Diocese of Bismarck

Established on December 31, 1909, when it was carved out of the Diocese of Fargo, Bismarck covers the western half of North Dakota — roughly 34,000 square miles across 23 counties — and is home to about 100 parishes. Its first bishop, Vincent de Paul Wehrle, was a Benedictine monk from Assumption Abbey, a connection that shaped the diocese's monastic character; two Benedictine women's monasteries still operate here today. The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, dedicated in 1945, is considered one of the only art deco cathedrals in the country.