Historic renovation at Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary

It is fitting to call St. Mary’s in Bismarck the mother church of the diocese.

In 1910, when Bismarck became the center of the new diocese of western North Dakota, St. Mary’s was given the title of pro-cathedral and served as the bishop’s church until a new cathedral building was built and dedicated on Aug. 30, 1945.

Many renovations have taken place at St. Mary’s. None have been more spectacular than the one recently completed.

Before the narrative of how the church evolved to how it looks today, it’s important to get the context of the rich history and impact that this parish has had in the diocese.

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.

Renovation plans

“We officially announced the renovation plans to the parish on Nov. 19-20, 2022,” Fr. Johnson explained. “I didn’t realize it in our planning phase, but what was neat about the weekend of our announcement, is those dates (Nov. 19-20) are the same weekend of our parish’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1927. This felt significant because much of what we were wanting to do with this renovation was to focus on our parish’s 150th anniversary in 2027.”

In mid-January, when the church was closed to begin the renovation and structural work, weekend Masses were held at Our Lady of Victory Chapel at St. Mary’s Central High School. That way, contractors could be as efficient as possible in completing their work and meeting the deadline.

“The contractors finished all of their work in time for Bishop Kagan to celebrate a Mass of dedication on July 8, 2023,” Fr. Johnson said. “At this Mass, he consecrated our newly constructed altar and rededicated the church. We then resumed our regular Sunday Mass schedule the next day.”

It's remarkable how the breathtaking transformation could be completed in just six months. There are so many aspects that stand out, but Father Johnson can’t help but focus on the centerpiece of the entire design—the altar—and how it ties in the historical aspect.

“The overall design of the main altar was done based on the design elements found in the original high altar, which is the white altar piece where the tabernacle sits. Both the tabernacle and the small portion of the original high altar were part of the original design of the church. It was important for us to incorporate the original high altar and the tabernacle into the new design. We then based the design of the main altar on these original pieces. 

“The main altar was the primary focus of the Mass of dedication when Bishop Kagan consecrated the new altar with sacred chrism. On most days, when I reverence the altar at the end of Mass, my mind goes back to the wonderful Mass of dedication. I think the ultimate reason it’s important is because the altar is from where we are fed with the Eucharist.”

Another highlight of the renovation is the beautiful Stations of the Cross.

“These stations are original to the church,” Fr. Johnson said. “Our Stations of the Cross were made by the legendary Daprato Studios and Statuary Company in Chicago over 100 years ago. It has been a true joy to see them come even more to life as they were painted in full color by an artist in Wisconsin.”

Structural analysis

The transformed beauty for the glory of God is easy to see when you step into the church. But, beyond the aesthetic, the framework of this old church needed some attention. Considering the building’s age, a structural analysis was the obvious first step.

“In March of 2021, we hired an excellent structural engineer who did a thorough analysis of the entire building—foundation, roof, bell tower, floor, etc. From this initial analysis, the engineer reported some very significant distress in what we came to call our ‘roof framing system.’ This simply meant that much of the original lumber and joints in our rafters were split, broken and pulling apart. In short, our roof was failing, which was then causing further distress on the rest of the building structure.

“We then put together a plan with our engineer and our contractors as how to best relieve this situation. As that plan developed, it became clear that this would be a major undertaking and require significant resources—both of time and funds. As we considered our next steps, we thought it might also be an appropriate time to do some updating inside the church itself, mainly with flooring, lighting and paint.

“For the design of the church interior, we worked with Alan Warmka, a liturgical artist from Minnesota, who had done work at several other churches in the diocese, including Our Lady of Victory Chapel. The easy thing about the design work of the church interior was that the church layout itself lends itself to a relatively straightforward design—when you walk into St. Mary’s, you can tell that statues should be in certain places and altars should be in certain places. And so, we simply followed how the church was originally laid out and designed. It’s hard to believe that it’s now been over three years since we first began the conversations with our finance council and structural engineer.”

Positive outcome

Father said that the parishioners have been very supportive and positive about the renovations. 

“One of the most consistent comments I hear is that it ‘feels so bright.’ That was certainly one of our goals with this project. The lighter floor and additional lighting, as well as the additions made in the sanctuary really do brighten things up. My ultimate hope is that all of our parishioners and visitors who pray and worship God in our renovated space may come to know the light and love of Christ in a deeper way. The parishioners of St. Mary’s are ultimately the ones who allowed this renovation and important structural work to take place through their prayers and very generous support.”