Catholic Schools". Diocese of Fargo. Retrieved 2023-10-09.

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo Official Site

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo
Bishops	John Shanley James O'Reilly Aloisius Joseph Muench Leo Ferdinand Dworschak Justin Albert Driscoll James Stephen Sullivan Samuel J. Aquila John Folda
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of St. Mary (Fargo) Basilica St. James Basilica (Jamestown) Parishes Holy Spirit Catholic Church (Fargo) St. Michael's Church (Grand Forks) St. Stanislaus Church (Warsaw) Sts. Anne and Joachim Catholic Church (Fargo) Chapel St. Joseph's Chapel (Minto) Former St. Catherine's Church of Lomice, North Dakota (Whitman)
Education	High school Shanley High School (Fargo)
Priests	Raymond W. Lessard William Theodore Mulloy Vincent James Ryan
Catholicism portal

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo
• Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
• Catholic Church in North Dakota
• Christian organizations established in 1889
• 1889 establishments in Dakota Territory
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