SIOUX FALLS, DIOCESE OF. - Diocese and city in the State of South Dakota (U.S.A.). The diocese of St. F. (Siouxvornensis) comprises the part of the State of South Dakota situated to the east of the Missouri River and covers an area of 35,091 square miles.
St. F., suffragan of St. Paul, had, in 1951, 491,878 inhabitants, of whom 75,550 were Catholics. There are 169 diocesan priests (42 religious from 7 congregations), 114 parishes, 46 chapels, 60 missions, 13 female congregations (664 sisters), 1 college, 2 orphanages, and 12 hospitals.
The first Mass was celebrated there in 1842 when Abp. Ravoux came from St. Paul to make his first visitation of Sioux Falls, and the first church was built in 1867 by Pierre Boucher. In 1879 (q.v.) the apostolic vicariate of the same name was erected for the entire territory of the Dakota, with Fr. Martin Marty, O.S.B., abbot of St. Meinrad, as apostolic vicar. The area of the new apostolic vicariate was 149,112 square miles, and means of transportation were scarce. Abp. Marty established his see at Yankton. He had only 12 priests and 20 churches for a Catholic population of about 14,000 souls. In 1881 there were 37 priests, 43 churches, and 33 stations: Catholics numbered 15,800, of whom about 700 were indigenous. When the civil territory of the Dakota was divided into two States—North and South Dakota—the apostolic vicariate was abolished and two dioceses were erected: St. F. for South Dakota and Jamestown (now Fargo, since 1897) for North Dakota. In 1902 the western part of the State formed the diocese of Lead, detached also from St. Francis (8 Aug. 1902).