St. Mary's Catholic Church
825 E Broadway Ave.
Bismarck, Burleigh County, North Dakota 58501
825 E Broadway Ave.
Bismarck, Burleigh County, North Dakota 58501
History of St. Mary’s church
Saint Mary’s was the first church built in Bismarck in 1875. The church’s humble beginnings started with remnants of a tornado-damaged church that were shipped by rail from Detroit Lakes, Minn. Construction began in the fall of 1874 and continued through the spring of 1875 on the building, which was originally located on the corner of Main and Mandan Street.
That first church was originally known as the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and later became known as the Church of St. Mary. In 1877, Father Chrysostom Foffa, a Benedictine priest who had founded a Catholic mission on the Standing Rock Reservation in 1876, moved from Fort Yates to Bismarck and became the first resident pastor of St. Mary’s. With the arrival of a resident pastor, the parish was thus officially established in 1877.
In the early 1880s, St. Mary’s membership was approximately 30 families. The pews and altar were made by a parish member. To raise money for the first church organ, the early parishioners gathered for a quilt raffle and a church supper. An altar society was formed, and each member was obligated to donate 50 cents quarterly to help defray the costs.
By 1890, the parish was flourishing. With its population growth, the local parishioners began to call for a new church. Father Clement Dimpfl, who arrived in 1896, immediately acquired land for a new church located on 8th Street and Broadway. The church was built and dedicated in 1898 at a cost of $12,000. This is the present church today.
The church is adorned with beautiful stained-glass windows. The most expensive window was placed over the original entrance of the church. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, portraying the image of the Miraculous Medal. It was donated by Medora, the widow of the famous Marquis de Mores.
The parish served as the pro-cathedral until the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit was built and completed on Raymond Street in west Bismarck in 1945 and maintained the title until 1953. On Sept. 8, 2020, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bishop Kagan granted permission for St. Mary’s to resume the pro-cathedral title. In 2027, the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary will celebrate 150 years as a parish—the first parish in the diocese to reach this milestone.
Saint Mary’s has had many dedicated pastors over the years, but the longest tenure was that of Msgr. Robert Feehan, who came to St. Mary’s in 1933 and served for almost 50 years. He died in the rectory from heart failure on Sept. 9, 1981, at the age of 83. Fathers Ted Gustin and Charlie Heidt were also long-time pastors at St. Mary’s.
Today, the parish has a membership of 1,011 households served by pastor, Fr. Jared Johnson, who has been there since 2018. He announced the most recent renovation in late 2022 with work beginning in January of 2023 and was completed by July. This swift movement of the six-month renovation was possible with strategic planning and constant guidance.
Info from - Historic renovation at Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary | Bismarck Diocese | Bismarck, ND
Saint Mary’s was the first church built in Bismarck in 1875. The church’s humble beginnings started with remnants of a tornado-damaged church that were shipped by rail from Detroit Lakes, Minn. Construction began in the fall of 1874 and continued through the spring of 1875 on the building, which was originally located on the corner of Main and Mandan Street.
That first church was originally known as the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and later became known as the Church of St. Mary. In 1877, Father Chrysostom Foffa, a Benedictine priest who had founded a Catholic mission on the Standing Rock Reservation in 1876, moved from Fort Yates to Bismarck and became the first resident pastor of St. Mary’s. With the arrival of a resident pastor, the parish was thus officially established in 1877.
In the early 1880s, St. Mary’s membership was approximately 30 families. The pews and altar were made by a parish member. To raise money for the first church organ, the early parishioners gathered for a quilt raffle and a church supper. An altar society was formed, and each member was obligated to donate 50 cents quarterly to help defray the costs.
By 1890, the parish was flourishing. With its population growth, the local parishioners began to call for a new church. Father Clement Dimpfl, who arrived in 1896, immediately acquired land for a new church located on 8th Street and Broadway. The church was built and dedicated in 1898 at a cost of $12,000. This is the present church today.
The church is adorned with beautiful stained-glass windows. The most expensive window was placed over the original entrance of the church. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, portraying the image of the Miraculous Medal. It was donated by Medora, the widow of the famous Marquis de Mores.
The parish served as the pro-cathedral until the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit was built and completed on Raymond Street in west Bismarck in 1945 and maintained the title until 1953. On Sept. 8, 2020, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bishop Kagan granted permission for St. Mary’s to resume the pro-cathedral title. In 2027, the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary will celebrate 150 years as a parish—the first parish in the diocese to reach this milestone.
Saint Mary’s has had many dedicated pastors over the years, but the longest tenure was that of Msgr. Robert Feehan, who came to St. Mary’s in 1933 and served for almost 50 years. He died in the rectory from heart failure on Sept. 9, 1981, at the age of 83. Fathers Ted Gustin and Charlie Heidt were also long-time pastors at St. Mary’s.
Today, the parish has a membership of 1,011 households served by pastor, Fr. Jared Johnson, who has been there since 2018. He announced the most recent renovation in late 2022 with work beginning in January of 2023 and was completed by July. This swift movement of the six-month renovation was possible with strategic planning and constant guidance.
Info from - Historic renovation at Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary | Bismarck Diocese | Bismarck, ND