The Diocese of Saint Cloud was canonically established to serve the deeply religious northern European immigrants, who were homesteading the prairies, as well as the Native Americans living in the region.

In 1852 Rev. Francis Pierz (Pirc), a native of Carniola, Austria, came from his former Indian missions at Lake Superior to Minnesota to labour among the Chippewa Indians. Finding the country well adapted to agriculture, he announced the fact in some Catholic German papers, and thus caused a large immigration of German Catholics, especially to Stearns county. In 1856 Bishop Cretin of Saint Paul sent three Benedictines, Fathers Demetrius de Marogna, Cornelius Wittmann, and Bruno Riss, to attend the ever-ìncreasing numbers of settlers. They settled on a piece of land near the present city of Saint Cloud, where they built a small log house and chapel. In 1857 they erected a college, and opened a school with five pupils. A change of location, however, was desirable, hence land was secured around Saint John's Lake, and in 1866 a college and monastery were permanently established. They have now flourishing parishes and a university with more than three hundred students. The first abbot, Rt. Rev. Rupert Seidenbusch, was made Vicar Apostolic of Northern Minnesota (1875). He resided in Saint Cloud until 1888 when, on account of poor health, he resigned. He built the present pro-cathedral and died 3 June, 1895.

The present Diocese of Saint Cloud was created in 1889 with Rt. Rev. Dr. Otto Zardetti as its first bishop. Dr. Zardetti, a native of Switzerland, was born 24 Jan., 1846. He was ordained priest 21 Aug., 1870, and in 1881 became professor of dogma in the Saint Francis Seminary, near Milwaukee. In 1886 he was made vicar-general of Bishop Marty of Yankton. Bishop Zardetti was extremely active and renowned as a pulpit orator. In Feb., 1894, he was made Archbishop of Bucharest in Rumania and died at Rome 9 May, 1902.

When he took charge of the Diocese of Saint Cloud, he found about 30,000 souls in the charge of 69 priests, 52 religious and 17 diocesan. When he resigned, there were about 40,000 souls in the charge of 33 secular priests and 16 religious, besides 19 religious in the monastery. His successor was Rt. Rev. Martin Marty, O.S.B., also a native of Switzerland. In 1879 he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Dakota, residing in Yankton, in 1889 first Bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and 31 Dec., 1894, was transferred to Saint Cloud. He took charge of the new see 12 March, 1895, but died 19 Sept., 1896. Rt. Rev. Mgr. Jos. Bauer was administrator of the diocese until 28 Sept., 1897, when Bishop James Trobec arrived as third bishop of the diocese.

(From here up: excerpted from Kevin Knight.)

Bishop Trobec led the diocese from 1897 to 1914. After Bishop Trobec retired, Bishop Joseph Francis Busch was appointed bishop and moved in 1915 from his current role as a bishop in South Dakota. He led the Diocese of Saint Cloud for 38 years. While Bishop Busch was in Saint Cloud, he received a co-adjutor, Bishop Peter William Bartholome in 1941. After Bishop Busch died at 87, still serving as the bishop, Bishop Bartholome became the new bishop, where he served the Diocese of Saint Cloud from 1953 to 1968. He was appointed Titular Bishop of Tanaramusa in 1968, the year when Bishop George Henry Speltz became the new bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud, where he had been appointed coadjutor in 1966. He retired in 1987, leaving the See empty for six months before Bishop Jerome George Hanus, O.S.B. was appointed the new bishop. He served the Diocese of Saint Cloud for seven years before being appointed coadjutor, then bishop of the Dicoese of Dubuque, Iowa. In 1995, our current bishop, Bishop John Francis Kinney, was appointed and he continues to serve with grace today.