Austin Anthony Vetter (born September 13, 1967) is an American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana since 2019.

Biography

Early life

Austin Vetter was born on September 13, 1967, in

Linton, North Dakota Linton is a city in and the county seat of Emmons County, North Dakota, Emmons County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 1,071 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. When compared with the other 356 cities in North Dakota, ...

. He attended primary and secondary schools in the Linton Public School System. Vetter entered

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota, United States. It was ...

in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1985. After deciding to become a priest, Vetter left North Dakota State in 1986 to enroll at

Cardinal Muench Seminary Cardinal Muench Seminary was a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic minor seminary located in Fargo, North Dakota, Fargo, North Dakota, United States. Founded in 1962 as the seminary of the Diocese of Fargo, it reached a peak enrollment of 84 seminar ...

in Fargo, North Dakota. In 1989, he went to Rome to continue his formation at the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (abbreviated STB) is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred by a number o ...

degree from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1992.

Priesthood

On June 29, 1993, Vetter was ordained to the priesthood for the

Diocese of Bismarck The Diocese of Bismarck () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in western North Dakota in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The ...

at the

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, alternatively known as the ''St. Esprit Cathedral'' ( Turkish: ''Saint Esprit Kilisesi''), located on Cumhuriyet Avenue 127/A, in the quarter of Pangaltı in Şişli district, the former Harbiye, between Taksim ...

in Bismarck, North Dakota, by Bishop John Kinney. The diocese assigned Vetter to pastoral positions at the following parishes in North Dakota: * Parochial vicar at

(1993 to 1996). He also served as a religion instructor at

St. Mary's Central High School St. Mary's Central High School (SMCHS) is a private, Roman Catholic, co-educational high school in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States. It is part of the Light of Christ Catholic Schools district and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese o ...

in Bismarck from 1994 to 1999. * Parochial vicar and later pastor of St. Martin's in

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

(1996 to 1999) In 1999, Vetter was appointed as episcopal vicar for the permanent diaconate as well as pastor of St. Patrick's Parish in

Dickinson, North Dakota Dickinson is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 25,679 at the 2020 census, making it the seventh most populous city in North Dakota. Dickinson, founded in 1881, is also home to Dickins ...

. He left St. Patrick's in 2008 after being named pastor of St. Leo the Great Parish in

Minot, North Dakota Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

, and director of continuing education for clergy. Vetter returned to the Pontifical North American College in July 2012 after its oversight board appointed him as Director of

Spiritual Formation Spiritual formation may refer either to the process and practices by which a person may progress in one's spiritual or religious life or to a movement in Protestant Christianity that emphasizes these processes and practices. The processes may inc ...

. He would hold this position for the next six years. In 2018, Bishop David D. Kagan named him Rector of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck.

Bishop of Helena

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed Vetter as the eleventh bishop of Helena on October 8, 2019. Vetter was consecrated by Archbishop Alexander Sample on November 20, 2019, at Saint Helena Cathedral, with Bishops James F. Checchio and

David Kagan David Dennis Kagan (born November 9, 1949) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Bismarck since 2011. Biography Early life and education David Kagan was born on November 9, 1949, in Waukegan, Illinois, and grew up ...

serving as co-consecrators.

References

External links