by Amanda Jensen, Diocese Office of Family Ministry
Bishop Austin Vetter, the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Helena, will be delivering the opening and closing key presentations at Thirst 2025 set for Oct. 31-Nov. 1 in Bismarck.
“I was excited to be invited to be a keynote speaker at the Thirst Conference. I received so much from living in the Bismarck Diocese and I hope to give something back. It will be good to be back with the good people of North Dakota and to see so many familiar faces,” Bishop Vetter stated.
He hopes to deliver attendees “a message of the importance of truly seeing one another, of the hope and joy of the Christian life, of learning to suffer well and offer our sufferings to Jesus on the cross and of what it means to be part of the Mystical Body of Christ.”
Born in 1967 to August and Loretta Vetter, Austin Anthony Vetter is the youngest of 12 children. He was raised on the family farm and went to school in Linton, N.D. Following high school, he attended North Dakota State University and Cardinal Muench Seminary in Fargo, from which he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy. He went on to study at the Pontifical North American College and the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He was ordained a priest in the Bismarck Diocese on June 29, 1993.
While in the Bismarck Diocese, he served at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Bismarck, Church of St. Martin, Center, Church of St. Patrick, Dickinson, Church of St. Leo the Great, Minot and taught religion at St. Mary’s Central High School, Bismarck. He was Director of Spiritual Formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and taught as an adjunct faculty member of the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University in Omaha. On Oct. 8, 2019, Pope Francis announced Vetter as his choice to serve as Bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana. He was ordained and installed as Helena’s 11th bishop by Archbishop Alexander Sample, Archbishop of Portland, on Nov. 20, 2019.
The theme for Thirst 2025 is “Saints, Being a Pilgrim of Hope.” The year of 2025 has been a jubilee year with the theme of “Pilgrims of Hope” by Pope Francis, as it is the 2,025th anniversary of the Incarnation of Our Lord. In his announcement of the jubilee year, Pope Francis stated, “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit…”
Bishop Austin Vetter states, “I love the theme, Saints, Being a Pilgrim of Hope. In this jubilee year, especially, we have to remember that without the anchor of hope, we drift off into hopelessness. The saints are the most hopeful of people, and they are great role models for us in living with the hope and joy of Jesus Christ.”
Invitation to the Thirst Conference
All are invited to attend the Thirst 2025 Eucharistic Conference on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 to hear more from Bishop Austin Vetter.
“To someone considering attending the Thirst 2025 Eucharistic Conference, I simply say this: You'll get more out of it if you're there than if you don't come! I hope to see you this coming October/November!”
Look forward to additional details about the featured speakers, other event activities and more about Thirst 2025 in upcoming Dakota Catholic Action editions. Visit our website at bismarckdiocese.com/thirst2025 for details as they are added.